A little over one month ago, we all watched the ball drop, popped some champagne, kissed our sweethearts – or whoever happened to be next to us at midnight – and rang in the joyous year of 2012.

We also made New Year’s resolutions.

We promised ourselves to do more of some things and less of others. We vowed to eat healthy, take more photos, exercise, keep a journal, quit smoking, learn a foreign language or a musical instrument, make it to class on time, et cetera, et cetera.

I bring all this up now because it seems to me that one month later is a good time for a check-in. Think about it. How much have you been slacking off or making excuses for not sticking to your goals? And its only been a month. Imagine how lazy we will be six months from now if we don’t periodically stop to assess how we’re doing. I know I am in need of an honest self-evaluation, and I don’t think I’m the only one.

You’re going to laugh, but the thing responsible for prompting all of this self-reflection is none other than the Super Bowl. Yes, you read that right. The Super Bowl.

Since Jan. 1, I’ve been doing a decent job of sticking to my resolutions. I’ve been doing a ton of yoga – and not just the easy stuff – eating more fruits and vegetables, and making a concerted effort to catch myself when I bite my nails.

Then the Super Bowl came, and it all went downhill.

I spent the entirety of Sunday sprawled out on the couch in my sweatpants, alternating between eating peanuts, chips and dip, chips and salsa, cheese and crackers, brats, and ice cream, as well as drinking an unnecessary amount of soda and beer interchangeably. From that information alone, I’m sure you can guess how much exercise I got. In my defense, it is rather difficult to do yoga while sitting on a couch.

To make things worse, I didn’t manage to eat even one piece of fruit, the only vegetables I had were disguised in the salsa and I bit every last one of my fingernails down to the skin.

On Monday morning, I woke up feeling extremely lazy and much too full from my previous day of grazing. I didn’t sleep as well as I’d hoped – probably due to a lack of exercise – and my fingers hurt from chewing on my nails during the game.

Hence, the Super Bowl served as an unlikely motivator for me to re-evaluate my New Year’s resolutions and get myself back on track. I might have had an enjoyable day on Sunday, but I realized if I allow myself to accept the fact that I ultimately might not stick to my goals after all, my resolutions would be all for naught.

All this being said, I do think its important to allow yourself the occasional break from the stress that living up to these goals can cause. Sometimes its okay to watch hours of TV, treat yourself to some junk food, skip a workout or sleep in an extra hour.

I think my lazy Super Bowl Sunday reminded me that it’s important to be conscious of who you are now and who you truly want to be. The purpose of New Year’s resolutions is self-improvement, and everyone feels better about themselves when they make the changes they want to see.

Who knew the Super Bowl could be so profound?