Tag: new years

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Ten New Year’s Resolutions for 2009

Do we really have to make New Year’s Resolutions?

Many people make resolutions concerning their health. Studies have shown that people understand their health risks but do not necessarily change their lifestyle. Then why make resolutions and then suffer from sense of guilt?

Surveys have shown that 57 per cent of people are not motivated to stay healthy. Thirty four per cent of people have no time and 30 per cent have financial barriers to pursue a healthy life style.

In any case, if you are planning to make resolutions for 2009, then here is a list of top 10 New Year’s resolutions as per Albrecht Powell (about.com). See if you would like to incorporate some of them or all of them for your resolutions for 2009.

1. Spend More Time with Family & Friends
Polls conducted by General Nutrition Centers, Quicken, and others shows that more than 50 per cent of people vow to appreciate loved ones and spend more time with family and friends.

2. Fit in Fitness
Regular exercise has been associated with more health benefits than anything else known to man. Exercise keeps you healthy and makes you look and feel better and younger.

3. Tame the Bulge
Over 66 percent of adults are considered overweight or obese by recent studies, so it is not surprising to find that weight loss is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions. Setting reasonable goals and staying focused are the two most important factors for success.

4. Quit Smoking
On average, smokers try about four times before they quit for good. Talk to your doctor and get help.

5. Enjoy Life More
It’s an important step to a happier and healthier you.

6. Quit Drinking
It is not easy to quit drinking. You need help. Talk to your doctor.

7. Get Out of Debt
With the economy the way it is, getting out of debt should be a priority.

8. Learn Something New
It is never too late to learn something new.

9. Help Others
There are many nonprofit volunteer organizations that could really use your help

10. Get Organized

Good luck and happy New Year.

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Dare to dream. Happy New Year.

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.”
– Abraham Lincoln

How do you feel now that 2008 is here? Relieved that 2007 is over and 2008 will bring in new hope for better things to come in your life? Why not? We all hope that things will get better. No doubt there is a minority of people who are happy with the status quo. If you are one of them then there is nothing wrong with it as long as you are happy and people around you are happy.

Are you planning to make any changes in your life in the New Year? If yes, then here are some suggestions to consider for a successful outcome.

Making changes in your personal life can be a tough process. No change is possible unless you have a desire to change. And change does not come without perseverance and hard work.

You should be able to visualize the change bringing in significant benefit to you compared to paying the price of where you are. Is this change going to make you a better person? A healthier person? A person you wish to be? If yes, then establish your new goal. Is this goal reasonable and achievable? If yes, then do some research and home work to find out what you need to do to achieve your goal. Can you do it on your own or do you need somebody to guide you and help you?

Take a pen and a paper and write down your thoughts. Talk to your family, friends and colleagues. Somebody must have some experience in what you are trying to achieve. You will get some good practical tips for success. In the end you will have to achieve your goal yourself. You are a unique individual. You have your own power to achieve your goal.

Will you succeed?

To succeed, one has to be motivated. If there are setbacks then you have to continue to strive and learn. We know that failures occur due to lack of effort rather than lack of ability. Studies have shown that most persistent students do not ruminate about their own failure but treat setbacks as problems to be solved. Studies have shown that success is directly related to the effort you put in. If you have a fixed-mindset then you will have difficulty facing and solving a problem. If you have a growth mind-set then you will see a problem as a challenge to be taken care of.

Do you know which mind-set you belong to? If you have a fixed mind-set then you will have to change your attitude if you want to succeed. If you have a growth mind-set then you should see success if you continue to strive.

Dare to dream. The New Year is here. I wish you all a happy New Year and may all your dreams come true.

Start reading the preview of my book A Doctor's Journey for free on Amazon. Available on Kindle for $2.99!

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ELMOSS for 2007 – Back to the Basics

“Never underestimate your power to change yourself……”

– H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Changing oneself is one of the scariest and most difficult things to do. It requires motivation, planning, dedication and discipline. But it can be done. What we need is to have a desire to change. The desire should come from within us. We should control our own destiny – hopefully for the better.

It has been six years since I first used the mnemonic ELMOSS. It was my column for the millennium edition of the Medicine Hat News where I said sticking to the basic principles of good health will sustain us for the next millennium. New technology will come and go but the basic principles will always remain the same. In fact the new technology should make it easy for us to stick to our basic principles of good health, that is ELMOSS.

ELMOSS stands for exercise, laughter, meditation, organic/healthy food, smoke-free and stress relief life. Briefly let us examine each segment and see how it can help us stay healthy.

Exercise: Regular moderate exercise or physical activity has tremendous benefits. It is an important strategy in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and other chronic ailments including stress relief.

