Ten Steps to Setting Successful New Years Resolutions

Michelle May, M.D. (www.amihungry.com) offers some helpful tips for reaching your goals in 2011:

Whether you are setting personal goals for weight loss and better health or business goals for getting organized and increasing profit, the key to successful New Years Resolutions is to create a strategic plan. The following ten steps will guide you through the goal setting and achievement process.

1. Assess Your Starting Point: Take an accurate and detailed assessment of where you are presently relative to the goal you would like to achieve.






2. Consider Your Values: Goals based on your core principles and values will form a passionate attitude.






3. Dream: Go for areas that inspire and challenge you. Project yourself into the future and write down your ideal scenario.






4. Define & Clarify: Narrow down your goals to those that inspire you the most. Make them so clear that you can see them, feel them, and measure them.






5. Write it Down: Write your goals in positive terms using detailed words and/or pictures. Put them in a place where you will see them often.






6. Develop a Plan: Set long and short goals, including a timeline with deadlines. Be flexible and open to new opportunities and paths to your goals but be careful of detours.






7. Identify Obstacles and Possible Solutions: Expect setbacks and learn to recover from them.






8. Create a Support Network: Consider identifying an accountability partner to encourage your continued progress.






9. Make it Happen: Periodically assess your progress, adjusting your approach and/or modifying goals as necessary.






10. Reward Yourself: Small and large incentives will keep you motivated to reach your short and long term goals. Keep in mind that the greatest reward is in knowing that you have done your best!

Alcohol: Risks & Benefits

To drink or not to drink?  This seems to be a key question for researchers these days (with a drink being 12 oz. of beer, 5 oz. of wine, or 1 1/2 oz. of spirits).  The answer?  Well, let's just say it's complicated.  It seems that the benefits of moderate drinking (no more than 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women) may outweigh the risks for some, while not for others.  Some factors to consider  include your risk for heart disease, gender, & age, to name a few.  So, before you take your next drink, you may want to take a look at this article from Harvard School of Public Health to find out in which category you may fall.

Easing Holiday Angst: Five Stress Busters for a Joyous Season

*The following is an article from abmp.com*

You enter the holiday season with the best of intentions -- looking forward to time spent with family and friends,decorating, shopping, baking. But assoon as you pile holiday activities on topof an already busy life, you're likely to find yourself relating more to Ebeneezer Scrooge than Martha Stewart.Consider these five suggestions to keep holiday stress at bay:

1. Determine a Shopping Budget
For many, gift giving is an importantpart of the holidays, serving as a way to express love and appreciation for friendsand family. But when the credit card bills arrive in January, you may discover you've extended your holiday stress well into the New Year. Plan your budget in advance, determine what you can spend, and stick to the plan.

2. Create a Time Budget
Many will make a shopping budget, but what about making a time budget? Before accepting every invitation this year, decide ahead how many parties you can and want to attend while maintaining your sanity. Make choices about your time commitments based on what you'd really like to do this year, rather than what you think you should do or what you've always done. Don't forget to leave time for yourself.

3. Set Food-Intake Boundaries
You'll likely be tempted to eat in excess, and don't be too hard on yourself if you don't stick to your pre-holiday eating standards. But do decide ahead of time just how much you'll deviate from your
eating routine.

4. Stick to Your Exercise Regimen
Regular exercise is a powerful stress buster. You'll feel better, sleep better, avoid weight gain, boost your immune system, and maintain a positive outlook about yourself. While it may seem like an easy time concession to make, don't give in to the idea. Stick to exercise, and you'll thank yourself for it.

5. Take Time to Rest
Take time from your schedule to honor the cycles of the season. The holidays fall during winter solstice -- the shortest day of the year. Learn from nature, and get plenty of rest.

Holiday Weight Gain: Inevitable or Avoidable

For most people watching their weight, the holidays can be a tough time.  In the midst of all the parties and highly delectable sweets, one can be left feeling as though holiday weight gain is inevitable (not to mention the fact that it's commonly reported that Americans gain an average of 5 lbs. during this time).  Unfortunately, this can lead to unnecessary fear during what should be a joyous time or a "What the heck, I'll just eat it all" approach, which can lead to guilt and/or regret later. Neither are good.

Fortunately, it doesn't have to be this way.  A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine sought to address just how much weight people actually gain during the holidays, meaning the period between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.  Their findings were pretty interesting: People tend to gain an average of roughly...one pound.  The point, you ask? For those paralyzed by fear of the holidays, they can rest easy knowing that it's not inevitable. Thanksgiving + Christmas + New Years does not necessarily = 5-10 lbs extra.  Of course, one still needs to use common sense, get plenty of rest and physical activity, and practice moderation.

If you're still worried that the holiday temptations are just too hard, a study published in Health Psychology may prove helpful.  The researchers sought out a way to help obese weight controllers minimize weight gain during the holiday season.  What they found is that self-monitoring can be very effective.  In other words, try keeping a food journal.  Write down everything you eat, how many calories and grams of fat were in the portion you consumed as well as how big the portion was.  Then, find someone (spouse, trusted friend, weight management consultant) to whom you can show it each week for added accountability. Be sure to choose someone who will be lovingly truthful with you, not someone who will shame you.

Most importantly, take time to remember why it is we celebrate this season, and let that Good News fill you heart to overflowing.

For other tips on avoiding holiday weight gain, check out my previous posts!

Sources: Boutelle, K.N., Kirschenbaum, D.S., Baker, C.B., Mitchell, E.M.(1999). How Can Obese Weight Controllers Minimize Weight Gain During the High Risk Holiday Season?  By Self-Monitoring Very Consistently.  Health Psychology,18, 364-368.

Yanovski, J.A., Yanovski, S.Z., Sovik, B.S., Nguyen, T.T., O'Neil, P.M., Sebring, N.G. (2000).  A Prospective Study of Holiday Weight Gain.  New England Journal of Medicine, 342, 861-867.