Happy Christmas Everybody

Source:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbpHaMDGBJQ

Are You Waiting to Buy Clothes Until You Lose Weight?

 Thank you Carol Brailey...........REALLY good advice!

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Are you in the midst of losing weight and as a result are holding off purchasing new clothes in order to save time and money? OR I'm sure we have all heard someone say something along the lines of "I'm not going to buy new clothing until I lose some weight."

To this mindset I always say - What are you waiting for? Have you considered the opportunities that may be bypassing you in the meantime? There is no reason to put your life and goals on hold just because you have weight to lose.

Let me demonstrate this concept further with a fictitious illustration -- Sally has made a resolution to lose weight and has decided to hold off purchasing new clothing until she is at her ideal weight, which may take up to 9 months perhaps longer. At the same time, she also would like to be promoted at work and find romance. Her existing wardrobe is not reflecting how she would like to be received at work or on the dating scene.

Is it wise for Sally to continue wearing clothing to work and social engagements (including dates) that does not give off her best energy for the next 9 months, possibly more? Absolutely not! She is putting her work and romance goals at risk.

During times of weight transition, to be time- and budget-smart while maximizing your image potential, follow these 4 easy steps to ensure the image you are displaying is in alignment with your short-term goals:

1.Take an inventory of your short-term goals.
Estimate and write down how long it will take you to achieve your desired weight. Then write down your short-term goals that you want to achieve during your weight transition. Some examples may include: job change/promotion, finding romance, attract more clients/sales etc.

2.Take an inventory of your short-term image goals.
For each short-term goal identified in step #1, write down the image you would like to project in order for the goal to be successfully achieved.

For example if you would like to be promoted at work, the image you would like to project may include words like professional, modern, vibrant, powerful and respected.

3.Take an inventory of your current wardrobe and identify gaps.
Review your current wardrobe in light of your short-term image goals identified in step #2. Identify where you can fill in the gaps between your current wardrobe and your short-term image goals. Sometimes you can work with many pieces in your existing wardrobe and just add in a few key staple pieces that are new.

For example, let's say you are looking to change jobs and you own a classic suit that is still a reasonable fit that works great for job interviews. However, all of the blouses you currently own that go with the suit are outdated (which translates to old-fashioned, resistant to change, outdated thinking). It is very possible that you only need to fill in a gap by adding a new blouse in your color palette and style to refresh the outfit. You could attract a dream job and a salary increase just by spending a small amount of money on a new blouse!

4.Fill in the gaps.
Now it's time to fill in the gaps identified in step #3 by going shopping! Also keep your eyes open for items that can be easily altered during your weight transition.

Now you have 4 easy steps to ensure the image you are displaying is in alignment with your short-term goals during weight loss. You will more than likely want to repeat the above 4 steps periodically throughout your weight loss because as clothing becomes looser, it may not align with your image goals (i.e. the suit in the example above more than likely will not look professional if it becomes extremely loose).

There is no reason to put your goals on hold just because you have some weight to lose. All we really have is the present. Give off your best and most authentic energy today to attract the opportunities your heart desires!

I hope this blog post inspires you to wear your authenticity!

Source:- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carol-brailey/are-you-waiting-to-buy-cl_b_6354210.html

What Happens If You Eat Too Much Food At Once?

The average meal takes 1 to 3 hours to leave the stomach. But a large meal can take 8 to 12 hours, depending on the quantity and fat content.

Although your stomach may feel as if it will burst, gastric rupture is extremely rare.The problem is usually limited to people with major eating disorders; in a study of people who had died with Prader-Willi syndrome, which causes excessive overeating, about 3 percent of the deaths were due to stomach rupture.

 But while your stomach won’t burst after a big meal, overeating will make your body work harder. The extra digestive workload demanded by a food binge requires the heart to pump more blood to the stomach and intestines. Heavy consumption of fatty foods can also lead to changes that cause blood to clot more easily.  As a result, heart attack risk appears to surge. One study of 2,000 people that showed a fourfold increase in heart attack risk in the two hours after eating a big meal. 

