Well, we may be almost halfway into the month of the new year.. but it's never too late to set goals for yourself, right? The typical tradition is to set "resolutions" I know, but that word just brings a connotation of failure, so I've decided to call my new year changes goals instead. Initially, I didn't have any. Upon coming back to school, I decided to set some for myself in an attempt to make the semester go faster. If you're like me, and have yet to set or begin goals, just know that you can decide to make a change whenever you want! There doesn't have to be a special holiday or event in order to change.

My goals for this year are to drink more water, become more active, and really start taking care of my body. If you know me closely, you may know that my mother struggles with an immune disorder known as psoriatic athritis which takes a toll on her body, sometimes heavily. This disorder has been found to be genetic, and now that we know the signs and symptoms, it has begun to become apparent that it is likely I will also develop what she has. This being said, I have talked to my doctor and found out that there are different stretches and health related things that I can do to keep my body healthy.

When I first set these goals for myself, I knew it wasn't going to be easy for me. Water is definitely not my beverage of choice, working out seems like a chore to me, and I looove cheese fries and junk food. Luckily, I have someone by my side who is constantly encouraging me and keeping me accountable.

So, I'm gonna let you in on my tip to keeping those goals.... tell somebody.

Want an even better tip? Make it a challenge.

My boyfriend and I have officially started our "new year challenge" where we set up a system that makes sure we both keep up with our goals and where we want to be.

The deal is that whoever doesn't keep up their end of the challenge has to put a certain amount of money in a jar. At the end of the year, whoever has the least amount of money in their jar gets to pick a date to use the money for. Obviously the idea would be to have as little money in the jar as possible, because it would mean we both are keeping up with our goals, but that could provide a fun twist on what date night looks like.

For example, we decided that if we don't drink at least four bottles of water each per day, we must put a dollar in the jar. If I don't spend at least 30 minutes at the gym, and if he doesn't study (since his workout is his sport) we have to put 50 cents in the jar. And finally, if we don't stretch/ice/take care of our body the right way, then we owe 25 cents.

This has proved to be super effective for us so far! We are both competitive by nature, so having a challenge that encourages us and keeps us accountable has been perfect.

Let 2017 be the year of achieving our goals!