New Year’s resolutions are typically broken within 6 months of signing onto one. If you are like me, you vow to lose weight and get healthy for the new year, each and every year. To no one’s surprise we usually don’t follow through, and our grand ideas and plans fall to the wayside. Unfortunately, in the past my personal lists usually consisted of definitive and elusive goals. I was trying to come up with a resolution that I know I would be able to keep and turn into a new lifestyle for me. What I’ve decided on was easy and simple and it does not involve participating in crazy fad diets or twisting and contorting my body into implausible positions.

The resolution for me in 2015 is to take better care of myself. As you can see, I didn’t commit to anything unattainable like losing twenty five pounds, cutting out sugar, or running a marathon, instead it’s just a simple pledge and approach to be kind to me! The way I look at it, if I’m good to myself it will resonate into being considerate of others. So in my book  that’s a win-win vow; after all, doesn’t kindness begin from within? Benevolence even to one’s self begets positivity, which in turn brings about confidence and overall good health.

Two of my ideas for this goal is to try not to eat so much processed food; you know those low calorie frozen meals, or many low fat products that are loaded with sodium, hidden sugars and chemicals. I believe this is a matter of choice that will definitely be advantageous to my health. I also want to be more active instead of becoming sedentary and lethargic as I age. As I would typically run in the past, walking at a good fast pace or jogging will keep me off the couch and on the pavement. According to Dr. William Roundtree of Columbus, GA our bodies start to change at around the age of 30 and continue throughout our remaining lifetime. There’s a decline in nerve impulses, breathing capacity, and muscle mass which makes it more difficult to lose weight because our metabolism decreases as well. I was successful a few years ago because I was pretty much exercising everyday and was consuming low amounts of calories, it did take thirteen months and I was able to lose sixty pounds, but what I thought was healthy in retrospect was really not. I was  beating up my body and setting it up for failure to maintain what I had accomplished. Who in their right mind should exercise everyday and eat less than 1,000 calories is not clearly thinking. Right after I had reached my weight loss max, I lost my full-time job and pretty much everything collapsed and went downhill afterwards in all areas which included diet and exercise. So now I’m becoming rational by happily taking care of myself once and for all.

According to the University of Scranton 45% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, and of those only 14% over the age of fifty are successful, so why not boost that percentage and join me in a goal that’s all about self improvement. Be good to yourself and take better care by living a lifestyle that will benefit your all-inclusive wellness. In the interim if being more aware and conscientious will help us lose a few pounds and eat healthier than that’s icing on the cake, home made fat free of course. Many happy returns for a healthy, happy and prosperous 2015!