Health: New Year Resolutions

It's tough. Every year draws to an end and that time rolls around when we are supposed to make resolutions to make ourselves better. Some people approach it with humor, others with seriousness and others simply pay no attention. I'm one of those . . . it literally comes and goes without me paying attention at all.

This year I happened to hear someone on one of the news cable networks talk about resolutions. He mentioned he never kept any of his own and decided, instead, to make resolutions for other people. It was funny, very funny. But as I've been on these two weeks of bed rest, which ended today (hallelujah!), I've had more than enough to time to think about things I'm usually too busy to consider. One of those things - resolutions.

Here's what I've decided. It's interesting how we only choose at one point of the year to improve ourselves. For example, I'm going to read the Book of Mormon three times this year. Hmmm. How about just reading a little bit every day, opening your heart and mind to the promptings of the Spirit and simply grow. If you miss a day, all will not be lost. You simply pick it up the next day and work on improving your spirituality daily instead of the first three or four weeks of the year with a grand goal that generally goes down in flames in no time at all.

Or, I'm going to lose 40 pounds this year! How about taking stock of your life and simply just try to get healthy. If you don't make it to the gym that day, go for a walk. If you're used to grabbing for a candy bar every day, replace that with a bag of your favorite nuts and save the candy bar for an occasional treat. If soda is your downfall, try substituting it with something delicious like Vitamin Water and enjoy your soda every so often, again as an occasional treat. It's not difficult to simply try to be a little healthier without putting restrictions on it. The healthier you get the more you will want to do. Start small and work your way up.

People seem to make a goal or resolution and lose sight of it before they even began to attempt accomplishing it. Changing yourself for the better should be a continual thing, rather than a stop and start thing. So sit down, and make a choice. Not a half baked one, but one that is definite. In our economy today we must be wiser in every aspect of our lives. Choose one thing, and one thing only and set some reasonable goals. Don't overwhelm yourself and don't decide to chuck in the towel if you miss a day or two.

Something as simple as taking a quick 10 minute walk through your neighborhood every day. If you can do that three times throughout the day you actually get a much greater benefit from that exercise than if you walked 30 straight minutes. Or so the experts say. So it's not as difficult as one might assume.

Hopefully you've caught the general trend and I haven't buried the lead too deeply. One thing at a time my friends. If you decided to attack the entire mountain you'll fail before you even start. One thing at a time and slowly but surely you will be to effect that change you so desperately want at the beginning of every year.

Happy New Year to you all! Let's make this one a little better than the last. Now, about that Mt. Everest...

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