New Year's Eve has always been a time for looking back to the past, and more importantly, forward to the coming year. It's a time to reflect on the changes we want (or need) to make and resolve to follow through on those changes. Did your New Year resolutions make my top ten list?
1. Spend More Time with Family & Friends: Recent polls conducted by me online @ google and ask.com shows that more than 50% of Americans vow to appreciate loved ones and spend more time with family and friends this year. Make plans to meet up with friends for an evening of camaraderie at your favorite bar or take the family to one of these popular family filed activity places. Work shouldn't always come first! For Me More Home & Family in 2009.
2. Fit in Fitness: The evidence is in for fitness. Regular exercise has been associated with more health benefits than anything else known to man. Studies show that it reduces the risk of some cancers, increases longevity, helps achieve and maintain weight loss, enhances mood, lowers blood pressure, and even improves the sex life, go figure. In short, exercise keeps you healthy and makes you look and feel better. Why not make this the time to start getting in shape for one of these 30 min a day gyms or just committing to a healthier lifestyle ?
3. Tame the Bulge: Over 66 percent of adult Americans are considered overweight or obese, so it is not surprising to find that weight loss is one of the most popular New Year's resolutions. Setting reasonable goals and staying focused are the two most important factors in sticking with a weight loss program, and the key to success for those millions of Americans who made a New Year's commitment to shed extra pounds. *remember weight loss and fitness are not the same, but go hand and hand.
4. Quit Smoking: (But I just started !) If you have resolved to make this the year that you stamp out your smoking habit, over-the-counter availability of nicotine replacement therapy now provides easier access to proven quit-smoking aids.(try rewarding yourself for not smoking day by day, I reward with shoes or a lavish cocktail) Even if you've tried to quit before and failed, don't let it get you down. On average, smokers try about four times before they quit for good. Start enjoying the rest of your smoke-free life! Even Atlantic city casino's is trying to go smoke-free, and it's taken them a few tries as well. Locally, there are a variety of free support services, hotlines and smoking cessation classes to help you kick the smoking habit.Believe me this one is gonna be hard for me as well but with my cigarette's at $9.75 it will get much easier.
5. Enjoy Life More: Given the hectic, stressful lifestyles of millions of Americans, it is no wonder that "enjoying life more" has become a popular resolution in recent years. It's an important step to a happier and healthier you! Consider one of the many spa's and resorts that are scattered though out the tri state area or shop for at home products designed to bring balance to your body, mind and soul. Or just get out and try something new! Take up a new hobby or try your hand at skiing. Go to a theater performance in New York, or head outdoors to take in all it's beauty. I know NY offers a wealth of artistic and recreational activities to meet just about anyone's wishes.
6. Quit Drinking: (Now that idk !) While many people use the New Year as an incentive to finally stop drinking, most are not equipped to make such a drastic lifestyle change all at once. for instance I will consider not to drink as much, last year it was to not drink dirty martini's and have stuck to my guns but in 2009 that's what I'm heading for.Many heavy drinkers fail to quit cold turkey but do much better when they taper gradually, or even learn to moderate their drinking. If you have decided that you want to stop drinking, there is a world of help and support available. Alcoholics Anonymous offers meetings throughout the tri state area. There is also a group for Parents of Teenage Alcohol and Drug Abusers online. There are also a number of treatment-based programs, as well as support groups for families of alcoholics. bottom line if it has gotten out of hand and you cant do it alone, get help. *My mother always said "you control it, don't let it control you and if it get out of your control: Then stop."
7. Get Out of Debt: Was money a big source of stress in your life last year? Join the club, millions of Americans who have resolved to spend this year getting a handle on their finances was only destroyed by the dwindling economy. but if you can, It's a promise that will repay itself many times over in the year ahead am grateful I did. Start with just keeping better records of your money, follow Suze Orman's advice or hire a financial adviser for help.
8. Learn Something New: Have you vowed to make this year the year to learn something new? Perhaps you are considering a career change, want to learn a new language, or just how to fix your computer or clean your closet? Whether you take a course or read a book, you'll find education to be one of the easiest, most motivating New Year's resolutions to keep. The Community Colleges offers a wide variety of "lifelong learning" courses, and local YMCA's offer great recreational training for beginners of all ages. Most local colleges and universities offer distance and adult education programs. Or if the arts are more your thing, places such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New Jersey Center for the Arts offer adult studio classes.
9. Help Others: A popular, non-selfish New Year's resolution, volunteerism can take many forms. Whether you choose to spend time helping out at your local library, mentoring a child, or building a house, there are many nonprofit volunteer organizations that could really use your help. The New Jersey based Urban Cares llc, organization helps children with behavior problems and probably can use volunteers. Or if your time is really in short supply, maybe you can at least find it in you to donate the furniture, clothing and other household items that you no longer need, rather than leaving them out by the curb to fill up our landfills.
10. Get Organized: On just about every New Year resolution top ten list, organization can be a very reasonable goal. Whether you want your home organized enough that you can invite someone over on a whim, or your office organized enough that you can find the stapler when you need it, these tips and resources should get you started on the way to a more organized life. New Jersey has quite a few professional organizers who can help you reduce the clutter in your life and find peace in your home. Professional organizers even offers a a six-month clutter free plan to get organized. I m pretty together in this department, but I Might Need it Someday for lack of closet space!. LOL
WELL HAPPY RESOLUTIONS, AND HAPPY NEW YEARS TO YOU AND YOUR!!!!!!!
