I missed out on my half year update so I thought I better make sure I did my quarter 3 one, so let’s get right in!

1. Continue to jog/run

I have done really well on this one and am currently running 5k three times a week. I have completed 14 parkruns this year including one when I was away visiting family and last weekend I beat my personal best time from when I did parkrun 5 years ago and was two stone lighter!

2. Take up yoga again

I started off well with this one but it has fallen by the wayside in the second half of the year. With running three times a week and swimming once a week there hasn’t been much time for it. Next year our new leisure centre is opening so I’m hoping I’ll be able to fit in a class there.

3. Eat more wholefoods

I have also been doing pretty well with this. I have been getting a UK organic veg box and doing more cooking from scratch. I think I’ll get even more into this as it gets more into Autumn and Winter and I can be making pies and stews.

4. Use less plastic

The way I have been achieving this is by buying less overall. I have also been bringing my own lunch into work and this morning I got my Pumpkin Spice Flat White from Pret in my own bamboo cup. The veg box mentioned above  I had also helped. I have struggled to find alternatives to plastics but by consuming less I am contributing less plastic to landfill and the ocean.

5. Be more politically active

I think I have really come into my own in the second half of the year on this one. I attended a few events at the beginning of the year but it was hearing activists talk at the Vegan Camp Out in July that really inspired me to get more involved. I have attended events in London with The Earthlings Experience as well as regularly attending local Earthlings events in my home town. I took part in Surge’s Down with Dairy event and matched with them as part of the Animal Rights March which saw 5,000 vegans take to the streets of London. I have made some fab friends through activism and hope to continue standing up for what I believe in.

6. Support more independent shops and traders

I am very proud to say I haven’t bought myself a coffee from Starbucks this whole year, and if you knew me last year you’d be very surprised by this! When I do occasionally buy lunch at work there are plenty of great independent food places about. I have also been attending vegan markets and finding out about vegan traders I wasn’t previously aware of.

7. Continue “No New Clothes” and expand on this

I am very happy to say I have been taking part in this challenge for 21 months now. I have bought a couple of items I needed, like a new zip up hoody but I am working on fixing the zip on my coat and stitching up are few bits that have come loose in time for winter. I recently had another little clear out for the charity shop of clothes that I still haven’t really worn in that time. In terms of other items I have managed to keep buying new things to a minimum as I don’t have much room in my flat!

8. Attend Church more regularly

This is another one that I was good at at the beginning of the year but I have let slide a bit over the summer. I have decided to start visiting my local church which is a 25 minute walk away rather than the church I grew up in which is 45 minutes away. The early service at my local church is also a solemn service so I will be home earlier as well.

9. Watch less television

With two evening a week (plus Saturday mornings) being dedicated to running and many Friday evenings doing activism this hasn’t been difficult at all! There are a few shows we regularly watch but it is far less than I used to. We even managed to catch up on BBC Hollow Crown second series (Shakespeare’s Henry VI part one and two and Richard III) which had been sitting on our planner for over a year as we had fewer and fewer regular programmes we were watching.

10. Continue to Blog

I did have a few week gap at the beginning of the summer, but apart from that I’ve blogged pretty regularly throughout the year. As long as things continue to inspire me I’ll continue to blog about them!

So that’s it! I don’t think I’ve done too badly, so I’m pretty proud of myself! Are you still working on your 2017 goals or were they forgotten around about February? Have you started thinking about your 2018 goals yet? Let me know in the comments below.

Plumes x