Happy New YOU!

Time flies when you’re having fun….or not.  The way I see it, time flies no matter what you’re doing.  It’s already January!  Happy New Year!  With the start of a brand new year, people make resolutions to do something or make a change: lose weight, exercise more, quit smoking, be more organized, learn to play an instrument, or whatever else you can think of. As usual, I consulted the Chase’s Calendar of Events and found a few events and celebrations that I would like to bring to your attention. 

For starters, January 1-7 is Diet Resolution Week and I’m sure that you can figure out the significance. The number of diets out there is enough to make me imitate Susan Powter and yell, “stop the insanity!”  When it comes to your health, you should try to be logical and realistic. This means that drinking vinegar everyday is certainly not logical or realistic. This also means, don’t fall for ridiculous fad diets or the advertised diet pills on the market because there is no “miracle cure.”  Let me tell you a story: I have been overweight for all my life, struggling time after time to lose weight only to gain back what little weight I had lost and more. Until recently, due to what I will name “my last straw” or “my wake up call.” Seeing my mother in ICU with renal failure and amputated toes from diabetes gave me the biggest scare of my life because I could see myself heading down the same road to chronic health problems. Right then and there, something in my subconscious brain flicked a switch. I became so determined and motivated to get healthy that I decided to join Weight Watchers, (http://www.weightwatchers.com/) which I personally believe is the best weight loss program for me because they focus on eating right and getting healthy, with weight loss being a side effect. My husband joined me two weeks later, and we have both been losing weight and getting healthy for a year and a half now. We haven’t given up yet, and we don’t intend to, so neither should you. Furthermore, the word “diet” is misleading when what it really should be called is “life-long change” or something to that effect. Eating healthy and exercising is something you will need to do for the rest of your life if you want to continue to be healthy.  Naturally, you can still have holiday treats now and then, but the saying “everything in moderation” still holds true. The important thing is to research the diets that sound best for you, but remember only you have the power to make it work.  And, as a friend once told me, you don’t have to wait until January to start.

Along the same idea, it is also Family Fit Lifestyle Month, and Chase’s suggests, “Try, for one month, to move your body and reduce the fat, sugar and salt in your diet while balancing your meals with healthy nutrition….Use moderation and portion control….Help your kids learn proper nutrition and a regular exercise routine.”  Sure, kids run around and play all the time, and that’s fine if they do that regularly. But if your child is a couch potato, or perhaps a video game potato, try to encourage them to go out and play, or maybe make play dates with friends.  Everyone should make an effort to become more active, even if you park your vehicle farther away than usual and take the stairs instead of the elevator now and then. Also, I have heard horror stories regarding kids eating habits.  Some kids will only eat certain foods like hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, macaroni and cheese, and chicken nuggets.  I understand that kids will be finicky with trying new or healthier foods, but we can’t give up in encouraging them to try new things....oh, like vegetables. Kids tastes change, so encourage them to eat healthier as they grow.  Those children whose family members eat healthy and exercise regularly will have role models in fitness and therefore become more active and healthy themselves.   If you’re online, visit http://www.AmericasHealthiestMom.com for more information and encouragement.  Pay special attention to the Lifestyle section where you can find “10 secrets to looking and feeling absolutely awesome!”

International Life Balance Month, which doesn’t necessarily focus on New Years resolutions, but rather “making better strategic decisions yearlong to get your life in balance,” especially with respect to balancing time for yourself, family and friends.  While resolving to change something in your life, consider how important it is to simply enjoy life.  Spending time with family and friends should not be limited only to the holidays, and reserving quality “me-time” is just as important to your health as getting enough sleep and eating a balanced diet.  Learn how to balance your life with speaker, Sheryl Nicholson, at http://www.sheryl.com and request a Life Balance Kit if you’re so inclined.

When we think of setting a New Year’s Resolution, we think of setting a major goal to achieve for the year, but most of the time, we forget about them or get sidetracked or give up on them because our resolutions seem too insurmountable to conquer.  National On-Purpose Month encourages us to put our “good intentions into action.”  Now, I’d like to add something to this idea and say that you don’t need to wait until January to set goals for yourself and purposely make good on your resolutions. Setting goals is a great thing to do because we all need purpose in our daily lives.  However, you can set goals for yourself all year long and tackle them one at a time.  For instance, if you’d like to lose weight and stop smoking, it may be too much to handle at once and then you’ll be tempted to give up on them both.  Focus on one thing, whichever it may be, and then move on to the next goal once you feel comfortable enough to take on something else, or when you have achieved the success you desire.  Read some inspiring quotes and find a little self-help at http://www.on-purpose.com/.  And you absolutely must visit the multi-talented MindTools.com and check out their goal-setting page at http://www.mindtools.com/page6.html for some downloadable tips and motivation.

So, Go Get ’em! Happy New Year! Good Luck, and Godspeed!