If you’re like most people, you have a “make-‘em-and-break-‘em” attitude toward New Year’s resolutions. Your intentions are noble—you believe you will make more time for yourself this year, and lose two pants sizes, and take a brisk walk every evening after dinner. No more couch potato lifestyle for you—2012 is the year when you will, as Oprah coaxed us, be your best self!

Nearly half of us ring in the New Year with visions of a thinner, fitter year ahead. Unfortunately, a recent survey found, 35 percent of Americans break their resolutions by the end of January. The key to success, according to the American Council on Exercise, is to swap grandiose ambitions for a sweeping health overhaul for two or three smart, specific and attainable goals. That means making promises you can keep. Here’s a look at five of the most popular resolutions—plus tips for making them work.

1) Lose weight. One strategy that makes it easier to shed those stubborn extra pounds is tracking what you eat. In a study by Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research, people who kept a daily food diary had double the weight loss of those who didn’t keep any records. It’s also important to avoid diet foods, surprising as that may sound: Research shows that eating low-fat foods doesn’t lead to overall calorie reduction, while a new study by University of Texas Health Science Center shows that people who drink two or more diet sodas daily have up to five times the increase in waist size over a decade than those who avoid diet drinks. Instead, down two glasses of water before each meal. A new study found that people who do so lose more weight—and are more likely to keep it off a year later—than those who don’t increase their water intake.

2) Fit in Fitness. The idea of exercising every day for the rest of your life can be daunting, so take a smaller view. Say you’ll do it for a month—and at the end of that 30 days, try to take that success forward for another 30 days. Also figure out what would make exercise more palatable to you—would dancing to music make it more of a “fun break”? Would an exercise buddy help—or even a group session? Making a commitment to another person to exercise together can improve motivation. And think of simple ways to move: if you use the bus to commute, get off one stop early and walk the rest of the way. March in place during TV commercials, or lift free weights during those short breaks. Walk your kids to school. And wear a pedometer: Doing so causes people to take about 2,000 extra step (one extra mile) per day, a study at Stanford University found.

3) Quit smoking. Contrary to what you might think, it’s possible to snuff out this deadly addiction without gaining weight, a recent study of Air Force recruits found, if quitting is coupled with a healthy diet and vigorous exercise. To cope with the hand-to-mouth habit of smoking, try chewing on a cinnamon stick, sugarless gum, carrots, or celery sticks. A key reason why people overeat after quitting tobacco is a craving for “oral gratification.” It’s also helpful to brush for two minutes after each meal and snack. Use mouthwash twice a day and enjoy the clean sensation in your mouth. Quitting smoking cuts risk for periodontal disease and brightens your smile.

4) Tame tension.  Chronic stress takes a toll on every organ in the body, including the heart, by repeatedly activating the well-known “fight-or-flight” response. Listening to joyful music is both relaxing and beneficial to blood vessel function, a study at University of Maryland reports, while an earlier study by the same researchers found similar benefits to laughter. Try laughter yoga, a popular exercise program that combines self-triggered mirth with yogic breathing to draw oxygen deep into the body. Also try the cuddle cure: Researchers from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that holding hands—or even a 10-second hug from your significant other—significantly reduces tension, heart rate, and blood pressure. And it feels good!

5) Learn something new. Like your body, your brain needs exercise. Research shows that highly educated people are less likely to suffer memory loss, perhaps because keeping the brain active boosts “cognitive reserve,” allowing it to work efficiently even if some cells are damaged. Among the activities that help keep neurons nimble are learning a foreign language, taking courses at a community college, and mastering a new skill. Think totally outside your comfort zone: If you like to read, consider photography lessons. And ask questions: Letting your curiosity guide you is the number one way to learn something new every day.

by Lisa Collier Cool

Change is essential for your growth and development as a person. Without change, as the old Texas adage goes, “If all you ever do is all you’ve ever done, then all you’ll ever get is all you ever got.” Your ability to maximize your performance and productivity depends on your ability to change in positive ways.

If there is something that you don’t like about yourself or you find something that is interfering with the pursuit of your goals, well, just change it. Seems simple, doesn’t it? But, as anyone who has ever tried to change knows, it is far from simple or easy. Change can be slow, frustrating, and painful; it can also be engrossing and inspiring. Whether being a better boss, building your confidence in a new job, or dealing with work stress more effectively, change is the most difficult-yet rewarding-thing you will ever do.So why is change so difficult? And how can change be fostered?

