A Resolution for Better Health

Every year I make a resolution. Then I re-resolution a few weeks later, a few months later and again the next year when I don't reach my goal. For 2009, many of us will resolve to be healthier. For some of us this means losing weight or quitting smoking. For others, it may be working out more or lowering our blood pressure. Whatever the resolution may be, the end result rarely lives up to our expectations. By the next day, week or month, most of us have given up trying.

How do we go about achieving some measure of success? Maybe the failure and disappointment is because we are focusing on the wrong thing. If we are only concerned about losing weight, it is a difficult struggle because anytime the scale does not go down, or even worse go up instead, we feel that we have failed. If someone is only concerned about quitting smoking, having just one cigarette feels like a failure. To succeed we have to focus, not just on one specific resolution, but the larger picture of being healthy. The rewards are feeling better, having more energy, increased self-esteem and knowing that we are "doing our body good." When you focus on improving health, you get the benefits right away. Any small change that you make is going make you feel better and give your body a boost. Try adding a daily multivitamin to your routine or another vitamin that may help you in an area you are lacking such as omega-3 for heart health, lutein for skin health, or glucosamine for joint health.

-Community Assistant