As the stomach releases food into the intestines, the gallbladder begins to squeeze out bile to help with fat digestion. Like the rest of the body, it has to work harder after a big meal — a frequent cause of gallstone attacks, which occur when clusters of solid material get stuck in the narrow duct that connects the organ to the intestine. These attacks are seldom fatal, but the pain mimics a heart attack and can be excruciating. Many people don’t know they have gallstones until an attack occurs.

Large meals increase the risk for flatulence, because bits of undigested food slip into the colon and begin to ferment. And people with existing health problems that require special diets have to be careful about their intake of salt, fat and calories at Thanksgiving.

Simple strategies can help minimize the gluttony. Keep the serving dishes in the kitchen, so you won’t take extra helpings mindlessly. Stick to foods that require utensils — we eat finger foods faster than those that require a fork.

Finally, contribute to the dinnertime conversation. The more you talk, the less you’ll eat.

Source:- https://www.quora.com/What-happens-if-you-eat-too-much-food-at-once

'Why Am I Fat?'

8 reasons you may be eating too much.

You're stuffed after a big restaurant dinner -- but then the dessert cart rolls around, and you just have to order that gorgeous chocolate mousse. Or you're munching from a big bag of chips while checking emails, and when you look up, the bag is empty. Sound familiar? 

Environmental factors -- like package size, portion size, the variety of food you're served, and the size of your plate -- can influence your eating more than you realize, experts say. Indeed, if we always ate only when we were really hungry and stopped when we were full, there would be no obesity epidemic.

The key, experts say, is to become more aware of these causes of overeating, which can help you resist the temptations and avoid weight gain.

"Once you become aware of the environmental cues that can sabotage your diet, you can react accordingly and make smart decisions," says nutrition expert Susan Moores, RD. Simple things such as bringing tempting snacks into your house, moving the candy jar at work out of sight, making fruits and vegetables more visible in your refrigerator, and eating more deliberately and slowly, can cut down on overeating and help you lose weight, Moores says.

Here are eight factors that can cause overeating and weight gain:

SLIDESHOW

Busted: Popular Diet Myths

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1. Sights, Sounds, and Smells

Overeating can be triggered by the alluring smell of bacon cooking, the sound of popcorn popping, advertisements for junk food, and so on. "You are influenced by your surroundings, and our studies show these kinds of cues result in eating more food," says Cornell University researcher Brian Wansink, PhD, author of Mindful Eating.

2. Distracted Eating

"Eating amnesia" is the act of almost unconsciously putting food in your mouth, usually from a big bag or bowl while sitting in front of the television, reading a book, checking emails, or during happy hour.

It's also easy not to register the tastes you take while cooking, or those last few bites from the kids' plates that you finish off. 

Multi-tasking can lead to overeating because you're not paying attention to what you are eating. When you eat more mindfully, you really taste the food -- and are more likely to feel satisfied sooner. "Food should touch more of your senses to be satisfying, instead of just filling in the hole," Moores says.

3. Food, Food Everywhere

Everywhere you turn, there are opportunities to eat -- at drive-through restaurants, vending machines, even gas stations. And when food is in front of us, we tend to eat more of it, experts say.

Wansink and colleagues found that when candy was easily accessible on workers' desks, they ate an average of nine pieces a day, and didn't realize how many they ate. But when the candy was kept in their desk drawers, they ate about six pieces per day. And when they had to get up from their desks to reach the candy six feet away, they only ate four pieces.

Curb your instinct to overeat sweets and snacks by moving them out of sight -- and putting more healthful foods into plain view. Resist the urge to splurge on unhealthy foods by carrying your own healthy snacks.

4. Food that's Fast,Convenient, and Inexpensive

Fast-food restaurants on every corner offering inexpensive food also encourage us to eat more and more often. Combo meal deals sound like a bargain, but they are loaded with fat, sodium, and calories.

Also, "when you eat lots of fast food, it all starts to taste the same, and you can become satisfied with a small range of flavors and sometimes it is hard to get enough," says Moores.

To help yourself resist the temptation, work on developing a taste for the subtle, natural flavors of food, suggests Moores.

