I can’t think of any frustration to express with the Senate’s “reform” vote that I haven’t expressed already, so instead I’m going to go in a more positive direction: my health- and fitness-related goals for 2010.

First, I want to brag that I was very successful in 2009. Thanks to my favorite iPhone app, Lose It!, I went beyond my original goal of losing 15 pounds. I went from 157 pounds to 135, the same as I weighed as a senior in high school (and I’m in much better shape than I was back then), and I’ve maintained that weight for 6 months.

Lots of people assumed I lost the weight for my wedding. Not true; if that were my goal, my weight loss was too much and my dress was enormous! In fact, I wanted to take the pounds off so as to run a faster, stronger marathon. And I did — by more than 17 minutes, despite running a hillier course than the one on which I set my previous personal record.

I’ve investigated a bit into the paleo-eating trend that a lot of Objectivists have embraced. My personal conclusion is that I’m not willing to cut out refined sugars and starches altogether, but I do feel better when I reduce my consumption. So, in the second half of 2009, I made subtle changes like treating corn as a grain, not a vegetable (my husband and I had always been in the habit of including a vegetable with every home-cooked meal, but now I don’t put corn in that slot), replacing cereal with apples and almond butter or with salami and ricotta, and cutting down portion sizes of starchy foods. Also, I’ve tried to be more mindful of the starchy and sugary foods that I do eat. I don’t waste my time with, say, Little Debbie snack cakes any more; if I’m going to have junk food, I make it the best-quality junk food I can find — say, homemade brioche bread pudding from my favorite Brooklyn bakery. (I also don’t carbo-load before long runs any more — I find that a meal of fish or chicken and vegetables works best.) I like this approach — I feel better and more energetic, but I still get to enjoy some carb-rich foods. Life without cake is life without sunshine, IMO!

So here’s what I want to do, health- and fitness-wise, in 2010:

Maintain weight at 135 pounds. Even though the old pounds are gone, I continue to use the Lose It! app to keep tabs on my eating and make sure my weight doesn’t fluctuate by more than a pound or two.

Beat my personal record in the marathon. I’m thinking of running Chicago this year; if I don’t get in, I will probably sign up for Philadelphia again. On either of those courses, I should be able to beat my NYC time provided I maintain the high level of fitness I achieved last year.

Run a 5K. Sounds like nothing compared to the previous goal, huh? I haven’t run a 5K since 2007, and I’m in much better running shape now than I was then. My previous best time was 26:47, and I’m certain I can shave that down — so I’d like to see by how much. I’d love to get in under 25 minutes, and I’m thinking I’ll try it at the Coogan’s 5K in March.

Improve core strength. Although I was vigilant about running my prescribed number of miles each day last year unless I was injured or seriously ill, one area that I let slide was strength training. Stronger abs, in particular, would make me a better runner (and I’d look hotter in a bikini). I’ve already started adding crunches, bicycles, and other moves back to my routine. My goal for January is to do a couple of minutes of ab work at least four times a week, and I’ll increase the duration and frequency from there.

Go injury-free. Other than a brief bout of shin splints, I didn’t get hurt in 2009, which was really nice. I’m going to continue regular stretching to make sure I stick to that trend this year. The harder part is listening to my body. If you’re a runner you’ll know what I mean: your body is sending you a clear signal that you need to stop, and you want to keep going anyway to make sure you reach your mileage goal for that day/week/month. I’m not always perfect about paying attention to these signals; thus far it hasn’t sidelined me, but I need to become better at discerning the “I don’t wannas” from the “something is really wrong, I shouldn’ts.”

Those are the goals, and if I do the work I should be even more successful this year than last year!

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