Happy New Year to all!!!!! The holidays are “officially” over and there will be a shift in the energy around you. All of a sudden you see the gyms and gym classes are packed with new faces, people seem more focused, and no one is bringing desserts to the office. Everyone means business! Some will make new year’s resolutions, others will make intentions, and others will simply avoid the process because of the reality that most new year’s resolutions are quickly forgotten and people sink back into old patterns rather quickly.

I do believe in resolutions/intentions. But not only on New Year’s. I’m a believer that you can make resolutions at the beginning of every day, week, month, or year. If we’ve had a particularly disorganized weekend with parties and events, I resolve to start Monday fresh and on a good routine. If I was impatient with my children today because I was preoccupied with other matters, I resolve to be a better parent tomorrow. I believe that as long as we are breathing we have the opportunity to start over again. Its never too late until we are no longer around.

And I saw a true New Year’s resolution happen last year. At this time last year Orlando decided to change the way he eats and he actually stuck to it. Naturally, he slipped into the Holiday spell just like I did the last couple of months but a lot of our eating habits are so ingrained in our lifestyle that despite all, we did manage to make a lot of good choices amidst the bad ones. And here we are again, on his 1 year anniversary of our journey and starting 2013 in a much better place than 2012. So I guess I am a true believer!!!!

Most resolutions are pretty generic: lose weight, make more money, exercise more…etc. and those seem to die down I think mainly because we don’t change our perspectives, we only voice our intentions. What worked in our family was changing our perspective from trying to lose weight, to trying to live healthier lives. So here are a couple of suggestions I think might help you change your perspective, if losing weight or being healthy fell into your new year’s list this year.

1. GO TO THE DOCTOR AND GET A BLOOD TEST. Check everything. Check your liver, your heart protein, your vitamin D levels, your glucose, your cholesterol, everything. I went to see a doctor that believes in nutrition as a primary source of medicine so when I did this he told me things like I needed more good fats in my diet and guided me and orlando as to which supplements were best for us. I now try to do a checkup for my husband and myself every 6 months to know how we’re doing not only on the outside…but on the inside!

2. GET A DNA TEST. okay I know this sounds whacky!!!!! But I did this and plan to dedicate an entire post to this in the near future. My dad bought me a DNA kit from 23andme. I put my saliva in a tube and sent it in for testing. I found out all sorts of things about myself…like that I’m most likely to be pre-disposed to blood clots. Well now I know that I will always have to exercise to keep my blood and circulation in good condition. NOTE: this information is still somewhat limited but at least it gives us a general idea of things we should watch out for to live as healthy as we can. Some people will argue…hey we all have to die of something, so why bother? I know I have to die but ideally, I’d like to live as long as I can with as much quality of life as I can.

3. FIND OUT YOUR BLOOD TYPE. I’ve been learning that your blood type has a lot to do with the way you digest food and process food. Its called Nutritional Typing. I’m still learning about this but I find it interesting because of this simple concept – 2 people can eat the same way and one loses weight and the other doesn’t. Once you learn about yourself, you will have a better idea of what eating patterns can work best for you so you can avoid making sacrifices that will end up frustrating you and not working anyway.

I guess my suggestion to you all for 2103 is take a little time to learn about yourself and your body. That will help you make changes to your lifestyle that will help YOU. Anyone can lose weight by cutting calories for a few weeks or drinking shakes as meal supplements…but quick fixes die hard. It is impossible to maintain.

LIFE IS TO ENJOY!!!!! You should not feel that you’re eating habits are a constant sacrifice. But when you find foods you enjoy and can digest properly and can incorporate meals you love or learn to love in your daily routine, it becomes a lifestyle instead of a diet and your results will be long term.

I’m grateful to have been given the gift of another year. Let’s embrace it, enjoy it, and make it count!