Dietitians recommend limiting visits to fast-food restaurants to once a week. And, they say, choose the healthier menu options -- like salads and grilled chicken sandwiches -- even if they cost a little more.

5. Portion Distortion

Our idea of a normal portion has become skewed, in part because so many restaurants serve oversized portions. "Giant portions seem to have evolved into the norm, and many people have trouble understanding how much they should eat," Moores says.

To understand what a portion should look like, pull out the measuring cups, and see how your portions stack up against WebMD's Portion Size Plate tool or the standards from the U.S. government's mypyramid.gov web site.

Another answer to the portion dilemma is to eat more foods that are less calorically dense. These are foods that contain lots of water and fiber, but not many calories -- like fruits, vegetables, salads, and broth-based soups. Researcher Barbara Rolls, PhD, and colleagues at Penn State University found that it's possible to reduce calories without increasing hunger by eating more of these types of foods.

Mindful eating can help here, too. "Eat slowly, taste the food and become more in touch with what you are eating and how it tastes so you can enjoy it more and start to appreciate satisfaction with smaller portions," Moores says.

6. Giant-Size Packages

You'll find plenty of bargains on mega-sized packages at super-discount stores like Costco or Sam's. But unfortunately, experts say, these giant containers can affect us on an unconscious level and cause us to eat more. Researchers have found that when you eat from a large container, you are likely to consume 25% to 50% more than you would from a smaller package -- especially when you're eating snacks and sweets.

"First, try to get out of the habit of always eating something while you are sitting, relaxing, or watching television," says American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Tara Gidus, MS, RD. "Try a cup of tea, glass of water, or chew a piece of sugarless gum. If you want a snack, portion it out of the bag or container or buy smaller packages like the 100-calorie snack packs."

7. Not-So-Dainty Dishware

Researchers have found that we tend to eat more when we're served from larger containers. Wansink and colleagues found that when students were given food in larger bowls, they served themselves 53% more and consumed 56% more than those who used smaller bowls.

When you use smaller bowls, plates, spoons, and cups, you won't feel deprived because the food will look more plentiful, Wansink says. Daintier dishware and smaller utensils can also help slow your eating.

8. Too Much Variety

A buffet restaurant can be a dieter's nightmare. Too many choices encourages having a taste (or more) of everything, and before you know it, your plate runneth over. "Too much variety on your plate at one meal can often mean too much food overall," says Connie Diekman, MEd, RD, director of nutrition at Washington University and past president of the American Dietetic Association.

So use variety to help meet your nutritional needs, but concentrate on the right foods. Eating a variety of foods is great, as long as the foods are low in calories and rich in nutrients -- like fruits, beans, vegetables, broth soups, whole grains, and low-fat dairy.

Source:- http://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/8-sneaky-things-that-could-be-making-you-fat

Sheer Poetry: Yotam Ottolenghi’s Chickpea Flour Recipes

 Yotam Ottolenghi’s chickpea pancakes with spiced aubergine and courgette: ‘Eat fresh out of the pan, when they are at their height of lightness and fluffiness.’ Photograph: Johanna Parkin for the Guardian. Food styling: Henrietta Clancy

For something so small and beige, the chickpea certainly elicits strong feelings. For those of us who cook with it, the variables in the making of hummus and falafel, say, can be a hot topic. But the chickpea is also an unlikely source of poetic inspiration. If you’re ever at a pub quiz and faced with the (unlikely) question as to what Hans Christian Anderson, Madhur Jaffrey and the 13th-century Sufi mystic and poet Rumi have in common, let me tell you that they all harnessed the chickpea to great effect in their writing.

Andersen’s fairytale The Princess And The Pea (I will assume, for the sake of my argument, that he meant a chickpea) and Rumi’s poem The Chickpea use the little pea to address unexpectedly weighty matters. How could something so tiny create so much turmoil and disturb the princess’s sensibility so much? Why is suffering necessary before Rumi’s chickpea can be transformed into something great? Or, as the chickpea, leaping out of the flame, asks the cook, “Why do you set fire to me? You chose me, bought me, brought me home – for this?”

