Top 5 Personal Health New Year's Resolutions for After Baby

With a New Year approaching, this is a time for resolutions. I'm sure I am not the only woman to be reevaluating her health and fitness regime. It also will not be the first time that I create New Year goals for myself and my health and fitness. This year, however, there is one big difference; I'm having a baby in December. This means I will have a new addition to the family and all the responsibilities that go along with that with the New Year.

Here are my top five personal health New Year's resolutions for after my baby is born:

Lose Pregnancy Weight

I'm having a baby between Christmas and the New Year and we're very excited about it. My weight gain throughout the pregnancy has been moderate and I have maintained a healthy, active lifestyle so I am not too concerned about the "baby weight" that I will have to lose. I do want to make sure I do it in a healthy way and that I don't drop too much too quickly because past experience has shown me that when I do, I tend to gain much of it back.

Try New Foods

I'm a picky eater and I always have been. I eat healthy but I am very particular about what I eat. I have the foods that I like and that's what I stick to. If it's not something I really enjoy, I'd rather not eat it at all. The problem is that I don't get a lot of variety in my diet so this year, I am resolving to try more new foods. If I don't like them, that's ok but I need to make myself try more new flavors and experiences.

Stop Staying Up So Late

I'm a night owl; always have been. Since I am self-employed, I have more freedom to control my own hours but sometimes I take advantage of this and I stay up far too late at night, not allowing myself enough time to sleep before I have to get up and start a new day. I always feel like I am going 100 MPH and that I will miss out on things I need to do if I sleep too long. However, I know how important it is to my body and my mind that I get proper rest so I need to make it a priority to get more sleep at night.

Train for a Marathon

I'd also like to begin training for a marathon in the latter part of 2012. If I begin in January, it will give me plenty of time to enter smaller events and to train properly for the marathon.

Make Time for My Hobbies

Finally, mental health is just as important as physical health and with this New Year, I plan to take more time for my own hobbies. It's not selfish to take care of myself and with five kids plus my own business to run, I often forget how important it is to do something for me now and again. So I am going to schedule and plan time each week for my hobbies. I know this will keep me emotionally healthy, too.