Healthy, Successful New Year's Resolutions

It's that time of year again. Time to make those pesky New Year's Resolutions. Year after year we do it: come up with ways to torture ourselves in a noble, yet somewhat misguided attempt to better ourselves. And year after year, we fail at the majority of those resolutions, sometimes within only a few days. Why?

Think about it. How many of your resolutions contain some version of the words quit', lose' or give up'? Probably, if you are like most people, most of them. Nothing like a little negativity to make you feel good about yourself, right? Wrong.

This year, how about trying something a little different. Instead of making your resolutions things you have to give up' or lose', make them things you get to add to your life. After all, the point of resolutions is to increase your life, not subtract from it. For example, try these.

This year I will:

Eat two servings of fruit every day.
By eating two servings of fruit every day, you will be well on your way to improving your diet, and your health. You don't have to give up anything, but chances are pretty good that you will end up eating fewer calories each day. Plus, by experimenting with new fruits, you will be broadening your horizons.

Exercise for 120 minutes each week.
By phrasing your goal in minutes and spreading it out over the course of a week, you give yourself more flexibility. If you can't get to it for two or three days, no need to give in. You still have four days to get your minutes in!

Learn to make one healthy new recipe each month.
You will add a new dish to your repertoire, and sneak your family a little added nutrition, as well. And, any time you learn something new, you benefit from it.

Go at least one new place each month.
It doesn't have to be someplace fancy or expensive, but it can be if you want it to be. It just has to be someplace you've never gone before and sounds like fun. Honestly, who couldn't use a little more fun in their life?

Read something outside of my standard genre.
Again, broadening your horizons, challenging your mind and beliefs, and, you may even find a new favorite genre! Think of all the new reading material!

Do something that frightens me.

Ok, I'm not talking about doing something stupid, like playing in traffic. I'm talking about doing something you have always wanted to do but have been held back from doing by fear. It may be something simple like going to dinner by yourself, or something bigger like going for that promotion or new job.

Apply this principle to your New Year's Resolutions this year and see if you don't enjoy a little more success in sticking to them. Happy New Year!