Every year millions of people around the globe make heartfelt New Year’s resolutions. Do you make the same promises to yourself every year? Do any of these “resolutions” sound familiar?
- Lose Weight (“This will be the year I lose weight”)
- Exercise More (I”m going to get up every morning and hit the gym”)
- Quit Smoking (“I will stop smoking January 1″)
- Drink Less Alcohol (“My last drink will be New Year’s eve”)
- Get out of debt/become financially responsible (“I”m cutting up my credit cards and saving money”)
- Volunteer (” I want to help out the less fortunate”)
I believe the way to accomplish a goal is to break it down into simple and realistic steps. No matter what you want to alter (and improve in your current life), it starts with one small change. Whatever your resolution, take small “doable” steps and keep your goals realistic.
If you have a goal for 2012, take a small and realistic step towards achieving your dream. If you want to lose weight, start keeping a food journal to help figure out what you need to improve. If you need to stop smoking, make an appointment with your doctor today to discuss various options. Lean on family and friends when you can for support. I wish you a joyous, happy and healthy 2012. What will you do for yourself in 2012? Please share your thoughts.
Most events seem to be centered around food during the holiday season. Although we lead busy lives all year long, our schedules get overloaded from Halloween to New Years day. Along with the parties and social events that are part of this festive season, comes an abundance of food – food everywhere! And many of the foods at this time of year are not nutritionally dense fruits and veggies that are loaded with vitamins and minerals (and very few calories). Instead, we encounter fat- and sugary-laden treats and desserts or high calorie casseroles and fried appetizers. The truth is, that if you can continue to make good food choices during the holidays, you will not gain weight during this busy time of year.
My sister and her family have hosted our annual Thanksgiving celebration for the past 20 years. The holiday has become even more meaningful recently, as our children become young adults and our parents age or have passed on. The passage of time has encouraged our family to modify our Thanksgiving recipes to healthier fare, and to truly appreciate our precious time together.
Have your usual healthy breakfast, like steel cut oatmeal and almonds or an omelet with veggies (and lunch if your Thanksgiving meal is in the evening). You will be less tempted to devour appetizers when you first arrive.
Experiencing the changing seasons is one of the best parts of living in New York. But we all remember the winter of 2011, which was particularly harsh. It seemed to snow almost everyday. Finally, there was no place to put the mountains of snow. Living in a place where the leafs turn magnificent shades of brown, green, orange and red in the fall and flowers bloom every spring is simply divine.
He recently unpacked (he’s only been home a week)… and showed me a shirt he purchased, size large. He usually wears a medium (with room to spare). When he held up the size large tee shirt, we noted that it was equivalent to a small or medium shirt sold in the United States. We were both thinking the same thing. That shirt would be labeled a small or medium if purchased in a clothing store in the US, but it was manufactured in Israel and clearly labeled “large”. After a brief pause, he commented “people outside our country don’t eat fast food regularly, and walk rather than drive to wherever they are going The are just smaller than we are”. What a great lesson.