Obstacles to Change

There are four obstacles that prevent people from changing (or even attempting to change). First, like all of us, you bring good things into adulthood from your childhood and, as a human being, you likely also bring some not-so-good things, what is commonly called “baggage.” The most frequent types of baggage include low self-esteem, perfectionism, fear of failure, need for control, anger, and need to please. This baggage, causes you to think, feel, and behave based on who you were as a child rather than the very different person you are now as an adult. Most of this baggage causes you to react to the world in a defensive way that can sabotage your efforts to achieve success.

Second, deeply ingrained habits in the way you think, experience emotions, and behave arise out this baggage, much like when athletes continue to practice bad technique, they become very good at the bad technique and that bad technique is what is executed in competition. In other words, you react to the world in a certain way because that’s the way you always have; these habits produce knee-jerk reactions that are no longer healthy or adaptive.

Third, you don’t make an effort to change because of negative emotions that you are experiencing, such as fear, anger, sadness, or frustration. For example, many people don’t change out of the fear of failure. They might think, “What if I can’t change, then I’ll prove myself to be even more of a failure than I am now.” They then say, “I’ve been this way for a long time and I’m getting by, so it’s not worth the risk.”

Fourth, you create an environment that helps you best manage your baggage, habits, and emotions. The people you surround ourselves with and the activities you participate in give you a sense of comfort and security. Unfortunately, this environment may, at a minimum, not support change or, at worst, discourage change.

In all four cases, remaining where you are has the effect of self-sabotage. You don’t perform up to your abilities and you don’t achieve your goals. You feel stuck, frustrated, and helpless to change your lot in life.

Foundation of Change

Yes, change is difficult, despite the “quick and without any effort” claims of motivational speakers and self-help books. But I’m sorry to say that change just doesn’t work that way. In attempting to change, you are swimming against the tide of many years of baggage, habits, emotions, and environment. But if you can overcome those obstacles and commit yourself to a new direction in your life, amazing things can happen.

Epiphany. Because change is so difficult, it must come from a very deep and personal place inside of you. Change starts with a simple, yet powerful, epiphany: “I just can’t continue down this same road any longer.” When you experience this realization in the most visceral way, then you have taken the first step toward change.

Emotions. Just as emotions can act as obstacles to change, they can also provide a powerful impetus to change. Whether positive, such as hope, inspiration, or pride, or negative, such as fear (of losing a job), emotions can be potent motivators for change.

Courage. Courage may be the single most important characteristic for changing your life because change requires risk and risk is scary because you may fail (of course, the other side of the coin is that only by taking risks can you truly succeed.). Courage to change means the willingness to acknowledge aspects of yourself that you may not know about or may not like, and to confront “bad” emotions you may feel as you learn about yourself. Courage enables you to reject your old self, chart a new course in your life, and then “boldly go where no one has gone before.”

Change is much like jumping into cold water. It will be a shock at first, and you will initially regret having taken the plunge. But, after you are in the water for a short while, you begin to adapt to the coldness. What was then intimidating is now approachable. What had been unknown is now familiar. What was then painful is now invigorating.

Leap of Faith. Unfortunately, there is no certainty in change. You don’t know if, when, or how you might change. And that lack of certainty can be truly terrifying. Yet, you must be willing to accept that uncertainty if you want to change. The only way to overcome your fears is to take a leap of faith. A great philosopher once said, “You do or you do not. There is no try.” No, it wasn’t Aristotle or Socrates who spoke those simple, yet profound words; the great thinker was…Yoda, the Jedi Master of Star Wars.

This leap of faith involves having a basic belief in yourself and a fundamental trust in the vision of who, what, and where you want to be in the future. The leap of faith involves your commitment to creating a new and healthy life and the belief that good things will happen when you do make that change.

Commitment: The above contributors to the foundation of change result in commitment to change, an unwavering dedication to resist the obstacles and pursue your goals. This resolve will motivate you to engage in the moment-to-moment process of change even when you are tired, bored, and frustrated.

