Happy Healthy 2010! Live It, Love It, Begin Again by Marilynn Preston on Creators.com

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Happy Healthy 2010! Live It, Love It, Begin Again

I met a guy at a holiday party last week who had recently lost a lot of weight. A lot. I was meeting him for the first time, so I had no idea, but those in the room who knew him were amazed, impressed, jealous. How did he do it? Weight Watchers? Stomach stapling? Cabbage soup?

I cornered him, curious about his story. How did he do it? He quit smoking. That's what he said, and this guy is a scholar, an academic with a hugely functioning brain. When he quit smoking, his whole metabolism turned around.

But wait! Isn't quitting smoking supposed to make you gain weight? Yes, that's true, too. Some people who quit smoking will gain weight, and others will lose weight, and if you can't wait to get to the punch line, here it is:

Every body is different.

As the year comes to an end, I hope you will see yourself as the unique bundle of unexpressed energy that you are. Make a resolution, then envision and expect success. You won't know until you give it your all. And giving it your all — when it comes to making lasting healthy lifestyle changes — makes all things possible.

What else is helpful when it comes to creating lasting change in 2010? Now you're talking. There's a whole science behind behavior change, and this is a good time of year to begin a review of some basics:

YOU'VE GOTTA BELIEVE. I'm a big believer in new beginnings. If you're not, you might as well stop reading right now. Nothing I say will sway you if, deep down, you see yourself carved in stone, basically unchangeable, a fixed cog in the complicated wheel of life.

If, instead, you believe in your ability to evolve, then the end of the year is the perfect time to stop and ask yourself: What would a healthier lifestyle look like? Would you walk for 30 minutes a day? Ride your bike to work? Sign up for a yoga class? Would you drink less alcohol? Spend more time with family and friends? Turn off your cell phone for hours at a time?

Before you can do any of this, you've got to recognize how fluid your brain really is. It's called neoplasticity. Your birth chart may be fixed, but your reality is something you make up every day.

Believing in your own personal growth creates the space to let it happen. Don't ask how. Do you know how your TV works?

WANT IT BADLY. Make sure your 2010 New Year's Resolution is something you really, really want for yourself and not something you are doing to please your spouse, partner, parent, child or even your doctor. Be honest with yourself, or you are wasting your time.

CHANGE ISN'T LINEAR. Please take this on board. It's often two steps forward, one step back. No problem. Behavior experts talk about a spiral of change, moving toward your goal in fits and starts even if it means starting over three or four times. The key is resiliency, the driving force behind never giving up.

LESS IS MORE. Change comes more easily if you set realistic achievable goals. Something grandiose like "I'll lose 20 pounds by Valentine's Day" sets you up to fail. A pound or two a week is plenty. Rapid weight loss — from fasting, goofy diets, big bets with pals — isn't sustainable because it doesn't create good habits, which is what your body needs, long term, to sustain your health and energy. Breakfast, for instance. Fresh real food, for instance. Nuts.

REWARD YOURSELF. Once you set a realistic goal for yourself — consider it your homework assignment for next week — write it down. Keep a daily journal of the whole process. Don't skip this part. Journal-keeping is known to be a powerful ally in your quest for lasting change. And when you get where you want to go — a 10k by summer, a handstand in yoga, an easy fit into your high school jeans — reward yourself with something big. Rewards work.

Next week: More about change ... and what the yogis say.

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! LOL

"New Year's Resolution: To tolerate fools more gladly, provided this does not encourage them to take up more of my time." — James Agate

Marilynn Preston — fitness expert, personal trainer and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She has a website, http://marilynnpreston.com and welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com. To find out more about Preston and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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