Time to reflect back on 2013!

Last year, instead of making a laundry list of things to accomplish, I decided to only set one goal for myself. My goal was to find more balance in my life. While I think I have made a lot of progress in this area (I stopped working as group exercise coordinator at the Y, I began saying no to more things, etc.), I know I have a long way to go. We can always be improving, right? That being said, I’m going to carry this personal goal into 2014, and I’ll continue to set smaller goals for myself along the way (shutting down technology earlier, spending at least 30 minutes a day unwinding and for myself, practicing more yoga). You get the idea.

Aside from that, I put together some fun “Best Of F&F” lists to summarize the rest of my year.

Enjoy!

“Best Of” F&F Fitness in 2013

I did away with being obsessive about blog stats a LONG time ago, so I honestly had no idea what posts you guys liked best until I looked last week. I will admit that every once in a while, I find it fun to look back at which posts of mine get the most traffic.First, take a look at my 13 most viewed fitness posts that I wrote in 2013 (not all time).

1. 30 Day April Arms Challenge
2. New Year, New You! 31 Day Abs Challenge
3. Hip Hip Hooray (Favorite Hip Stretches)
4. My Favorite Upper Body Stretches
5. 5-4-3-2-1 Outdoor Bootcamp Class
6. Upper Body Tabata Strength Workout
7. Bodyweight Plank Variations
8. The Return of Pyramid Pushups
9. The 10-12-15 Workout
10. 3-2-1 Bodyweight Workout
11. My First CrossFit Class
12. 30 Minute At Home Workout
13. Beginner Plank Workout

“Best Of” F&F Food in 2013

Next, here are my 13 most viewed recipe posts that I wrote in 2013 (not all time).

1. Tropical Kale Smoothie
2. Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash
3. Swiss Chard and White Bean Gnocchi
4. Mushroom Spinach Baked Egg Casserole
5. Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
6. My First Protein Cookies
7. Quick and Easy Appetizer: Spanakopita Bites
8. Butternut Squash Casserole with Gnocchi and Kale
9. Whole Wheat Blueberry Banana Muffins
10. Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
11. Eggplant Ricotta Bites
12. Lemon Barley and Bean Salad
13. Sunday Comfort Food: Zucchini Lasagna

“Best Of” F&F Personal Favorites in 2013

I also wanted to share 13 of my personal favorite posts that I wrote over the course of the past year. They aren’t necessarily specific workouts or recipes, and they have nothing to do with stats, but these are fun and different posts I want to remember and remind you guys about. Especially if you are a recent newbie to F&F, here are some past links you may have missed!

1. Five Fun Foodie Valentine’s Day Ideas
2. 50 Health and Fitness Loves
3. On Finding Balance
4. My Favorite Healthy Breakfast Items
5. On the Road Confessions
6. My Heart Breaks For My City
7. Rest Week Recap
8. Making the Switch: Eating Organic
9. 8 Tips For Getting Back On Track After a Vacation
10. Tips For Navigating the Company Picnic
11. Twenty Eight
12. Fall Into Fitness Challenge
13. Your Fitness Is Mental

“Best Of” F&F Memories in 2013

Of course, here are some of my favorite memories from the year. The nice part about having this blog is that it’s fun to go back and read about the year’s most memorable moments. Obviously this is not an all-encompassing list, and there were many fun days and nights spent both in and out, and near and far, but here are the events of the year I found worth recapping.

• New York Weekend: Visiting Jen
• Valentine’s Day 2013
• Scenes From North Conway
• Scenes From Mother’s Day 2013
• Scenes From Greek Easter 2013
• Wellness By the Water Retreat
• Scenes From Rockport
• A Boston Saturday

• Father’s Day
• Scenes From the 4th
• Jen & Tyler’s Wedding
• Fitness & Feta Turns Two
• Portland, Maine: Eats & Drinks
• Scenes From Downtown Portland & Scarborough Beach State Park
• Scenes From Kennebunkport
• Scenes From Peak’s Island

• Scenes From Portland Head Light
• Scenes From A Lucky Catch Lobstering Tour
• Erica’s Summer Visit
• A Sunday At SOWA Open Market
• 28th Birthday Recap
• Ashley & Bret’s Beach Wedding
• No Carbs Left Behind Weekend 2013
• Columbus Day Weekend

• Oaktoberfest 5k Dash & Bash
• Our Portsmouth Overnight
• Thirty Greeks
• 2013 Boston Mania Recap
• Cate’s Bachelorette
• 2013 Friendsgiving Dinner
• Scenes From New York City
• Life Lately (December Things)
• {Lots of} Scenes From Christmas 2013
• Joe & Cate’s New Year’s Eve Wedding <—post/link coming soon!

“Best Of” F&F Blog Opportunities in 2013

And finally, here are some of my favorite opportunities that came my way this past year because of my blog and all of YOU who read it. Thank you again for your endless support. <3

• Product Review: Delgrosso’s Old Style Pizza Sauce
• Free Giveaway: Brookside Chocolates Tasting Kit
• New Chobani Flavors #1 and New Chobani Flavors #2
• City Sports Celebrates 30 Years
• The Studio Empower: Review, Giveaway, Discounts
• Product Review: Bestowed Description Box
• An Unforgettable Night: Yoga At Fenway Park
• Online Nutrition Program: My Nutrition Upgrade
• FitHouse: Review, Giveaway, Discounts
• Sweating For A Cure With Barry’s Bootcamp
• Restaurant Review: Bonefish Grill in Burlington

And that’s that! Cheers to the past year and a clean slate ahead.

–Readers, let’s chat–
Do you have any personal F&F favorites from 2013? If you had to create your own “Best Of” list, what is something that would be on it?

Can’t wait to read what you guys write!