Process of Change

The steps I just described set the stage for change, but the real work lies ahead. Change can be scary, tiring, frustrating, and repetitious. And change takes time. How much, you might ask. It depends on your ability to remove the four obstacles to change and embrace the foundation of change I discussed above and your ability to commit to the minute-to-minute process of change. But I have found that when someone makes a deep commitment to change, they can expect to see positive change in 6-12 months.

Identify your obstacles. The first step you must take in the change process is to identify the obstacles that are preventing you from changing. Perhaps the most difficult part of identifying your obstacles involves exploring your inner world. True change cannot just occur on the surface or outside of you. Change means not only understanding who you are, but also why you are who you are. You need to “look in the mirror” and specify what the baggage, habits, emotions, and environment are that are keeping you from your goals. Understanding these obstacles takes the mystery out of who you are and what has been holding you back. It also gives you clarity on what you need to change. These explorations of your inner world liberate you to move from the path you are on and to finally put the past behind you-when most of your life you have been putting your past in front of you.

Change goals. Establishing clear objectives of the changes you want to make will help you focus your efforts and direct your energy toward those changes. These goals should identify what areas you want to change, how you will change them, and the ultimate outcome you want to achieve. Moreover, the goals should be specific, objective, and time defined.

Action steps. Action steps describe the particular actions you will take to achieve your change goals. They may range from adhering to an exercise regimen to maintaining emotional control in a crisis situation to staying focused when surrounded by distractions. Action steps give you the specific tools you need to act on the world in the present and to give you alternative actions that counter your old baggage, habits, emotions, and environment.

Forks in the road. Taking the action steps and achieving your change goals depends on recognizing the good and bad forks in the road, having the determination to resist your baggage, habits, emotions, and environment, and choosing to take the good road.

Three P’s. One of the most difficult aspects of change is the need to make it a day-to-day, hour-to-hour, and minute-to-minute process in which you commit yourself to change (Every time you miss an opportunity for change, you further ingrain your old baggage, habits, and emotions). A helpful reminder of this necessity is what I call the Three P’s.

The first P, persistence, means you must maintain your determination (a mindset) and drive (your actions) to achieve your goals consistently.

The second P, perseverance, refers to your ability to respond positively to setbacks you will surely experience in the change process.

The third P, patience, should be a constant reminder that change takes time and that if you maintain your commitment and persist and persevere, you will make the changes you want.

The Payoff

There is an immense payoff for your commitment and efforts at change: A life-altering shift in who you are and the direction that your life will take; maximizing performance and productivity; achieving your life goals. As a former client told me so poignantly: “I realized that I would never have to go back to the way I used to live my life, and I have never been so successful or happy!

by Jim Taylor, Ph.D – Psychology Today

There’s an incredible amount of stress out there these days. In a recent survey, 80 percent of Americans reported that they are beyond frazzled. Stress not only wreaks havoc on us emotionally, it also has a powerful effect on our bodies and our brains, literally aging us before our time, according to groundbreaking research. The happy news: The damage appears to be reversible — and the most effective weapon is exercise.

Your Body on Stress

Why are we so frenzied today? One answer is that “there’s more pressure to compete, and all the technology that brings work home means we never get any respite,” says Michael G. Wetter, PsyD, a Pleasanton, California-based clinical psychologist and diplomat of the American Psychotherapy Association.

The constant grind exacts a physical toll. “Stress has been linked to heart disease and high blood pressure, and it’s a risk factor for type 2 diabetes,” says Wetter. Our bodies are biologically programmed to respond to challenges by releasing a flood of the hormone cortisol, prompting what’s called the fight-or-flight response. “When our bodies and minds perceive danger, blood pressure goes up and the digestive system shuts down,” explains Wetter. The problem is, given the chronic stress so many of us experience today, “the body never has a chance to recuperate,” he says.

Just ask Rachel Capaldi, 26, an assistant bank-office manager in Shelby Township, Michigan. The pressure of holding a full-time job while going to school left her overwhelmed. To cope, she binged on junk food; in eight months, she gained 22 pounds. By 7 p.m. every night, Rachel says, she was exhausted and ready for bed. “I felt a lot older than my years.”

