Every New Year we begin the same process; vow to eat better, exercise more, and reevaluate ourselves—body, mind and soul. This yearly pledge that we take is necessary and helps us to focus on areas we feel we may need to alter. Whatever your yearly resolutions might be, let’s take a look at innovative ways to improve who we are while viewing ourselves with admiration instead of disdain.

I always feel that I need to make drastic changes to see big results. Not true! Sometimes the smallest of tweaks in our exercise and diet can make a positive difference. According to Health.com and Drweil.com our feet have an impact on how our bodies respond to certain issues. Anyone who practices reflexology, “a therapy based on the principle that there are small and specific areas of innervation in the hands and feet that correspond to specific muscle groups or organs of the body” can attest to this. Specifically, how “the nerve endings in the extremities provide a ‘map’ of the rest of the body”. Before you get out of bed in the morning grab your toes and pull. Michele Summers Colon, a podiatrist in California says “This boosts circulation…Without proper circulation, the muscles and nerves in our toes don’t work properly. And that can cause pain in your knees, hips, and back”. Another way Health.com promotes “to stop the stress response in its tracks and change the channel on your mood” is by doing 25 jumping jacks daily, silencing your phone at night (I know this is a tough one), take long breaths in and out to help you sleep at night, eat half a cup of carrots for vitamin A promoting healthy eyes, and have a bit of chocolate to boost your mood (I have no problem with this last one!).

As always, nothing beats going outside and breathing tons of fresh air. “Fresh air is full of feel-good negative ions, which may boost oxygen flow to the brain,” says Kathleen Hall, PhD. “If you can, combine it with exercise, like a brisk walk-activity boosts endorphins and energy.”

Diets present a concern as not everyone likes vegetables or certain types of foods and many have food allergies. According to Health.com, cutting the wrong types of carbohydrates from your diet can do more harm than good. “The best idea is to cut back on refined carbs such as soda and foods made with white flour, while loading up on healthier carbs like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.” Including less snacks in your diet that tend to have a lot of sugar and trans fats, especially processed ones, is important. Another way to fill up on good fats is to eat “Monounsaturated fats (found in nuts, olive oil, and avocados) and the polyunsaturated variety (in corn, soybean, and safflower oils) help your cardiovascular system, improve weight loss, and are crucial for absorbing beta carotene from vegetables like carrots.” Eating below 1,200 calories a day “quickly decreases your metabolism and muscle mass” which can be detrimental in the long run. “Choose whole foods such as produce, fresh meat and fish, and whole grains that are as close to their natural state as possible.”

They have a higher “nutrient density…because they pack more vitamins and minerals into fewer calories.” Three servings of low or non-fat dairy “helps conserve calcium for stronger bones while telling fat cells to convert less sugar to fat and burn more body fat” resulting in fat cells that are leaner. When possible, add whole grains to your diet. “The extra fiber in whole grains is key: It makes you feel full, which means you eat less. It also helps level out the peaks and valleys of insulin that a meal produces…Whole-grain foods tend to be higher in vitamins B and E.”

Finally, I think at one point or another we all feel as if we could use a sharper memory, especially this year. So if you could promote the growth of neurons in your brain, sharpening your memory, and thinking with a simple change, would you do it? Well it’s easy to accomplish; simply switch to your non-dominate hand. “It’ll give your brain the regular workout it needs to stay healthy,” according to Health.com. Eat, brush your teeth, dress and reach for things with your opposite hand. Who knows, maybe using my right hand instead of my dominate left hand might improve my math grade. Wouldn’t that be great! Also, “When you learn a new skill, your brain actually builds new circuitry”. By changing how we negatively view a situation we are recalibrating our optimism and creativity, ready to take on anything fate throws in our path.

Remember the key to diet and exercise is everything in moderation, which helps promote proper health and helps us to not feel deprived of the foods we love. Thinking positively can be difficult when things are not going well but in the long run it will help immensely with our minds and those we come into contact with.

Quote of the day:
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
~ C.S. Lewis

Affordable accessory alert:
Pedometers are the rage this year and the Fitbit Zip, $59.95, counts steps more accurately than any other pedometer. According to TopTenReviews of numerous pedometers the Fitbit won the gold award and a 10 out of 10! Check out what other gadgets received high marks on Toptenreviews.com.