I love New Year’s resolutions. I always have – there is something about starting fresh in a new year that never ceases to inspire me. Like many of you, I have a few resolutions. One is to become a stronger person, physically.

Last year presented some physical challenges that were, if not very painful, certainly a nuisance. In the summer, I took to running up the mountain in the mornings before work. At first, it felt amazing. After a while, I began to experience abnormal muscle pain in my hips, butt and upper legs – as well as a nerve pinching in my butt. I felt like an OLD LADY. And no offense to the old ladies out there, I am sure you are rocking your thing, but I’m 31 years old and NOT ready to feel physically limited!

In the fall, an ergotherapist unblocked my hips, which had been causing me to run with all of the elegance of an elephant – and I regained some motion I didn’t realize I had lost. She also determined I had weak core muscles which was causing a lot of trouble. So this year is the Year of the Core. I will become the Wonder Woman of the core muscles. Just joking. Sort of.

In 2012, I’ll become the master of my gluts. The ambassador of my abs. A leggy priestess of all that is fitness.

This is not about losing weight. It’s about building a strong body that will carry me through the years.

A bit of inspiration to help me along: I started a Pinterest board called Strength Inspiration.

What are your resolutions this year?

Photo via Pinterest, by Marc Thyssen

2011 has come and gone. It was not an easy year by any measure. I worked like a maniac and had a lot less time to dedicate to my relationships or to any hobbies. There were family illnesses that caused much stress and we had to put our cat down (rest in peace Chip).  But after spending Christmas week in Mexico analyzing the year, the Boo and I came to the conclusion that we are entering 2012 wiser, calmer and more focused on what’s important. So a happy new year is much in the plans. I wish you much happiness in the new year as well!

Mexico was our long-awaiting vacation. Barring the unfortunate experience we had with a rental car and the Mexican police (!), we had a super sweet vacation in Playa Del Carmen. We also made it out to the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza and to the island of Cozumel. Here are a few Instagram shots from the trip!

Road trip in the countryside:

A pit stop for some fresh coconut water:

Chichen Itza was fascinating.

A Tequila Sunrise and an afternoon snack:

Reina Roja (a cool bar with all of these cozy nooks and crannies to sit down and have a drink):

New Year’s Eve at Coco Bongo:

Dear readers,

To state the obvious, it hasn’t been a very prolific blogging year for me.  Working 50 to 60 hours a week all year wiped me out. After making time for exercise and bonding time with those I care about, I wasn’t left with much bandwidth for blog reading and writing. I basically fell off the grid. It turns out running your own business, while super rewarding, can leave you pretty time poor.

But I really miss blogging and I’ve been trying to figure out a way to come back to it. I was overwhelmed by the number of blogs I was trying to read, Twitter feeds I was trying to follow and email lists I had subscribed to, so I drastically pared those down. Now that I’ve cut down on the noise, maybe I’ll better be able to focus on my own content?  What are your own methods for keeping up a productive blog?

I’m a little rusty, I won’t lie. In fact I think this post is awkward. But I wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas, and a fantastic new year. Thanks for sticking around.

Photo: Rummey Bears

The Boo and I had tons of fun at Dîner en Blanc last night, a yearly outdoor dinner in Montreal based on the French event that’s been happening for the past 20 years. The rules were pretty strict: dress all in white from head to toe, and bring your own table, chairs and place settings, all to be white. The effect was lovely: 3,000 people all dining in white in a public square downtown. Dinner was followed by a dance party! Despite all of the organization required, I’m happy we went.