It’s the middle of January and how many of you are ready to give up on your new year’s resolution of living a healthier lifestyle? Stats show that over 70% drop their resolutions by the 31st. The key to a healthier lifestyle transformation is to integrate small changes, which will make you feel better overall and will lead to more healthy habits. Many try to take on an entire lifestyle overhaul rather than integrating smaller and more attainable goals that will take them throughout the entire year.
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These five tips illustrate ways to help you stay on track to achieving your healthy resolution well into 2012.—<em>Suncear Scretchen</em>
<b>1) Specify</b>
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Being more specific about what you are trying to achieve rather than making vague statements will bring some clarity to your goals. Language is a vehicle to creating what you want. “I’m going to lose 20 pounds” or “I want to fit into my favorite outfit” is more declarative and places the goal within reach more so than “I want to lose weight.”
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Having an action plan behind your statements is also important in staying on the path. You may want to eat healthier but does that mean integrating more vegetables? Consuming less sugar and more whole grains? Wanting to eat more consciously is laudable but if you take on too much at once, you could be setting your self up to fail. How about making a goal of eating more whole grains by bringing a sandwich to work made from 7 grain bread or asking for brown rice instead of white at your favorite Asian restaurant?
<b>2) Get a Buddy System</b>
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It is so important to have someone on your team to help you achieve a healthier lifestyle. Many of us have families, co-workers and friends who aren't monitoring their caloric intake or fat consumption. Therefore, a new lifestyle can be very isolating for us. That's why having a buddy or network is can help you stay on track. Not only do they provide a supportive environment but they also hold you accountable. .
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You may also need to re-evaluate friendships that are not sensitive or supportive of your resolution. It's tough enough to pass on the pal's birthday cake, but if someone is constantly trying to cajole you into eating more so that <em>they</em> don’t feel so bad about their eating habits, you may need to spend less time with that person. Find a community or person who share your healthy aspirations, or, if you can, find a coach/counselor whose job it is to help you meet your goals.
<b>3) Manage Stress</b>
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A healthy lifestyle is not just about nutrition and exercise. What goes on in your personal life affects your eating (that’s why it’s called comfort food) and your motivation. Stress is unhealthy and managing it is a major component of living healthily and will positively or negatively effect your resolution outcome.
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If you have a stressful job or are in the midst of an un-happy relationship, find ways to cope with these nuisances or move away from them altogether. Finding “me time” such as meditation, starting a blog, volunteering, creating an art project or riding a motorcycle. If it makes you feel good about yourself and takes you away from the day to day difficulties, do it. If you are stressed you are more prone to fall back into bad habits.
<b>4) Change your mindset.</b>
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This may sound hokey, but positive thinking makes all the difference in the world as to whether or not you are a part of that 30% who sticks to their resolution. How events occur for you is a reflection of what you think and believe. If you think exercising is too hard or boring, and that drinking a lot water is like taking medicine, then most likely you will give up before the 31st.
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Keep in mind the benefits of why you are making these changes. Instead of dreading water, know that you are flushing out toxins and bringing more clarity throughout the day. Or focus on that feeling of accomplishment, renewed energy and natural high you get when you are done with your workout.
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When you are in that positive state of mind, you are also more apt to find solutions to things you may find cumbersome. Put some lemon, lime or grapefruit juice in that water to combat the "medicine" reaction. Find a class that you enjoy—like Zumba, pole dancing, wrestling or squash—so that you look forward to attending and doesn’t feel like working out.
<b>5) Ease up</b>
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Simply put: if you fall off the healthy wagon, get back on. Remember that it's a new year’s resolution; not a new month’s resolution, so don’t give up after a few weeks of trying. Creating new habits and making unfamiliar changes is not easy for anyone, so don't think you are alone, and that you are going to make some mistakes along the way.
