Realistic Resolutions for 2008

After touting my own good intentions to the world wide web at the beginning of December, I feel as though I have already gotten a bit of the New Year's Resolution fixation out of my system. I have always been put off by the idea of making annual claims, yet each year I find myself gearing up once again, ready to right the wrongs of the previous year, purposing towards more glorious outcomes THIS time around.

So, as I awoke and checked email this morning, I had a great one from Raw Summit's, Kevin Gianni, that I'd like to share with all my readers. His reflections on making and keeping resolutions are certainly worth a read and worth taking to heart. He has also put together more help on is website, www.healthrenegade.com/blog and you can finish reading the article in its entirety there.

If you are making any resolutions or "intentions", I would love for you to share them with me. Sometimes it helps to put them out there and gain support. I am taking a little different approach this time around and I'll share those details with you in an upcoming blog. So, for now...my deepest wishes to you for a beautiful and healthful 2008. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolution: Step #1

Set your intentions. To make this New Year’s Resolution last, you have to be very clear about your intentions. You have to set them with specifics as well as figure out why you really want to achieve them. It’s not enough to say “I want to eat more raw food and less animals.” You have to know why you want to do it. Is it to live better? Feel better? Be better?

How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolution: Step #2

Learn to fail graciously. We’re not perfect beings. Never were. So here’s the deal. You have to accept that you’re going to waiver a bit along the path. Most of us stop when the going gets tougher and revert to our old patterns. If you want to succeed with your New Year’s Resolution this year, know that you might fall off track a bit along the way. If you do, pick yourself back up and keep going. There’s never a straight line between point A and point B. Enjoy the ride.

How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolution: Step #3

Clean out your gut and keep your immune system in top condition. You may think this doesn’t have much to do with New Year’s Resolutions, but it surely does. You have to be clean physically to make good decisions. Does alcohol impair your thoughts? Of course it does. What about processed sugar or soda or a piece of kale. If alcohol can change the way you operate, so can those other foods. If you’re not clean on the inside, then you’re thoughts will be impure and lead you down the wrong path. Gut and immune system cleansing and maintenance are the first places to start even before you change the way you eat!

How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolution: Step #4

Learn the program for your own body type. Don’t just jump into any fitness or wellness program without knowing your body type. They are plenty of things you can do to improve or master your health and wellness, but without knowing if you run hot or cold or in between you could find yourself down the wrong path.

How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolution: Step #5

Learn how to deal with pitfalls. If you already know how to deal with the ups and downs of a healthy diet and fitness program… you’re going to know what to do when the hard times hit.

How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolution: Step #6

Create a wellness toolbox. This is simply a place where you can go for options. A wellness toolbox has ideas and items that will help you make decisions when you have little time or little mind capacity left (due to stress, work or anything else that drains you). This can be an idea file or even a physical box where you keep recipes or workouts or things that inspire you.

How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolution: Step #7

Know how you make decisions and know your personality type. I’ve identified 3 types of personalities when it comes to health and fitness and just about anything else. These are the caretaker, the go-getter and the researcher. Each one has specific qualities that helps them make good or bad decisions. If you know which one you are the better off you are keeing your New Year’s Resolution.