Red Hot Mamas In Charge of Change.
By: Red Hot Mamas
Published: June 2, 2010
For many of us, December is all about overindulgence– extravagantly spending money that we may, or may not have to spend; eating excessively whether we’re full or not; drinking one too many cocktails since it’s “time to celebrate”.
Then January comes and millions of people start their new years resolutions. Sales of chocolate and alcohol decline while membership at health clubs and diet programs are flooded with people.
It’s a New Year, a new beginning, potentially the best year of your life. A time for introspection, self-improvement and positive change. It’s time to move on to the new year with purpose and hope. Right now is the moment you can start enriching your life by setting your goals for the next year.
It’s easy to find motivation early in the year. What better time to WANT to lose some weight than after the holidays? We feel like couch potatoes, overstuffed and overbaked. Our bank accounts look bleak after overspending on lavish gifts for others. The spending needs to come to an end before the debt becomes even deeper.
Then the February lull arrives. How many times have you broken a New Year’s resolution? Be honest! It’s easy to think, “It’s winter, it’s too cold to exercise. I’ll wait until spring when the weather warms up”. The excuses come out and the promises of resolutions are postponed until next year. Sound familiar?
How ambitious are you this year? The key to avoiding the typical ‘doomed fate of the resolution’ is to be realistic. Don’t expect to change your life around in one day. If your resolution is to lose weight, set small, practical goals instead of large unachievable ones. Don’t expect to lost 20 pounds by February. Instead, target to lose 5 pounds per month over four months.
The choice to improve your life is yours. Are you willing to initiate a change this year? Why not make a commitment to your health? We’re here to help you improve your health decisions this year and every year. Take a look at our list of “Top 6 of 2006”:
- Get Into Physical Shape!
- Be moderately active for at least 30 minutes each day
- Be vigorously active at least 20 minutes 3 times a week
- Aim for a total of 60 minutes each day
- Flexibility training
- Cardiovascular training
- Strength training
- Eat Healthier
- Decrease caloric intake to 1200-2000 calories a day
- Focus on reducing fat, eating low-fat foods
- Never skip meals
- Eat a variety of foods daily
- Increase consumption of whole grains, vegetables and fruits
- Eat majority of calories before 5PM
- Reduce Stress
- Learn to meditate
- Recreation and leisure are as important and productive as work
- Understand menopause. Feelings and changes associated with midlife are natural
- Breathe deeply
- Exercise
- Stop Smoking
- Take up a hobby that keeps your hands busy (paint, learn a musical instrument, etc.)
- Plan how you’re going to spend the money you’ve saved from buying cigarettes
- Take up a sport and enjoy how much fitter you are
- Remind yourself about the medical conditions which smoking can contribute to (cancer, leukemia, aortic aneurism, stroke, bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia, stomach ulcers, Crohn’s Disease, osteoporosis, cataracts, male erectile problems, diabetes)
- Drink More Water- Get your 8 glasses a day. Have a big glass of water at every transitional point in the day (when you first get up, just before leaving the house, when you sit down to do work, etc.Make it convenient- keep water at reach at all points in the day
- When you have a junk food craving, down a glass of water immediately
- Have one glass every hour while at work
- Laugh More- Practice laughing 5 minutes per day. Fake it until you make it!
- Look for humor around you- on signs, in people’s behavior, on TV, in the newspaper, etc.
- Laugh with other people when they laugh
- Wear a smile. It puts you closer to laughter
- Make sure you have fun
