Your Health Resolutions

By WE on December 31, 2011 • ( 0 )

The New Year brings hope that the impossible can be made possible. I love to ring in the New Year and to feel the special anticipation of the unknown. I have always been a future-oriented person. I’m all for miracles and surprises, taking steps two-at-a-time, and accomplishing the impossible.

Your health is a unique puzzle filled with unexpected challenges and solutions. In our lifetimes, most of us will face an unexpected health crisis. While we can’t control the events that come into our lives, we can control the arsenal of tools we have compiled to fight these battles. Investing in your health now will provide you with the best chance of overcoming your future health battles.

Motivation is a wonderful thing, and I hope the new year lights a fire of positive change under you. If you’re making resolutions this year, I’d like to share a piece of diet advice with you that my mother shared with me years ago: Only commit to New Years resolutions you plan to maintain your whole life.

When it comes to health, the tortoise wins the race. We all know fad diets don’t work. So why do millions of Americans embrace them with zeal each January? Why are gyms crowded in January and empty by March? Why do so many people fail to continue their New Year’s resolutions past the first month?

To help you maintain and achieve your New Year’s resolutions, here are a few more tips:

Don’t commit to the impossible. Do challenge yourself – but make small, do-able goals. Do record or keep track of your successes and improvements.
Don’t eliminate all your favorite foods this year. Do commit to eating consciously. Do commit to learning how to make your favorite dish from scratch.
Don’t tell yourself you have to be a gym rat. Do commit to learning a new sport or physical activity — something that pushes you slightly out of your comfort zone.
Perhaps most important: Don’t eliminate a behavior or habit without a back-up plan. As they say, you can’t stop bad habits – but you can replace them. Do replace bad habits with some other behavior. When you feel the urge to go back to the habit you would like to stop, occupy yourself with the new habit.

When designing your new year’s resolutions, know yourself. I love Gretchin Rubin’s quiz “Are you a moderator or an abstainer?” published on her blog, The Happiness Project.

My New Year’s resolution? To incorporate 20 minutes of physical exercise into my life 3 days a week. Years ago, I used to run half marathons, but in my current life, exercise has become almost nonexistent. Since the winter in my city will make it difficult to exercise outside, I’m going to learn new indoor exercises such as hand weight routines and floor exercises.

Wishing you all the best for 2012 and your New Year’s resolutions!

Please leave a comment below to share your health resolutions for the New Year.