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It’s also okay to indulge every so often, because if you don’t, anger and frustration will seep in because you are depriving your self of things you love. It can be helpful to try some substitutes, such as a chocolate protein smoothie instead of the chocolate shake, dates instead of the candy, fruit juice instead of soda. You won’t even miss the more unhealthy options and your cravings for them will eventually subside.
Some of these tips are easier than other to implement but keep in mind that your resolution of living a healthier lifestyle will make you feel and look better and you will be ready to take on a different goal in 2013.
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<b><em>Suncear Scretchen is a Certified Holistic Health Counselor and feels that it is her purpose in life to help other lead healthier lifestyles. She chronicles her healthy living lifestyle in her blog The Conscious Chick.</em></b>
BEING HEATHTY IN 2012 IS ONE OF THE GREATEST RESOLUTION ONE CAN MAKE.
COMPANIES WHO FIT THESE GOALS INCLUDE JOHNSON & JOHNSON (JNJ) WHO IS ONE
OF THE TOP GLOBAL HEALTH CARE COMPANIES. ANOTHER IS PFIZER (PFE) WHO HAS SUBSIDIARY IN ICAGEN WHO RESEARCHES SICKLE CELL ANEMIA . ALSO JOINT VENTURING IN THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY IS GROWING. RITE AIDE (RAD) PHARMACY
HAS MERGED WITH GNC LIVE WELL NUTRITION STORES TO BRING CUSTOMERS TO BEST
OF MEDICINES AND NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS. INTERNATIONAL COMPANY PROCTER &
GAMBLE (PG) HAS SPECIFICALLY TARGETED THE HEALTHTHY SKIN CARE WORLD TO BRING HEATHIER APPLICATIONS TO THE GLOBAL MARKET. BRISTOL-MYERS (BMY) HAS
PUT HEALTHY PROGRAMS IN ITS EMPLOYERS WORK FORCE AS A MEANS OF IMPROVING
ITS PRODUCTION GOALS. MORE COMPANIES ARE DOING THE SAME. JUST LOOK AROUND
THE FITNESS ROOM AND HOW THE EQUIPMENT HAS CHANGED IN THE WORK PLACE.
MERK (MRK) HAS CREATED AND OVER-THE-COUNTER PROGRAM TO PROMOTE HEALTHTY
ATTITUDES TOWARDS NON-PRESCRIPTION MEDICINES. THIS IDEAL ALSO COMES WITH
LITERATURE WHICH MAY BE PART OF YOUR OWN PERSONAL GOALS FOR BEING HEALTHIER IN 2012. WITH ALL THE MEDICAL RESEARCH AND HEALTH CONSCIOUS ATTITUDES ON PREVENTIVE CARE ELI LILLY (LLY) HAS DONE SOME MAJOR BREAK THROUGHS IN MEDICAL RESEARCH SUCH AS CANCER IN ITS MANY FORMS, COLON, BREAST, PANCREATIC, AND A NUMBER OF OTHERS. ALL OVER THE NATION CITIES ARE BECOMING KNOWN FOR THEIR MEDICAL ATTENTION IT HAS BROUGHT TO ITS COMMUNITY. NO WHERE IS THIS PREVELANT THAN IN “THE CITY OF MEDICINE” IN DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA. KNOWN FOR IT VETERANS MEDICAL HOSPITAL , AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS OF GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED DUKE UNIVERSITY HEALTHCARE HOSPITAL, NURSING PROGRAM OF NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY, AND NEW STATE OF THE ART JOINT SOCIAL SERVICE AND HEALTHCARE COMMUNITY DEPARTMENT
ITS FUTURE IS ALMOST SECURE IN BEING CHOSING ONE OF THE BEST HEALTHCARE
FACILITIES IN THE NATION IN 2012. NOW THAT A RESOLUTION ACCOMPLISHED.
Nandacuaem
Great post! I sommtiees find myself worrying about a party or something, but then I remember that I’m going for the people, not the food. How sad would it be to keep missing out on seeing friends and family! Thanks for the reminder.
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5 Tips to Keep Your Healthy Living New Year’s Resolution
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