No wonder. In a study of moms, two-thirds of whom were dealing with highly stressful situations, those who reported the most stress “had immune cells that looked as if they’d aged an additional 10 years or so,” says Elissa Epel, PhD, an assistant professor in residence in the department of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. “An aged immune system doesn’t function as well, which may contribute to the body aging.” Stress also seems to alter our hormones, creating an imbalance between those that are anabolic (promoting tissue growth, lean mass, and bone) and those that are catabolic (breaking down bone and tissue for fuel). As a result, says Epel, our insides age faster than we do.

Your Brain on Stress

Mentally we’re also at risk when stress levels skyrocket, and the damage can be dramatic. Stress can cause “structural and functional remodeling in the brain,” says Bruce McEwen, PhD, Alfred E. Mirsky professor in the laboratory of neuroendocrinology at Rockefeller University in New York City. Much of the devastation happens in the hippocampus, a region that’s vital to learning and making new memories. In one study, people with high levels of cortisol had a hippocampus that was 14 percent smaller than those whose cortisol levels were normal, and their memory was also impaired.

And stress can make us … s l o w. In tests, rats and mice that were stressed for several weeks took longer to learn new tasks than those who weren’t, because their hippocampal nerve cells had atrophied. At the same time, the amygdala, the section of the brain that controls physical reactions, had grown larger, making the animals more anxious and aggressive. In other words, keep your stress level high for long enough and you will lose some ability to think — and to calm down.

The Fix: Sleep and Sweat

All the stressors in your life aren’t likely to just disappear, but there is a way to stop and even reverse the damage they do. Start by getting enough sleep. Lack of shut-eye boosts cortisol levels and can lead to metabolic imbalances that increase your risk of heart disease. Eat plenty of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables and cut back on fat. And find time for friends and loved ones. Strong social support — surrounding yourself with people whom you can confide in — makes coping with stress a lot easier.

Finally, and most important, is exercise. It can help stabilize our bodies’ stress-related hormonal imbalance, researchers say. “Fitness increases anabolic hormones, such as growth hormone, and may reduce the effects of cortisol,” explains Epel. “It’s one of the most potent anti-aging behaviors we know of.”

Exercise is especially beneficial for the brain. In research on mice, “We found that physical movement could double, triple, and sometimes quintuple the number of cells in the hippocampus,” says Fred H. Gage, PhD, a professor in the laboratory of genetics at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California. “It was pretty surprising.” How does it cause such incredible changes? One possibility is that “during exercise, you generate new blood vessels, which allows proteins to get into the brain,” says Gage.

Evidence suggests that people can benefit from working out as much as animals do. In a study of 59 sedentary men and women, one group improved their aerobic fitness by walking, while the other stretched and toned. “We found increases in brain volume and gray matter in those who walked, but not in those who stretched,” says lead researcher Arthur F. Kramer, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “People who did the aerobic workout also showed improved cognitive function, especially in the areas of memory, decision making, and switching from one task to another.”

Gage saw improvement in mice that spent two hours a day on the running wheel; for us, he explains, that translates into walking. Kramer advocates “brisk walking three times a week, for up to an hour each time.” Gomez-Pinilla suggests an activity like swimming or running, 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Whatever it is you choose to do, the point is: Get moving.

by Carol Mithers – Fitness Magazine

It’s an irony of our modern lives that while technology is continually invented that saves us time, we use that time to do more and more things, and so our lives are more fast-paced and hectic than ever.

Life moves at such a fast pace that it seems to pass us by before we can really enjoy it.

However, it doesn’t have to be this way. Let’s rebel against a hectic lifestyle and slow down to enjoy life.

A slower-paced life means making time to enjoy your mornings, instead of rushing off to work in a frenzy. It means taking time to enjoy whatever you’re doing, to appreciate the outdoors, to actually focus on whoever you’re talking to or spending time with — instead of always being connected to a Blackberry or iPhone or laptop, instead of always thinking about work tasks and emails. It means single-tasking rather than switching between a multitude of tasks and focusing on none of them.

Slowing down is a conscious choice, and not always an easy one, but it leads to a greater appreciation for life and a greater level of happiness.

Here’s how to do it.

1. Do less. It’s hard to slow down when you are trying to do a million things. Instead, make the conscious choice to do less. Focus on what’s really important, what really needs to be done, and let go of the rest. Put space between tasks and appointments, so you can move through your days at a more leisurely pace.

