Recently, I took a video of myself erging. I wanted to check my technique and make sure I wasn’t doing anything obviously wrong since some old back pain is flaring up a little. I took the video directly from the side, which is the worst possible angle for me while wearing tight clothing at the moment. *Shudder* I watched it twice, deleted it while wishing I could burn my phone just to make sure I would never be able to watch it again, and put on one of my husband’s shirts. 

Things have gotten a little … out of hand over the holidays. I still exercised, but there were lots of cookies and fudge and other kinds of cookies. My excuses are easy to turn to, but in the end, it’s the same old struggle with will power when it comes to sugar, and the fact that I find a lot of comfort in sweets at the end of the day. 

I, like many others, am drawn to the idea of a fresh start in the new year. As the calendar turns over and a new year begins, it seems like such a great time to recommit to myself or try something new. It’s a cliche as old as the calendar. I can still remember the jingles of diet plans from the 90s (Jenny Craig, anyone?) with the “new year, new you” angle, but just because it’s done by a lot of people doesn’t mean I don’t want to do it. 

So this isn’t about joining the crowd or about turning away from the cynicism of my generation, or at least that of the hipsters. It’s about the neatness and opportunity of a new beginning. There’s no promise that 2021 will be better or different, but at least I can point to Jan. 1 as my start date for a change. I’m not doing a diet because I don’t believe those are sustainable. I’m just going to curb my sugar intake. Let me know if you care to join, and we can be accountability friends. 

I’m going to be terrible to be around on January 3-10. Sorry, guys.