Kitten
September 25, 2004, 05:44 PM
Keep It Simple, Sister
Make this new year your best ever! Make realistic plans and stick to them. Here, some healthy New Year's resolutions that you'll want to keep.
We're all guilty of it, making New Year's resolutions that we don't keep. Some of us even know that we aren't going to keep them. But, we make proclamations that we're going to do the impossible anyway. What's the trick to keeping a resolution? Keep it simple. Make the resolution a lifestyle change that can be easily incorporated into your daily life.
Here are a few suggestions to help you create a healthier and, hopefully, happier you in 2004:
Exercise
Instead of watching your favorite sitcom from your favorite easy chair, get up and move and continue to listen to your show. Stretch and then walk or run in place. Do jumping jacks. Run around the room. Dance to the music of the commercials.
If you've taken aerobics classes before, explore something new. There's a whole range of exercise classes out there. Try yoga, Tai Chi or Pilates.
Walk, if you are not walking already. Make walking a part of your daily regimen. Maybe it's just walking around the block after lunch. Perhaps it's walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator. If you work on the 20th floor, take the stairs several flights and then get on the elevator.
Exercise can be fun. Remember the joy of playing when you were a child. Get your girlfriends together for double-dutch. Play softball. Play volleyball. Ride a bike.
Work out with weights for a taut, toned body.
Eat Healthy
Have a salad at least once a day. Keep your salad dressing simple, like oil and vinegar or low-calorie varieties.
Read books about healthy eating and use the recipes.
Eat as little processed food as possible. If it's in a can or a box, it's processed. Experiment with spices and herbs, instead of shaking salt onto your food.
Drink at least eight glasses of water everyday. Make it interesting by adding lemon or orange slices.
Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.
Lay off of the fried foods.
Steam your veggies. They don't need to be cooked for hours.
Eat whole grain foods and complex carbohydrates — brown rice, sweet potatoes, wheat bread.
Feed Your Soul
Volunteer once a week. It could be at a shelter for battered women, a homeless shelter, an after-school program, a nursing home, an animal shelter.
If you know how to knit, crochet or sew, use those talents and fashion going home outfits for your local hospital's maternity floor.
Volunteer to read stories to children at the library, school or the neighborhood book store.
Perhaps you and your dog or cat can become part of a pet therapy program at a nursing home. Call your local humane society for more information.
Expand Your Mind
Read a book you wouldn't normally read. If you always read novels, read a history book instead.
Take a continuing education class at your local college.
Take a trip to a place where a different language is spoken. Learn about the place before you go, but be prepared for the challenge of communicating in a different language. Become friends with your home computer. Learn a new software program just for the fun of it. It'll help you grow personally and professionally.
Take Action
Do you want to eat right, get movin', quit smoking or keep track of your family's health? The Check-Ups channel is open to help you reach all of your health goals. Register today. It's free. You get access to interactive health tools, including health assessment tests, a fitness improvement program, a stop smoking program, a pregnancy and child health manager and much more. Get started today!
I found this old article and found these tips to be informative.
Make this new year your best ever! Make realistic plans and stick to them. Here, some healthy New Year's resolutions that you'll want to keep.
We're all guilty of it, making New Year's resolutions that we don't keep. Some of us even know that we aren't going to keep them. But, we make proclamations that we're going to do the impossible anyway. What's the trick to keeping a resolution? Keep it simple. Make the resolution a lifestyle change that can be easily incorporated into your daily life.
Here are a few suggestions to help you create a healthier and, hopefully, happier you in 2004:
Exercise
Instead of watching your favorite sitcom from your favorite easy chair, get up and move and continue to listen to your show. Stretch and then walk or run in place. Do jumping jacks. Run around the room. Dance to the music of the commercials.
If you've taken aerobics classes before, explore something new. There's a whole range of exercise classes out there. Try yoga, Tai Chi or Pilates.
Walk, if you are not walking already. Make walking a part of your daily regimen. Maybe it's just walking around the block after lunch. Perhaps it's walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator. If you work on the 20th floor, take the stairs several flights and then get on the elevator.
Exercise can be fun. Remember the joy of playing when you were a child. Get your girlfriends together for double-dutch. Play softball. Play volleyball. Ride a bike.
Work out with weights for a taut, toned body.
Eat Healthy
Have a salad at least once a day. Keep your salad dressing simple, like oil and vinegar or low-calorie varieties.
Read books about healthy eating and use the recipes.
Eat as little processed food as possible. If it's in a can or a box, it's processed. Experiment with spices and herbs, instead of shaking salt onto your food.
Drink at least eight glasses of water everyday. Make it interesting by adding lemon or orange slices.
Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.
Lay off of the fried foods.
Steam your veggies. They don't need to be cooked for hours.
Eat whole grain foods and complex carbohydrates — brown rice, sweet potatoes, wheat bread.
Feed Your Soul
Volunteer once a week. It could be at a shelter for battered women, a homeless shelter, an after-school program, a nursing home, an animal shelter.
If you know how to knit, crochet or sew, use those talents and fashion going home outfits for your local hospital's maternity floor.
Volunteer to read stories to children at the library, school or the neighborhood book store.
Perhaps you and your dog or cat can become part of a pet therapy program at a nursing home. Call your local humane society for more information.
Expand Your Mind
Read a book you wouldn't normally read. If you always read novels, read a history book instead.
Take a continuing education class at your local college.
Take a trip to a place where a different language is spoken. Learn about the place before you go, but be prepared for the challenge of communicating in a different language. Become friends with your home computer. Learn a new software program just for the fun of it. It'll help you grow personally and professionally.
Take Action
Do you want to eat right, get movin', quit smoking or keep track of your family's health? The Check-Ups channel is open to help you reach all of your health goals. Register today. It's free. You get access to interactive health tools, including health assessment tests, a fitness improvement program, a stop smoking program, a pregnancy and child health manager and much more. Get started today!
I found this old article and found these tips to be informative.