Leaving such lofty discussions about the human condition to the poets, the chickpea is something I feel passionate about as a cook, whatever stage it is at in its life – whole, crushed, blitzed or ground; soaked, cooked, dried or tinned. I rely on chickpeas in their whole form a great deal, but it’s when the are dried and ground to make chickpea flour (also known as Bengal gram, gram flour and besan flour) that they make some of my favourite comfort food. Iranian gondi dumplings served in an aromatic broth; light and fluffy “pudlas”, or pancakes; thin batter for pakora-style prawn or vegetable fritters; Italian flatbreads; and cardamom- and rosewater-scented biscuits studded with pistachios: the principal ingredient in all of these is the pale yellow and slightly nutty-tasting gram flour.

Gram flour also spreads its comforting embrace through soups and warm yoghurt sauces, where it helps to thicken and prevent curdling; and in innumerable Indian sweet and savoury treats, from sev (a crisp, vermicelli-like street snack) to besan barfee (a sweet gram flour fudge studded with pistachios and almonds).

And where does Madhur Jaffrey fit into all this? Well, it’s her paean to gram flour in Eastern Vegetarian Cooking that got me started on this line of thought in the first place. She writes that just “one bowl of rice topped with some karhis [an Indian soup-like dish made with yogurt or buttermilk thickened with gram flour], and I begin to purr”. The pulse rate gets raised by the pulse. Now that’s poetry.

Chickpea pancakes

The next two recipes – the pancakes and spiced aubergine – are intended to be served together, but if you choose just to make the pancakes, serve them with some yoghurt and your favourite savoury chilli sauce. Gram flour absorbs a lot of moisture, so these are to be eaten fresh out of the pan, when they are at their height of lightness and fluffiness. Makes 12 pancakes, to serve four.

100g gram flour
½ sachet fast action yeast (4g)
½ tsp caster sugar
Salt

1 small (or ½ large) egg, beaten
½ tsp baking powder
Vegetable oil, for frying
Put the flour, yeast and sugar in a large bowl with a quarter-teaspoon of salt. Add the egg and 100ml water, and whisk until smooth. Cover with clingfilm and set aside for an hour, until doubled in size. Add the baking powder, mix well and set aside for 10 minutes longer.

Put a heavy-bottomed skillet pan on a medium heat and add a tablespoon of oil. Once hot, put three or four heaped dessertspoons of the batter into the pan, and cook for four minutes in total, turning once halfway through, until the pancakes have risen to about 1.5cm in height and are light, fluffy and golden-brown. Transfer to a wire rack and set aside while you cook the remaining batter mixture, adding more oil with each batch. Serve at once, with the following spiced aubergine alongside.

Spiced aubergine and courgette

This is the perfect thing to scoop up with your chickpea pancakes, but it also works brilliantly as a condiment with all sorts of other dishes: plain steamed rice, grilled meat or fish, spread on toasted sourdough – you really can’t go wrong. Serves four.

2 medium aubergines, trimmed and cut into 2cm dice

2 medium courgettes, trimmed and cut into 2cm dice
Salt
140ml vegetable oil
2 medium onions, peeled and cut into 1cm slices 
½ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cider vinegar
10g coriander leaves, roughly chopped
5g mint leaves, roughly chopped
80g Greek yoghurt, to serve

Put the aubergine and courgette in a large colander with a teaspoon of salt, mix well to coat the veg and leave over a sink or bowl for an hour, to drain. Pat dry with a clean tea towel and set aside.

Pour the oil into a large saute pan and place on a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onions and fry for five minutes, stirring often, until beginning to turn golden-brown, then use a slotted spoon to transfer to a large bowl.

Add the vegetables to the hot pan (depending on the size of your pan, you may need to fry them in batches), and stir in the turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, mustard seeds and half a teaspoon of salt. Fry for 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the aubergine and courgette have taken on a lot of colour, then transfer to the onion bowl. Stir through the vinegar and herbs, and serve warm or at room temperature, with a spoonful of yoghurt alongside.

