Helloooo, 2014!

Well, 2013 has come and gone, and here we sit in 2014 (or perhaps we stand, or slouch, or... you get the picture).  Whatever we're doing, we're here.

I intended to make a post for New Year's Eve, since my post count was at 13, and that hasn't always necessarily been a good number. But, oh well, I'm not very superstitious. 

Before I get on with this post, I just want to take a minute to say how floored I am that my previous post (read it here) got such powerful responses.  A lot of you commented on Facebook, Twitter, and sent private messages, and I just want to say 'thanks!' It's not easy sharing oneself with the Internet--at least, it's not for me, but I felt it was important, and you let me know that I was right: it is.

That being said, I hope you all are having a fabulous start to the New Year!  (not sure why I keep capitalizing that).

So, resolutions!  Have you made any?

Personally, I haven't made any concrete ones.  It seems kind of arbitrary for me to do so-- I haven't made any resolutions in years, though I have used the new year to help with things I wanted to do more of, anyway.  I was trying to do them before the new year, and sometimes I would succeed, and sometimes I wouldn't.  As is life.

Anyway, we're 2 days in (hah!), and so far, I'm doing well on the goals (not resolutions) I've outlined for myself.  They are as follows:

-Floss every day.
-Drink more water.
-Eat vegetables every day.
-Drink less Diet Coke.
-Go to the gym with more frequency.

These are things I have not, traditionally, been very good about. This week has seen me googling at a near record speed the best way to cook vegetables, the effects of microwaves on our food, and how many ounces of water you should drink per day.

For the record, the effects of microwaves on our food aren't nearly as dire as I've been told.  I've been told on numerous occasions that microwaving vegetables takes all the nutrients out of them.

Not so, says Dr. Google.  In fact, apparently (and I'm not [very] ashamed to admit that this was news to me--before, I've always thought it was some sort of witchcraft or wizardry that brought me my hot food often in a matter of seconds), microwaves work by heating up water molecules in the food, and many articles (written by people more knowledgeable than I on the subject) say that the microwave is actually a preferred method for retaining nutrients in vegetables.  Basically, the logic says that the less time you heat your veggies, the better--and the microwave is definitely the fastest. Now, they don't always taste the best, perhaps, but they're nutrient rich, and if you're eating the frozen vegetables, you're getting a lot of nutrients, since they apparently freeze them at the height of their nutritional value.

See?  Sometimes the internet is a good invention!  Now I have fewer excuses about my poor vegetable consumption.  (I microwaved some asparagus at work today--it was alright, but the trader joe's kind is much, much better).

No matter how you cook it, though, experts agree: some veggies (even if they lose a few nutrients along the way) are certainly better than no veggies (which was, sadly, my default).

As for the water thing: it's approximately 13 cups for men (3 liters), and 9 cups for women (2.2 liters), depending on the climate in which you live.  This estimate is for a pretty normal climate.

That's approximately 70 ounces per day for females (males, you can do your own math!).  Which doesn't necessarily mean we need to put 70 ounces of water in a cup (or 9 of them) and drink them. Water is contained in everything we eat and drink: coffee, vegetables, soda, etc.  So, I'm trying to consume at least 60 ounces of water a day, and assuming that the things I eat (especially if I'm eating lettuce, etc.) make up the other 10 oz.  

We'll see how that goes.  And, remember, what they say isn't true! You can die from drinking too much water.  So don't, you know, over-hydrate. 

In true tradition, now that I've looked forward, it's time to look back.  Maybe I'm doing that in reverse order, but oh well.

In retrospect, 2013 was just kind of... there for me. That is, if it wasn't occupied with tragedy.  This year marks the 5th year in a row that someone or something I love has been taken, and that is a pattern I desperately hope stays in 2013.

In Loving Memory:
2009 - Sable.
2010 - Aunt Sherry.
2011 - Theron Brison.
2012 - Maxwell.
2013 - Grandy.

My life won't ever be the same, and there's not a day that goes by that I don't wish more than anything that you could experience 2014 with me.

I know, I know, this was so not a hard-hitting entry.  It's alright, we've got the rest of 2014 for that.  

Go ahead and share your resolutions (if you're doing them), or general goals for the year, so we can ask each other about them throughout the year, and make each other feel really guilty if we haven't been keeping up with them.  Hey, that's what friends are for, right?!