7 Healthy New Year’s Resolutions You Should Plan to keep this Year

If you’d like to improve your health but find yourself making New Year’s resolutions that are too difficult to keep, breaking them year after year, make a positive difference in 2013 by including manageable, more attainable goals on your list this time.

Improve your eating habits by concentrating on what you can eat

Many dieters fail simply because they focus on what they can’t eat instead of what they can. By thinking about what you can eat and basing your diet on a wide variety of healthy foods, you’ll be on your way to achieving better overall health and an ideal shape.

Eat as many foods that come from the earth as you can – think fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, healthy oils including extra-virgin olive oil, whole grains, as well as beans, lentils and dried peas. Wild Pacific Salmon is an especially nutritious fish, loaded with lots of healthy omega 3s in addition to cancer preventing benefits.

Enhance your mind/body connection

By enhancing your mind/body connection you’ll be on your way to achieving almost anything you set out to accomplish. It’s the most crucial aspect of any successful plan. Everything you do, no matter how big or small, starts with a thought in your mind. If your inner voice is telling you that you can’t do something, you probably won’t.

Practice using positive messages to achieve your goals with phrases such as “I am strong and healthy,” or simply, “I can do this!”

One of the best ways to improve your mind/body connection is by finding a place of peace where you can stop, look and listen. Practicing meditation, even for just a few minutes a day will help you accomplish your goals, reduce stress and even fight illness.

Resolve to go organic

Vow to go organic as much as possible. While it’s tough for many families to go completely organic due to budget reasons, by identifying the foods that are most crucial to eat organic, you’ll experience a big pay-off in the long run with better health and fewer medical bills.

This coming year, make a resolution to avoid foods with the highest risk of toxins by going organic when purchasing the following:

• Apples, pears and berries – these fruits tend to have the highest amount of pesticide residue.
• Celery, peppers and spinach also rank high on the list of produce with contaminants.
• Dairy products; they often contain the antibiotics and hormones that cow’s ingest in their food.
• Rice and potatoes typically contain a number of pesticides.
• Coffee bean; these are often grown in countries without strict pesticide regulations.

Gentle cleansing

A gentle body cleanse takes little effort but provides huge benefits to your health by helping your body rid itself of toxins and impurities that can build up over time. These toxins can lead to an over-abundance of free radicals in the body that lead to illness, disease and premature aging.

Resolve to discover a physical activity you enjoy

If you start each year planning to stick to a workout routine but don’t end up following through because you dread exercising, resolve to find an activity you enjoy.  Consider signing up for a class like belly dancing, ballroom dancing or martial arts. Something new will help keep you from getting bored, and if it’s fun it won’t even feel like exercise.

Make yourself the first priority

Many people tend to make themselves the last priority in their own lives, when they should be number one. If you want to improve your health, remind yourself that working out, practicing meditation or just taking time to find a peaceful place to listen to your soul will ultimately give your more energy and enhance your mental health; enabling you to take better care of your responsibilities and other people.

Choose happiness

Resolving to choose happiness could be the best gift you can give yourself.  Never forget that happiness is a choice.  Any type of change, or issue, can be seen as good or bad depending on your own attitude. People that choose happiness are less likely to experience disease and illness and tend to live longer, have better relationships, more energy and even earn more money.

While making this decision can be easier said than done, start by keeping a gratitude journal; every day write down 10, 20 or even 30 things in your life that you’re grateful for.