Inside the Hive: Five New Year’s Resolutions You Should Keep

Starting 2012 on the right foot!

By Irene Ross, CHHC, AADP (www.eating4achieving.com)

Every year, we vow to lose weight, exercise more or spend more time with the family. We start out with the greatest of intentions, but usually discard those NewYear’s resolutions by mid-February. In fact, according to Medical Daily, 60 percent think they’ll break their New Year’s resolutions!

Here are five you should keep, though. And if you have trouble keeping them, here’s a good trick:  Imagine what your life will look like if…(you finish the sentence!)

1.  Cook More Often At Home. Cooking feeds the mind, body and soul. And think about it: When you do your own cooking, you control what you put in your body. You’ll probably save money, too, since you won’t be spending as much on eating out–or on those highly processed, chemicalized convenience foods.

2. Always Eat Breakfast. Breakfast breaks the overnight fast and will start your metabolism. If you skip breakfast, or any other meal, your body will think it’s starving and will go into protection mode by lowering your metabolism. That means–you guessed it!–you could actually gain weight by not eating a meal. You’ll probably overeat at the next meal, too, since you’ll probably be very hungry from skipping before.

3. Exercise! It can enhance your mood, control weight and even help to fight fatigue (exercise carries nutrients and oxygen to the cells.) It can even help promote sleep. “Some of my patients tell me they can’t sleep without exercising,” said Dr. Kathia Roberts, Ph.D., ND, D.PHYT to me last spring.

4. Get More Sleep. I was recently told by Dr. Peter Bongiorno, ND, LAc about a study by the Archives of Internal Medicine where 153 people were given the rhino virus (common cold) by nose drop. It was found that those studied who got at least seven hours of sleep per night were 300% less likely to catch a cold. So here’s the bottom-line: Sleep deprivation leads to exhaustion which can lead to chronic illnesses and injury.

5. Always be prepared for the Snack Attack! Rather than running out daily for coffee, donuts, cookies or other calorie-laden, energy-draining snacks, keep them fit and healthy. Be prepared for the Snack Attack! Carry little bags of vegetables, fruit, nuts or seeds. Some people even carry a couple of turkey or chicken slices.