Our Top 10 Goals for Summertime

Here at VIDA we’re big fans of goal setting whether it be professional mile markers or hitting a new personal best with our fitness endeavors. Our goals are what keep us striving to get up, show up and do our best everyday, and we can bet you have a few goals of your own, too.

This summer we thought it might be nice to deviate from our typical professional or strictly fitness-based goals and use these hot summer months in the District to accomplish some smaller, but just as important personal goals.

1.) Get up earlier

Many of us already get up early, but I’m sure there’s also a big percentage of us who press the snooze button a couple (or three) times every morning.

Rather than hitting snooze, let’s plan to get up even just 10 minutes earlier so we can focus solely on sipping our coffee and eating our breakfast without multitasking, or use those minutes to stretch out and do some yoga poses before the hectic nature of the day sets in, or read a few pages of a book.

Speaking of reading…

2.) Read a book

When’s the last time you read something longer than an article online or a piece in the Express on your way to work?

If you’re already an avid reader, that’s awesome! Maybe your goal could be to read something in a new genre that you don’t typically read (for me, it’s fiction). But if you can’t remember the last time you read a book from cover to cover (and not on a mobile device), it’s time to hit up Kramerbooks. Find something that can be your go-to for a day spent at the Penthouse Pool or to read on your lunch breaks.

3.) Have a phone-less weekend

I took a trip to Canada recently and forgot that I would be charged international rates (we were only right across from the New York border at Niagara Falls), so to avoid being charged roaming fees, I turned off my phone for a full two days, and I have to say,  it was blissful.

No email checking, no social media alerts, no text messages, and guess what? The world didn’t end. I came back from my phone-free weekend feeling energized, clear-headed and much more aware of my surroundings because I didn’t have my face buried in my phone half the time. I plan on having several more phone-less weekends this summer even though I have no plans to leave the good ‘ol USA, and I hope you’ll consider it too.

4.) Have a staycation

Sometimes it’s hard not to feel a little envious of others’ summer vacations, especially if you’re not able to take one yourself, but chances are unless you grew up here in the DMV, you haven’t seen all there is to see right in your own backyard.

Between the endless museums, monuments and state parks right outside the city, there’s bound to be something you haven’t seen yet. Take a day to be a tourist in D.C., or pack up your bags and drive an hour away to camp out and escape the hustle.

5.) Pare down

No big deal if you forgot about spring cleaning because summer is the best time for purging all the crap to make your space lighter, airer and all-around less cluttered.

Donate the clothes you never wear, throw away expired or forgotten items under your bathroom counters, and get real with yourself about if you’re actually ever going to use that Snuggie your grandma gave you.

6.) Get comfy in the kitchen

While anytime is a good time to start cooking for yourself more often because it’s healthier and more cost-effective, we can’t help but think of summer as the perfect time because of all the incredible produce and goods at our local farmer’s markets.

Seriously, go have a look at the rainbow of fresh fare and tell us that doesn’t make you want to whip up something delicious. Find a local farmer’s market near you with our D.C. market guide.

7.) Grow a plant

Tending to a garden, or if you’re in a small space, even just an indoor plant, has been shown to decrease stress levels and generally improve our mood. Plus, they can really spruce up your space.

Herbs are excellent starter plants that you can use if you like the idea of being able to cook what you grow and don’t have space for a full-blown garden, or if you have a black thumb, succulents and cacti are good selections.

8.) Act like a kid

Somewhere along the way of being a professional in DC a lot of us have forgotten what it means to be carefree. Well, in case you needed permission, here it is: go act like a kid.

Jump in the pool, hang out on the mall all day picnicking and playing football with your friends, get creative and make something, whatever makes you live in the moment and forget all the responsibilities for an afternoon, go do it.

9.) Get a bathing suit that makes you feel hot

Why? Because you totally deserve it, that’s why.

10.) Set new goals

Yes, one of our goals is to set more goals, but more along the lines of long range goals. Have you always wanted to take half a year to go backpacking through Europe, buy a new car in cash, live your dream of opening up a coffee shop, or take your mom on an Alaskan cruise?

Well, that’s last one is one of my goals, and I finally realized it’s not just going to happen one day. So I sat down, did some research, put together a plan and now I’ve got my eyes set on our next adventure. Don’t let dreams live in your head. Put them on paper and work to make them a reality!

What are some of your goals this summer? Share with us on Facebook or Twitter.