2. Be present. It’s not enough to just slow down — you need to actually be mindful of whatever you’re doing at the moment. That means, when you find yourself thinking about something you need to do, or something that’s already happened, or something that might happen … gently bring yourself back to the present moment. Focus on what’s going on right now. On your actions, on your environment, on others around you. This takes practice but is essential.

3. Disconnect. Don’t always be connected. If you carry around an iPhone or Blackberry or other mobile device, shut it off. Better yet, learn to leave it behind when possible. If you work on a computer most of the day, have times when you disconnect so you can focus on other things. Being connected all the time means we’re subject to interruptions, we’re constantly stressed about information coming in, we are at the mercy of the demands of others. It’s hard to slow down when you’re always checking new messages coming in.

4. Focus on people. Too often we spend time with friends and family, or meet with colleagues, and we’re not really there with them. We talk to them but are distracted by devices. We are there, but our minds are on things we need to do. We listen, but we’re really thinking about ourselves and what we want to say. None of us are immune to this, but with conscious effort you can shut off the outside world and just be present with the person you’re with. This means that just a little time spent with your family and friends can go a long way — a much more effective use of your time, by the way. It means we really connect with people rather than just meeting with them.

5. Appreciate nature. Many of us are shut in our homes and offices and cars and trains most of the time, and rarely do we get the chance to go outside. And often even when people are outside, they’re talking on their cell phones. Instead, take the time to go outside and really observe nature, take a deep breath of fresh air, enjoy the serenity of water and greenery. Exercise outdoors when you can, or find other outdoor activities to enjoy such as nature walks, hiking, swimming, etc. Feel the sensations of water and wind and earth against your skin. Try to do this daily — by yourself or with loved ones.

6. Eat slower. Instead of cramming food down our throats as quickly as possible — leading to overeating and a lack of enjoyment of our food — learn to eat slowly. Be mindful of each bite. Appreciate the flavors and textures. Eating slowly has the double benefit of making you fuller on less food and making the food taste better. I suggest learning to eat more real food as well, with some great spices (instead of fat and salt and sugar and frying for flavor).

7. Drive slower. Speedy driving is a pretty prevalent habit in our fast-paced world, but it’s also responsible for a lot of traffic accidents, stress, and wasted fuel. Instead, make it a habit to slow down when you drive. Appreciate your surroundings. Make it a peaceful time to contemplate your life, and the things you’re passing. Driving will be more enjoyable, and much safer. You’ll use less fuel too.

8. Find pleasure in anything. This is related to being present, but taking it a step farther. Whatever you’re doing, be fully present … and also appreciate every aspect of it, and find the enjoyable aspects. For example, when washing dishes, instead of rushing through it as a boring chore to be finished quickly, really feel the sensations of the water, the suds, the dishes. It can really be an enjoyable task if you learn to see it that way. The same applies to other chores — washing the car, sweeping, dusting, laundry — and anything you do, actually. Life can be so much more enjoyable if you learn this simple habit.

9. Single-task. The opposite of multi-tasking. Focus on one thing at a time. When you feel the urge to switch to other tasks, pause, breathe, and pull yourself back.

10. Breathe. When you find yourself speeding up and stressing out, pause, and take a deep breath. Take a couple more. Really feel the air coming into your body, and feel the stress going out. By fully focusing on each breath, you bring yourself back to the present, and slow yourself down. It’s also nice to take a deep breath or two — do it now and see what I mean.

Leo Babauta is a writer, a marathoner, an early riser, a vegan, and a father of six. He blogs regularly about achieving goals through daily habits on Zen Habits, and covers such topics as productivity, GTD, simplifying, frugality, parenting, happiness, motivation, exercise, eating healthy and more.

Read more about simplifying and focus in his book, The Power of Less.

I just wanted all my valued subscribers to know
a paperback version of my book has just been
released today.  It can be purchased at Amazon.com.

I wasn’t going to do a paperback version, but
because of high customer demand I thought I
should.

Here are the links you need if you are interested:

>> Paperback version

>> Kindle version

>> PDF version

 *** Thank you and I hope you let me help you
create your own happiness …

- Mark Massing