Farinata with celery and caper salsa

 Yotam Ottolenghi’s farinata with celery and caper salsa: ‘Moreish.’ Photograph: Johanna Parkin for the Guardian. Food styling: Henrietta Clancy

These moreish Italian flatbreads are quite large, so each can serve two. Cut them up to serve on separate plates, or pile up the two farinata on one plate for people to pull at and spoon the salsa on top as they go. Or serve pre-dinner with drinks and without the salsa. For four.

200g gram flour (aka chickpea flour)
60ml olive oil
Salt

For the salsa
3 medium celery sticks, very finely sliced
15g parsley, roughly chopped
3 tbsp caper berries, stalks removed (or use normal capers if need be)
½ large preserved lemon, flesh discarded and skin finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1cm dice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice

Put the gram flour in a large bowl and, whisking constantly, slowly add 450ml water until well combined. Set the batter aside for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, put all the salsa ingredients in a bowl, stir, add a pinch of salt if it needs it and set aside.

Heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Whisk two tablespoons of the olive oil into the batter, then stir in a teaspoon of salt. Put a heavy-based, oven-proof, 25cm skillet pan on a high heat with a tablespoon of oil. Once the oil starts to smoke, pour in half the batter: it should be about 4mm thick. Leave on the heat for 30 seconds, until it starts to bubble, and then transfer the pan to the oven for 10 minutes, until the farinata is cooked through. It should be browned and crisp on both sides, but soft in the middle. Remove from the oven and, using a spatula, transfer the farinata to a plate. Keep warm while you cook the second farinata with the remaining oil and batter. Serve at once, with the salsa spooned alongside or on top.

• Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/patron of Ottolenghi and Nopi in London.

Source:- http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/nov/14/chickpea-flour-recipes-yotam-ottolenghi

Eating Disorders

What are eating disorders? 
- Eating disorders are characterised by abnormal attitudes towards food, difficulty controlling how much is eaten, and making unhealthy choices about food that ultimately damage the body
- Sufferers often have mental health problems that contribute to their abnormal thoughts
about food and body image
- Anorexia and Bulimia are two of the most common eating disorders which are discussed more below

What causes eating disorders? 

- There is unlikely to be a single cause of an eating disorder- it is usually a combination of factors 

- Many people use food as a coping mechanism as controlling what they eat can help control difficult and emotional situations. Some of these situations may include:

• Difficult family relationships
• The death of someone special
• Stress 
• Problems at work, school or university
• Sexual or emotional abuse

- Low self esteem can also be a cause of eating disorders, thinking that they are not good
enough and blaming this on being too fat
- There may also be a genetic cause, with an imbalance of some chemical levels in the
brain which can contribute

Who gets eating disorders? 
- Eating disorders are most common in teenage girls

- However, 10% of all eating disorders are in men

- Eating disorders are becoming more common in men

- People who are middle-aged can still develop an eating disorder, it is not exclusive to teenagers 

Anorexia 

- People who have anorexia have problems with eating. They are very anxious about their
weight. They keep it as low as possible, by strictly controlling and limiting what they eat and by sometimes exercising excessively
- In teenagers and young adults, the condition affects about 1 in 250 females and 1 in
2000 males
- Symptoms of Anorexia

• The main symptom of anorexia is the loss of a lot of weight deliberately - People with anorexia like to have full control over what they are eating and may do this by:
  • trict dieting
  • Counting the calories in food excessively
  • Avoiding food that they think is fattening
  • Eating only low-calorie food
  • Missing meals (fasting)
  • Avoiding eating with other people
  • Hiding food
  • Cutting food into tiny pieces - to make it less obvious that they have eaten very little,and the food is easier to swallow
  • Taking appetite suppressants such as slimming pills or diet pills.
  • People with anorexia may also drink lots of fluids that contain caffeine, such as coffee, tea and low calorie fizzy drinks
• Eating too little for a long time can cause health problems, resulting in physical symptoms:
  • fine downy hair may grow on their body
  • Hair on their face may increase, or their pubic hair may become sparse and thin.
  • Periods may stop in girls
  • Pain in the abdomen 
  • Feel bloated or constipated
  • Feel light-headed or dizzy

