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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 2011)
Page 20 The INDEPENDENT, December 21, 2011 Learn the secrets to making those New Year resolutions stick By the end of January, most people who have made unreal- istic New Year’s resolutions will have burned out. But, if you know the following secrets, those good intentions can stick forever. Good luck! Make lifestyle changes be- cause YOU want to. Make changes for yourself, not your husband, wife, mother or sister. Make small changes and chart your progress. The single biggest mistake people make is biting off more than they can chew – quitting smoking, losing 50 pounds in two weeks and exercising every day. It’s just too much. According to the American Council on Science and Health, stopping smoking is the single most important change you can make. Don’t worry about gain- ing a pound or two – it’s noth- ing compared to the health benefits you’ll gain by quitting smoking. If you want to lose weight, focus on losing five pounds at a time. Changing lifestyle habits will get you to where you want to be for the long term, and that’s what counts. It’s not about how much you lose in two weeks, but how much weight you keep off for the rest of your life. Keep a journal. It allows you to track your progress so you can give yourself credit for the smallest accomplishments you make – they all add up. Jour- naling can also be used to doc- ument your emotions and help you see if there are patterns to your eating habits. Do you eat when you’re angry, bored, nervous? If so, then find alter- native activities to get to the real problems. Find a buddy. Exercisers are more likely to stick to their plans when they know some- one is waiting for or depending on them. If you prefer to exer- cise by yourself but find bore- dom is a problem, get a head- set and listen to music. The key to sticking with exercise is look- ing at it as fun. Find activities you enjoy, vary them and schedule them into your calen- dar as you would any important appointment. Practice positive self-talk. So often, we don’t even realize that we are giving ourselves negative messages. Catch yourself and turn those state- ments around. Tell yourself that you enjoy getting up a few min- utes early to exercise and that you feel great and look better when you exercise. If you catch yourself saying that your legs are too fat, STOP right there and find something positive to say instead, such as, I have a beautiful smile, I have attrac- tive eyes, I look good in a par- ticular color, etc. Assume you’ll be successful, and you will be. Source: Melinda Hemmelgarn, M.S., R.D., University of Missouri Extension Just for Fun Casey and Kyle by Will Robertson I love every- thing that’s old; old friends, old Solve this Sudoku times, old manners, old books, old wines. OLIVER GOLDSMITH Irish writer A n s w e r t o De c e m b e r 7 Sudoku is on page 27 (1730-1774)