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1. The Chewing-Gum Approach to cutting calories -- Resolve to take smaller-size bites of food and keep the food in your mouth and chew it until all the flavor is gone. With this little technique and watching your portion sizes, you get to enjoy and savor all the flavor in your favorite foods and satisfy your hunger -- all while consuming substantially fewer calories.
2. The Top 10 -- Several times each day, such as right before meals, snacks and bedtime, take a minute to mentally list ten things, people, happenings ... you truly appreciate. These can be friends, family members, some quality you like about the individuals, or small things (e.g.,that pair of shoes that look particularly good on you AND are comfortable, too); in this case, size really doesn't matter. What does matter is that you experience feelings of gratitude while thinking of the aspects of your life that are worth appreciating. Nothing lowers stress and slows the aging process as do thoughts of appreciation.
3. Exercise Your Mind -- Decide that in 2013 you will enjoy a mentally challenging game each day. It could be a crossword puzzle, Sudoku, KenKen or one of several other puzzle choices. If you don't have time to devote to solving one of these time-consuming mental games each day because of your very busy schedule, then take two or more days to complete the game. Just make sure to put in at least five minutes each day in working toward the solution. Your dendrites and axons will thank you with a sharp mind in the decades surely to come.
4. Breathless in Seattle or _______ -- Decide that every day you are going to enjoy an aerobic activity that gets you out of breath, or at least breathing deeply at some point. During your walk, for example, make sure there is a hill or steps in the middle of your session that makes you huff and puff as you climb them. When we perform a physical activity for as little as 10 seconds that gets us out of breath, it signals the release of human growth hormone (Hgh) from the pituitary gland into the bloodstream to start the process of repair and regeneration of cells to fight free-radical damage and reverse the general aging of the cells of the body and the brain. IMPORTANT: Always check with your health-care professional to make sure it is safe for you to perform strenuous exercise.
5. Up the Dietary Ante Little By Little -- Completely revamping one's diet all at once is seldom sustainable unless the individual is extremely motivated. For most of us, making small changes, one at a time, is more likely to result in a lasting improvement in our diet. Decide on one improvement you are going to make to your diet in 2013. It could be as simple as adding a daily dark leafy green vegetable, putting the salt shaker away or substituting water or tea for your afternoon soda.
6. Keep in Touch -- Each day, send a note or an e-mail to an old friend you haven't been in contact with for quite a while, just to say, "Hi!, how are you, I'm thinking of you, remember when we...?" By the end of the year you'll have brought a smile to the face of several friends, acquaintances and family members -- to the tune of 365 re-connections. It is well known that staying socially active is one of the ways to stay youthful and well as we age.
7. Try Something New -- Do something new and different each and every day. It could be as simple as driving a new route to the store, visiting and exploring a new website, or trying a new food or recipe. On the other hand, it could be something more comprehensive, like taking up a new sport or hobby or traveling to a country or state you've never visited. In this last scenario, you could plan time each day to learn a little bit more about the places you're about to visit, including the customs and language.
There you have it. Seven simple steps you can take to make 2013 your best year ever. Any one of these resolutions can be easily achieved -- a resolution you can keep for the whole year for a younger, more vital you. Or maybe you have your own idea of an easy-to-do New Year's Resolution that's just right for you in 2013. Happy New Year!