-Treatment

• If you are diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, your GP will probably be involved in yourongoing treatment and care, and an overall health assessment is likely to be carried out
• Where treatment is given depends on how severe the anorexia is, it can be: as an outpatient (at home- this is most common), as a day patient or in a day unit, as in inpatient in hospital (f your weight loss or symptoms are severe)
• Treatment for anorexia usually includes psychological treatment - talking to a therapist or counsellor, advice on eating, your diet and nutrition, to help you gain weight safely

-Recovery

• People with anorexia can recover, but it may take a long time and be very difficult for the person, and their friends and family
• To recover, someone with anorexia needs to: gain weight safely, change their eating habits, change the way they think about food. 
• Research studies have shown that: about 43% of people with anorexia recover completely,36% improve, 20% develop a chronic eating disorder, 5% die from the condition 

Bulimia

- People with bulimia tend to alternate between eating excessive amounts of food (bingeing), and making themselves sick, or using laxatives (purging), in order to maintain a chosen weight
- This is usually done in secret. People with bulimia purge themselves because they feel guilty about the binge eating, but the bingeing is a compulsive act that they feel they cannot control

-Symptoms of Bulimia

• The main symptoms are binging and purging
• Binging is repeatedly eating vast quantities of high-calorie food, without necessarily feeling hungry, or needing to eat 
• Purging is a response to the bingeing. The most common methods of purging involve making yourself sick, or using laxatives to encourage your body to pass the foodquickly. 
• Other signs of bulimia can include:
  • Regular changes in weight
  • An obsessive attitude towards food and eating
  • Episodes of over-eating
  • Periods of starvation
  • Scarred knuckles (from forcing fingers down the throat to induce vomiting)
  • Depression and anxiety

-Treatment 

• Is very similar to the treatment for anorexia - The main treatment method is psychological treatment aimed at re- establishing healthy attitudes towards food again
• Some medications that are often used to treat depression can also be used - Bulimia is very rarely treated in hospital 

This is a great website page for more information on Healthline.

Getting help for eating disorders 

- The first step is recognising that there is a problem- people with eating disorders are
extremely secretive about their problem so it maybe friends and family who recognise the problem first
- A lot of people find going to their GP very helpful as they are someone who will listen,
offer advice, and start the treatment process
- There are lots of websites and hotlines designed to help people with eating disorders
and give them advice. One website set up especially for young people is: www.b-eat.co.uk/YoungPeople/Home

Source:- https://sexpression.squarespace.com/eating-disorders/

How To Keep Your New Year's Resolutions

A new year signals a new start for many of us. It's the time to let go of the year that has passed, and consider what resolutions we will make going forward. But it can be hard to change habits, and difficult to keep motivated and achieve our goals. So how do we reach the end of the year with our resolutions still intact?

Before we get drawn back into every day life, the first few days of each new year make us reflect about the future. What do we want to have achieved by the end of the year? What are we able to achieve in the year to come? How ambitious do we dare to be?  

About 95% of Britons make New Year's resolutions. Yet by the end of January, some estimates say that as many as 88% will have given up on trying to change habits and already forgotten their resolutions. 

We're often inspired to make New Year's resolutions to be healthier, happier, and to do more to help others. Goals such as these could change many lives for the better. So how can we make sure that by the end of the year we have reached them? How can we avoid being one of the many who quickly gives up on their resolutions? 

Top tips for keeping your New Year's resolutions

1. Tell others about it

The more public you make your resolution, the more accountability you create and support you'll receive. As you make progress let your friends know, so they can be impressed and inspired by your determination.

To go one step further, try to reach your goals together with someone else to keep motivation high. Have a resolution to get fit? Why not get a gym buddy or a running partner?

2. Create resolutions that matter

In 2011 author Judith O’Reilly realised that by the time she got to February each year, her resolutions were forgotten. So she decided to start the new year with a resolution that really mattered. She would do one good deed every day, for a whole year. Although it wasn't always easy, she learnt that "there are hundreds of opportunities to do nice things.” Her good deeds had an unexpected benefit: “Scientists talk about the 'helper’s high' and suddenly I got it - doing good made me feel good,” she explained.  