Walking improves cardio-vascular fitness, lowers cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Burns calories, improves muscle tone, relieves tension, improves digestion, and makes one feel good about one self. It also helps prevent osteoporosis.

Experts suggest we should do one hour of physical activity every day – it does not have to be all at one time.

Laughter: Here are some quotes which speak for themselves.

“Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God,” says Karl Bath (1886-1968).

“Only three things in life are real: God, human stupidity, and laughter. But the first two pass our comprehension; we must do what we can with the third,” says Aubrey Menen in The Ramayana.

“I made the joyous discovery that ten minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain free sleep,” Norman Cousins.

Laughter brings happiness and happiness brings good health.

Meditation: “All man’s miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone,” says Blaise Pascal (French philosopher, scientist, mathematician, and writer).

Meditation reduces stress, brings harmony in one’s mind, and increases focus. Reduces blood pressure and may boost your immune system to fight infection and cancer.

Organic healthy food: If you can find organic food then it is good. But it is not always easy to do that. What is important is to eat a low fat, high fiber diet with five to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables. There are definite benefits in terms of preventing heart disease and cancer.

Stress relief: Life without stress is not possible. So learn to manage stress. Be an optimist but have plan B ready. Never feel as if you are trapped in a situation. Learn to manage your time and people around you. Many people can help you – you just have to ask.

Smoking: Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in Canada. It is responsible for one in five deaths. Half of regular smokers die prematurely of tobacco-related disease.

Nicotine causes tolerance and physical dependence. It literally takes over control of your life. If you do not smoke then do not start. If you smoke then immediately find help to quit smoking. Your life is in danger.

For 2007, remember – if you take care of ELMOSS then ELMOSS will take care of you. Have a great year.

Start reading the preview of my book A Doctor's Journey for free on Amazon. Available on Kindle for $2.99!

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Looking Back at 2006

So, how do you feel today?

Do you feel healthier today than you were a year ago?

It’s Boxing Day and you are taking it easy. You had your Christmas dinner. You had your Christmas presents. Even if you do not formally celebrate Christmas you cannot escape the spirit of it. Especially the turkey dinner, the yummy chocolates (my favourite), the variety of nuts (my second favourite) and Christmas songs and carols. I don’t care too much about alcohol but I like the holiday part.

I have to be careful with chocolates and nuts. They are supposed to be good for your health but they are loaded with calories. With my heart condition I have to indulge in these “vices” carefully. Of course, I convince myself that by exercising more I will burn off some of the calories from my system. But it is not always that easy. I have to exercise a lot to burn off few calories. Here are some examples:

I can burn 12 calories a minute by swimming. I can burn 10 to 11 calories per minute by jogging 9.6 km. (six miles) an hour or go cross-country skiing, play squash, play handball or basketball. I can burn eight calories a minute by playing tennis or shoveling snow, downhill skiing or water-skiing.

I can burn seven calories a minute indulging in sexual activity, shoveling dirt, skating or bicycling 16 km. (10 miles) an hour. I can burn six calories a minute raking leaves, five calories a minute by doing housework, four calories a minute by walking 3.2 km. (two miles) an hour. If I am too lazy then I can burn two calories a minute just standing or sitting at one place.

Wonderful thing about exercise and burning calories is we have so many options to choose from. Just like yummy food which we never seem to be able resist. There is so much of good food. Packed in so many attractive packages. Tastes so good. Resisting good food is like inflicting cruelty to our ever expanding girth. But resist we must. That would be kindness to our fragile body. And that fragile body needs exercise to stay beautiful.

Eating never gets boring. We need food to give us energy and hopefully good health. Similarly, exercise should never get boring. We need exercise to give us stamina and keep our body nice and trim. We have so many options that we can change the type of exercise we do and have fun and burn some calories. I can combine aerobic exercise with resistance training and stretching. A perfect combination. Don’t you think it sounds pretty good?

So, have I been a good boy this year? Am I happy to look back and say I am lucky to be here writing this column at the end of the year? It is definitely yes. I started the year badly with ill health. Thanks to my luck, my doctors and modern technology, I have been well since then. At the time of writing this column (one can never take life for granted) I can say I have had a wonderful year. I am thankful for that.

What about you? Have you had time to reflect about your health, about your family and about your work and say that you are happier today than you were 12 months ago? If not then do so. Sit down in a quiet room and spend few minutes to reflect and meditate. It will help you plan your next year better. So do it today. The more you postpone it the less chance of you finding time to do it.

In the meantime enjoy the rest of the holiday season and have a happy, safe and wonderful new year. Enjoy those left over turkey sandwiches and see you next year.

Start reading the preview of my book A Doctor's Journey for free on Amazon. Available on Kindle for $2.99!