New Year’s Resolution: Love Your Body!

Ah, the beginning of a New Year. A time to reflect and start anew:nnew hopes, dreams, goals for yourself. Speaking of which, have yountaken that all important inventory of your body, yet? Is this thenyear you’re going to make the change? nnnnWondering how to begin? Read on…nnnnMost people begin a new year in earnest; dreaming of building a nshapely new body. However, by the end of January they are back tontheir same old habits. This year make it easy on yourself; simplyncommit yourself to building healthy body. The rest is easy: you’llnneed only to glean the proper education and time management. Here,nI’ve outlined five basic steps so you can easily begin your ncommitment to a healthy, shapely new year:nnnnnStep One: Begin where you are. This sounds logical but it’s true.nAll you really have is this moment; today. The past is behind you,nlearn from it, then let it go. Aim to be grateful for where you arenright now, give thanks for who you are. You are unique and special.nIn fact, take some time to list all of your greatest gifts. Reflectnon them and give thanks.nnnnStep Two: Just as you must begin where you are, you must Love yournbody as it is right now. Perhaps you don’t know this yet, but yournbody is perfect, healthy and whole just as it is. Even if it is notnthe image of what you define as perfection, inside you is the npotential for health, beauty and well being. Give thanks for thisnbeautiful machine! This beautiful body that is yours has the npotential to do great things. At this moment: vow to take great ncare of this body and engage its natural ability to be healthy.nnnnStep Three: Do more with less. You don’t necessarily need expensivenequipment or gym memberships to take care of your body, begin by ngetting yourself moving everyday and making some small changes to nyour diet. Here are some simple ideas: decrease your salt and sugarnintake and take some long, leisurely walks. Embrace how good it feelsnto treat your body well and put it in motion. Form a habit of nfeeding your body better and get it moving. Soon you will work thesenefforts into a regular exercise and a sound nutrition program.nnnnStep Four: Get support. There are many ways to get support in ncreating your Brand New Body: online and off. If you need to lose nweight, Weight Watchers has built a community of like minded peoplenthat know how get the job done. You can find your local chapter nor check them out online at http://www.weightwatchers.com nThere are also many communities that have group support ncheck out: http://www.groupdiets.com. They have an excellent ncommunity, specializing in weight loss, proper nutrition and nexercise. nnnnStep Five: Set a goal for the year, then break it down. Finally,nset your big yearly goal! But wait--before you get intimidated--nbreak this big goal into 12 mini-goals; achievable things you canndo each month. Next, begin to carve out specific “exercise time”nin your day. Are you a morning person? Do you have most of your nenergy before bed? Be aware of these things when you begin to moveninto your exercise “habit forming.”nnnnnMost of all make a motion to educate yourself this year. Yes you ncan, be Smart and Fit! Check out books on exercise (see Brand New nBody ==>http://www.1brand-new-body.com) Finally, reward yourself nas you progress through 2004. Instead of food, try a massage, a nweekend trip to a day spa or just taking a day for yourself. Yes, nsometimes beginning a new year can be daunting, but if you have a nplan, support and a bit of motivation: chances are you will meet nwith success!n