3. Make it easy

While we might start the new year with grand aspirations, as the year goes on it can be very easy to make excuses and not do what we have set out to do. This is why it helps to make it as easy as possible to reach your goals. For instance, if your resolution is to help those in need, or give more to charity, you could set up a direct-debit. This means that after the initial set-up, there is no extra effort involved and your resolution will be achieved. One example would be to start a child sponsorship in January, and support a vulnerable child in the months to come.    

4. Turn your resolution into mini-goals

Create a plan for how to achieve your resolution, and break it into easy-to-achieve steps. You can make specific and realistic mini-goals, with their own deadlines. Each week or month track your progress, and reward yourself when you've achieved them.  

5. Link your resolutions to a cause

To stay motivated, link your resolutions to a cause that you care about. If your resolution is to stop smoking or give up another vice, you could donate the money you save to charity, knowing the good that it will do. If your resolution is to be more active, you could do a sports challenge for charity. If it's to be more involved in your community, you could organise a fundraising event. We have plenty of fundraising ideas on our Get Involved pages.

6. Remind yourself why it's important to you

Usually, we create a New Year's resolution because we have realised that we need to make changes in our life. Keep focused on these reasons, which speak to what we care about, what's important to us, and why. By reminding ourselves of this, we can face each day with the same determination we started the year with.

New Year's resolutions from children in South Africa

Pumeza, a 13-year old girl living in SOS Children's Village Mthatha in South Africa, explains what her ambitious New Year's resolutions are:

“This year I am planning on being a totally different person. I'll start by being dedicated to my school work. Playing all kinds of sports and attending groups. I'm also thinking of opening a girl's group where we will chat about serious matters as girls. 

I'm going to be a very serious person this year and not think of what other people say but live for myself. I'm going to be very well behaved and will not lose my self-control. For a change, I am going to trust myself. I'm also going to face all the challenges I meet on my way to success.”

Pilasande is 12 years old and also from Mthatha in South Africa. He says: 

“My resolution is to sing because I want to do something for those who have done good things for me, for example my grandmother and SOS mother. The reason I want to sing is to pass a message about HIV. I also want to be a president and stop the killing in South Africa and stop HIV!”

Pumeza and Pilasande live in an SOS Children's Village, and are supported by child sponsors. If you're searching for a meaningful and easy-to-keep resolution, have you considered sponsoring a child? You can set up the sponsorship online today, and give a child who has been orphaned and abandoned a new family home and the support they need to thrive. Updates throughout the year let you see the impact your resolution is making. Find out why child sponsorship is a New Year's resolution you'll keep. 

We wish Pumeza and Pilasande in South Africa, and you, the best of luck in keeping this year's resolutions - however ambitious, or modest, they may be.

Source:- http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/news/blog/how-to-keep-your-new-years-resolutions

21 Reasons Why Walking Works

There’s very few people I know who don’t think about exercise and know that it’s something they really should be doing more of. Is it any surprise that IMHO walking is the best exercise that you can do? Although I’m a fan of walking in nature, it doesn’t have to be that way. To prove how good walking is for us, here’s 21 reasons why walking works:

1. HELPS YOUR HEART

Walking briskly can lower your risk of high blood pressure and high cholesterol and diabetes, according to a new study out of Berkeley, California. All three conditions are risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

2. DEALS WITH DIABETES

Extensive research links brisk walking to a significant risk reduction for developing type-2 diabetes. A recent British study found that people with a family history of the disease who walked briskly improved insulin sensitivity.

3. TAKES STROKES IN IT’S STRIDE

Walking significantly reduces the risk of stroke and aids stroke recovery.  Long-term research shows that both men and women with increased fitness levels who did regular brisk walking had up to 40 per cent lower risk of suffering a stroke than those with the lowest fitness level.

4. HELPS BEAT BREAST CANCER

Women who regularly walk after being diagnosed with breast cancer have a 45 per cent greater chance of survival than those who are inactive, according to Yale University research.

