Prep for the New Year

With the holiday season upon us and almost over, I wish everybody a holiday filled with happiness, memories and love. Let us think about those who are unfortunate and wish them many blessings. Let’s take stock that we are healthy (at least I hope you are). Let’s be happy that we have shelter, food, a bed and many life’s trimmings. Over the next week let’s begin thinking how we can make a difference in our lives for the following year. Don’t wait for the New Year to think about your goals. Start thinking and writing down your goals now. Try to have at least one concrete goal even if it is small and 3 action steps to complete that goal. Just write it down.

One of my thoughts for next year is the following: Don’t waste any more time. Get the ball rolling and create momentum in your life.

Nutrition Tips for the Holidays

If attending a dinner/lunch function start with a salad. If buffet is the style, have two salads prior to eating your meal; you will eat fewer calories in the long run. Avoid the starch vegetables (potatoes, corn, string bean casserole, etc) and stick to the protein (chicken, fish, meat).

If you are attending a party where the food is primarily desserts and/or appetizers, try to eat your main meal at home before attending the party. This will help limit the food you eat at the party.

Avoid alcoholic drinks, as they are high in sugar. Try drinking Club soda with lime.

When it comes time for dessert, offer to share your dessert. Remember, you are not the only one leading a healthy nutrition lifestyle and hopefully somebody will pick up on your habits and share your dessert.

Parties are for fun and socializing. Move around a lot and speak to different people. If you need to have a plate in your hand fill the plate with veggies instead of junk.

Most of all have fun and feel good about yourself that you have the discipline and control to avoid all the holiday junk food. Think of this control as a holiday gift for your body.

Running Out of Time

The famous conductor Leonard Bernstein said, “To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan, and not enough time.

Why does it always seem we are running out of time? How do you spend your time? In previous articles and blogs I spoke of creating a monetary budget to determine your spending habits over a 3-month period.

You should do the same exercise for your time. Do not take 3 months to find out how you spend your time. This exercise is good for one month. So for one month you should record how you spend your time from how many hours of sleep you get per night to how many hours per night you spend in front of the television.

Once you find out this information (and most people are surprised to the amount wasted) the next exercise is to reduce your wasted hours and time and apply the extra time (which really is not extra) to develop and create a plan for your dream.

Imagine if you watch television only one hour a night for 7 nights. This equals 28 hours in a month. Imagine if you can devote 28 hours toward your passion and dream.

How much more do you think you can accomplish if you utilize 28 more hours per month? Your dream can start with one small step. Take it!