New Year's Resolutions: Health Resolutions for a Better Well Being

Most of us will be making our New Year's resolutions soon and most of these resolutions will be geared towards dieting and health. I've given up on dieting, however, there are other personal health New Year's resolutions that I can make towards my well being.

The word "dieting" seems to bring on negative thoughts in most of us, so instead my New Year's resolutions will be positive by doing a few things that I want to do and a few things that I need to change for my well being. I am not overweight, but I would like to eat better and possibly lose about ten pounds. Notice I said possibly.

Learning Yoga

I've always wanted to learn Yoga. Yoga is so peaceful and works the whole body including the mind. It not only helps tone the body and stretch muscles, but it also helps to relax you and ease stress. The older I get, the more I need to learn this type of exercise instead of jumping on stairs or playing racquetball. I need to meditate more to help me relax and do stretches that will keep my body functional while toning it down.

How will I do this? There are websites that show Yoga stretches and lunges along with other helpful health tips. These websites are great but I'm going to enroll in a Yoga class to have a certified instructor help me along the way. After I learn the basics, then I can purchase Yoga CDs and workout at home. Finding peace while exercising is very appealing to me and I hope to do well with this New Year's resolution.

Eat More Raw Veggies

I admit that I don't eat enough veggies and it's funny because I love them. To improve this, I'm going to eat differently by adding more raw veggies to my meals, especially at lunchtime. An easy way to do this is to have carrot or celery sticks with lunch instead of potato chips or pretzels. Raw radishes, tomatoes, or a small bunch of raw cauliflower or broccoli are excellent choices too.

I think this New Year's resolution will be one of my easiest to follow. Each week when I go food shopping, I'll pick two vegetables that I'll purchase just for lunchtime during the week. If it's carrots or celery, I'll take the time to cut them all up into 5-inch sticks and then I can just grab a bunch each day for my lunch. With radishes, broccoli or cauliflower, I can just rinse them off and take what I need each day. Avocados are great too. My goal will be to eat two different raw veggies each day.

The reason I'm going to add more raw veggies instead of fruits is because veggies have less sugar and therefore, usually less calories. I still intend to eat a banana, tangerine, or grapes each day, but I'm going to concentrate on increasing my raw veggie intake.

Muscle Strengthening

As we age our muscles tend to become weaker and flabby. I'm sure you've seen a family member who couldn't twist a cover off a jar or lift a small bag of groceries. I'd like to keep my hands and arms strong to be able to do these things later in life. It's time to strengthen those muscles.

My goal is to work with weights to strengthen my upper body including my hands and arms. I don't want to turn into a muscle body, just keep them strong and in good working condition. I plan to work with weights three times a week. I can easily do muscle strengthening while watching television so I don't really have to find extra time to do these exercises. I'm hoping that this will be one of my easier personal health New Year's resolutions.

Cutting Back On Carbs

Without question, this will be my toughest New Year's resolution. I love carbs. I mean, isn't the smell of fresh baked bread wonderful? Fresh baked bread, cookies, or eating crackers and pretzels are my biggest weakness of all the foods I eat. It's difficult for me to pass up on those Parmesan goldfish crackers, but I'm going to.

You can obviously see my problem here. I just eat too much carbs and definitely need to cut back. All reports indicate that eating too much carbs raises sugar levels, creates fat, and increases levels of cholesterol. I'm obviously not helping my body by eating an abundance of carbs, so I'm cutting back. I have the last bag of pretzels in my pantry now and will not purchase any more items like this to munch on. Instead, I'll purchase more sunflower seeds or almonds as I don't tend to eat a lot of these in one sitting. This will be tough, but I can do it. I've already given up those yummy Parmesan goldfish and haven't bought a bag in over 4 months.

Volunteering More

My last personal health New Year's resolution may not be one that most people think of when considering their resolutions. Volunteering has many health benefits that may not be physical, but are certainly psychological. I've volunteered before and always found it to be self-rewarding by making me feel good about helping others. I was always eager and proud to volunteer which I can't say I felt while working a lot of jobs.

Whenever I feel good about something, my whole being feels good. My steps are lighter, my shoulders don't sag, and those wrinkles don't show. I'm happy so what better personal health New Year's resolution can there be, but to be happy?

I love animals and there's two shelters nearby so I'm going to take a tour of each one and decide on which one I'd like to volunteer for. I've volunteered at a shelter before so I'm aware of the basics in animal sheltering and I'd just love to groom a dog or socialize a scared cat so that they can find a nice home. That's just pure happiness for me.

In conclusion, I think these five personal health New Year's resolutions will work for me. If you're thinking about your New Year's resolutions, think about what makes you happy and what will help your well being. Then think about your exercise program and how you eat. Your New Year's resolutions won't work if it's not something that you want to do, so think about what you've been wanting to change and go for it.

Good Luck and Happy New Year!