Give anxiety the finger… well, thumb!

5. GIVES ANXIETY THE BIG A

Twenty minutes of moderate-intensity walking a day can help manage stress and anxiety by releasing feel-good endorphins into the bloodstream, according to research.

6. IT’S AN ENERGISER

A brisk walk is one of the best natural energisers around as it boosts circulation and increases oxygen supply, helping you feel more alert. It wakes up stiff joints and eases muscle tension so you feel less sluggish, research shows.

7. IS GREAT FOR THE MIND

With one in four Aussie kids suffering emotional health disorders, walking has a proven positive effect on children suffering anxiety low self-esteem.  And for adults, studies have shown regular brisk walking to be as effective as anti-depressants in cases of mild to moderate depression.

8. KICKS COLON CANCER

There is convincing evidence that physical activity protects against colon cancer. For cancer prevention, the evidence suggests 60 minutes of brisk walking every day to be most beneficial.

Brush off your health cobwebs with a good walk

9. DELAYS DEMENTIA 

Studies on men and women aged 60 to 80 found that taking a short walk three times a week increased the size of brain regions linked to planning and memory and is the best way to delay dementia, new research shows.

10. KEEPS YOU LOOKING GOOD

Walking is the perfect exercise, says the Harvard Medical School, and helps you look good, too. Walking can help strengthen and shape calves, quads, hamstrings and lift glutes, especially if you add hills. Paying attention to posture while walking can also tone abs and whittle the waist.

11. IS CHEAP AND EASY

Walking is rated by health care professionals as the most accessible form of physical activity because it’s safe, the least expensive form of exercise and has the lowest dropout rate of any type of exercise.

12. HELPS YOU LIVE LONGER

For every hour of brisk walking, life expectancy can increase by up to two hours. And it gets easier – walking for as few as 30 minutes a day improves your heart by raising the heart rate and increasing exercise tolerance.

13. IS AN IDEAL KICK STARTER

New international survey findings reveal one in three Australians is obese, making the country one of the world’s fattest nations. Walking is a proven kick start to weight loss.

14. BURNS FAT

Walking is the easiest and cheapest way to lose weight and is the most recommended exercise for people with obesity or overweight. Brisk walking for 30 minutes will burn 150-200 calories. And you can even divide the time into three 10 minutes periods.

Big deep breaths and lots of fresh air at Wollangambe Crater, Wollemi NP, Australia

15. IS A BUDGET BOOSTER

If more people were physically active for 30 minutes a day, the Australian health care system could save $1.5 billion per year, statistics show.

16. IS A LIFE SAVER

In 2007/2008, an estimated 16,178 Australians dying prematurely due to physical inactivity.

17. SAVES MONEY

Walking makes economic sense. Premiers Council for Active Living has estimated that switching 5 per cent of Sydney metro daily car trips under 1km to walking would save $134m over five years.

18. IT’S NEIGHBOURLY

Walking builds better communities.  People that walk regularly interact with their neighbours more and develop greater social capital. Research into the impact of social relationships on mortality found that people had a 50 per cent better survival rate if they had stronger social relationships. The influence of strong social relationships on the risk of death exceeds the influence of smoking and alcohol consumption.

Explore better health by walking

19. UNCLOGS CITIES

In dense urban areas, one of the best ways to tackle congestion is to increase levels of walking. The most space efficient way of moving people around is by walking. You can comfortably fit 30 pedestrians in the space taken by one car travelling at around 50kph.

20. IT SMELLS GOOD

Reduced vehicle emissions – an average car carrying 1.2 passengers emits 302 grams of CO2 equivalent per passenger kilometre. Average CO2 equivalent emissions per pedestrian are negligible.

21. BEST FOR GETTING ABOUT

If you really want to feel and experience a city or a region, it’s only by taking it on foot do we slow down enough to see the amazing things that are all around us. All those hidden back alleys, incredible views and interesting bits of history that come alive when we take the time and pace to discover them.

Data courtesy of The Heart Foundation.

Source:- http://lotsafreshair.com/2015/06/26/21-reasons-why-walking-works/