Here's to 2007

I just read this on Yahoo.com and loved it. May it serve as a constant reminder to live well each and everyday.

Gabby's Guide to a Healthier You
Take Charge in 2007Posted by Gabrielle Reece on Mon, Dec 18, 2006, 11:47 pm PST
Here we go again, breaking out the resolutions. Maybe we should make a resolution not to make resolutions anymore, but this gives us a moment to have a call to action. That's right people, we are going to stop going through the motions right now and take action.
I'm right there with you... In so many ways, I catch myself on automatic pilot. Change? Yeah, who has the energy? I find a lot of us are just trying to get to our little finish line. The finish line we call Friday to make it to the weekend. The finish line to make it into our beds at the end of the day.
Maybe the resolution this year should be connected to taking more "charge" of our lives and how we are reacting to our day to day. Could we be more "active" and stop "reacting" to what gets thrown in front of us? After all, who can create a wish list if we can't even come up for air?
Do you wanna go for it? Is 2007 your year? I think this is as good a time as any. While it may be a little cliché, let's make a New Year's resolution. Lose weight, make more time for yourself and your family, have more fun, make more money, get to the gym, eat better, go someplace you have always wanted to visit, make up with a crazy family member. I'll be honest with you, I don't know about the money part, and I certainly am not qualified about the family member, but I do have some ideas about the food and exercise bit.
1. Write it down. Put it out there. Write down your heart's desire for change and put it into play. Really think about what kind of change is needed and possible in your life. Don't set yourself up for failure right from the get go. I mean some days I want to be "cute" and fit into a size 6, but I'm 6'3", and it's best if I keep who I am reflected in my goals. That's creating an environment for success.
2. Clean out the mind and call this a "fresh start." I don't care how many times you have failed before or how many diets you didn't succeed on... You are one day old on your resolution calendar. There is no yesterday - just the moment in which you created this new intention. You are a baby, new and shiny.
Keep your eyes on the goal. Find a way to accept that you are new and you can allow change to occur. If you reference the old you, then you won't be able to allow the new you to grow and develop. See this you and manifest it with your commitment and imagination. Get that brain right.
3. Use food as a tool to help you achieve your goals. If you have an emotional relationship with food, you are going to have to come to terms with it. Try to reach an agreement with yourself on the most productive way to handle your relationship. You don't need to break up, but you should only date or love foods that love you back and treat you right. Spend time with food that is committed to helping you reach your goals. Food that makes you healthy and energized.
I stopped loving food that was only in it for the moment - those foods that tasted good, but which I paid for with gas or fat. I'm over those foods. I find that avoiding fast food, frozen, microwave, processed, white, non-living (that means filled with ingredients I can't spell or pronounce or that can live on the shelf for 99 years) are best to avoid. Don't even give them your number. Every time you put something in your mouth, ask yourself, "What's in it for me?"
4. Don't be afraid of food. Eat when you're hungry. Listen, for any goal regarding your body food is going to be a critical component of reaching success. If you want to lose weight, have more energy, feel good, you are going to need to eat to get there. Eat living food, and watch the portions. Try eating until you are full and then stop. If you can't in the beginning then just cut every meal in half automatically. Try to eat three meals a day and a few snacks in between. If it fits into your reality, don't eat dinner too late.
5. Sweat baby. No way around it, you have to exercise. Don't kill yourself in the beginning, start slow. If you come out like gangbusters and then you're sore for a week, it's not much fun. Let's face it, this has to be a lifestyle change and if it sucks, then you will stick to it for about five days.
I suggest hooking up with a workout "buddy" who will kick you in the butt and visa versa when needed. Eventually I'm looking to sweat at least four times a week. I have said this before: book it. Schedule your time for training on the calendar. Keep it official like all other appointments. Don't make exercise a luxury item. It is not an option. Stop thinking about how much you "don't feel like it" or that "it's so boring." There is no alternative to moving your butt, so take the emotion out of it, and get it done.
6. Sleep. Nighty, night! Even though it's fun and relaxing, take your TV out of your bedroom. I love it, too, but it has to go. 2007 is all about making your goals happen and since you are going to be experiencing so many changes, you better get some rest.
I read a study from the American Medical Association stating that people who don't get enough sleep are more likely to be obese. The lack of sleep has an effect on your mental function, hormones (big one), and behavior itself. Once you drop below six hours they found people were 23 percent more likely to be obese, below five hours were 50 percent more likely to be obese, and four hours or less each night were 73 percent more likely to be obese. How much do you need your TV now? One word: Tivo. Plus if you're tired, you will not have the energy to work out and most likely you will eat more food to try and get more energy.
7. Put some inspirational quotes and pictures in a journal. Try to write down how your days are going. Good and bad. Get it off your chest. If the day was brutal and you're feeling down or overwhelmed, let it go. Try making an entry that will inspire you about other areas of your life. I have a friend who went through a really hard divorce and was bumming. She would write down five things a day she was thankful for. She told me it kept her focused on the good, but it wasn't too demanding of a task given where she was at in her life.
8. If you have a bad day or fall of the wagon don't let it derail the train. It's the human condition, so don't dwell on it. None of us are going to be perfect, so why create that expectation? If you eat at In and Out with the bun and fries, and do it sitting in front of the TV, don't guilt out to the extent that it keeps you from getting back to business.
9. Chill on the alcohol. Since we are clinking our glasses and cheering the New Year, that brings me to the booze. Lot of calories in the booze and it also creates a situation where you do "mindless eating." You know the kind where you start saying "life is short, who cares, give me that basket of chips and salsa." Just stay mindful of the circumstances, and avoid situation where you set yourself up for temptation.
Cheers to you and your family. Here is to a new adventure. May you enjoy the entire journey (even the hard parts). Now go out and get 2007, and don't wait for it to come and get you.