A New Year, new health resolutions?

It's a new year, a new decade and that means it's time for many of us to take a look at our health and to make some lifestyle changes that could help add a few more years to our lives. After two weeks of "happy eating" that we all blame on the holidays, most of us want to change our bad habits. Some promise to exercise more often, to eat more of the healthful food groups in place of the empty calories of snacks and fast food. Others have made a vow to lower their blood pressure and their stress levels and to re-evaluate their time expenditures for work vs. family and fun. As we decide to change about our lifestyles in the new year, we should set aside time to achieve the goal, so that the resolutions don't fade into oblivion by the Ides of March! Health information on the Internet can help many of us change our evil ways. A new diet doesn't have to be drastic, nor does an exercise program. We all can start small by just picking one bad food habit to eliminate and by starting with excercise of 10 minutes a day, even if it is a few leg kicks after you get up in the morning or running in place in the bathroom as you brush your teeth. We can add some low fat dairy products, such as yogurt and fruits to our morning breakfast and skip the bagel or corn muffin. We can cut our stress by better time management. A bit of cinnamon and mustard instead of mayonnaise can help lower blood pressure and better regulate blood glucose, some studies show. Changing isn't easy, but the rewards are great when we see the pounds disappear or when we feel better because we've reduced our stress. Good luck with you resolutions in this year. You can change, you really can!