We're about to go into the third month of the year. Christmas. New Year, school / varsity and work holidays have come and gone . Overseas and local visitors have also left. Everyone is back at school and work. 2004 is moving full steam ahead. We are now into our new routines. Even if the routine is chaos at least we have had time to settle into the chaos! It's time to put all excuses aside.

New Years Resolutions can be so demoralizing. We set goals for ourselves on the 31st December and by the 2nd of January they've flown out of the window. The main reason why I waited until the end of February to send out the first newsletter of 2004 was so that no-one could have any more excuses as to why they haven't started settling into a healthier lifestyle.

Having struggled myself for so many years to lose weight, I really do understand the process and how difficult it is to begin. Life is not about perfection - So don't set yourself up to fail by trying to be perfect. Your main goal should be to MAKE HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE CHOICES MORE OFTEN. Here are some practical steps to help get you started.

DO

• Set yourself small achievable goals
• Make healthier lifestyle choices more often
• Exercise - walk the dog, do something you enjoy
• Focus on a healthy lifestyle not just on diet / food
• Practice saying NO (The more you practice the easier it gets)
• Learn a new technique to alleviate stress

DON'T

• Aim for perfection
• Skip meals
• Weigh more than once a week
• Eat fast and allow interruptions during a meal
• Read and eat
• Make excuses

If these lists look daunting then pick just one point from the Do list and focus on that for a month. Write the point down and put it in a prominent place where you will see it every day. Focus on that point daily and practice until it's a habit! Then start on the next point.