Congratulations! You’ve just
survived a tumultuous year and decade filled with violent ups and
downs. Let’s hope that the recession is over and good times are
ahead.
Have you made any new year resolutions? If you
have, click on
Resolution Potion
for help on keeping your resolutions. Sorry, there is no magic
potion, and it’s not always easy to keep your resolutions. In
fact, some people vow never to make New Year resolutions while
others happily make ambitious resolutions on the understanding
that resolutions were made to be broken.
My resolution for the new year
and new decade is to lose some weight (a.k.a. fat) around my
waist. My guess is that, post Christmas feasting and
over-indulgence, it’s one of the most popular resolutions —and
also the most frequently abandoned.
The problem is that as we grow
older, we need and use less energy. This double whammy causes the
fat to pile on without any conscious change in our lifestyles.
People who were able to eat mountains of food without any impact
on their waistline now have to watch their diet more closely.
Their lowered metabolic rate
also means that they have to do a bit more exercise than they were
used to just to maintain their weight. For me, as my kids get
older, I don’t have to run after them as much, and my life has
become more sedentary - resulting in the extra inch of fat.
Fortunately, I have friends
who are more health conscious than me, and they get me out on the
squash court at least once or twice a week. Also, my children
enjoy playing on the Wii Fit machine and challenge me on some of
the games. I use it probably a couple of times a month, but it’s
a good tool to keep me on the straight and narrow.
The Wii system can do a
fitness assessment each time you use it, and it will tell you how
you are doing compared to your last visit and the objectives you
have set for yourself. My goal was to lose 4 kilograms in 3
months. The last time I was on the Wii, it said that I had gained
almost a kilo and that I needed to set more modest goals. That was
excellent and timely advice. My goal now is to be down 4 kilos by
the end of the year. Wish me luck!
Surround yourself with
like-minded people, set multiple modest goals, and monitor and
reflect often. I wish you success and good luck in the new year
and decade in achieving your goals and resolutions. Let me know
how you’ve done by the year’s end.
Here are some links for the upcoming Chinese
year of the tiger:
2010 Year of the Metal Tiger
Chinese Zodiac Year of the Tiger
Year of the Tiger at Wikipedia
Welcome
to a New Decade
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