Five Realistic Resolutions

As New Year's looms, ready to take us in its grasp once more, we are examining our lives for changes to make 2017 a better year than 2016.�The art of making a New Year's resolution lies in picking something that will challenge you to grow without setting you up to fail.

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1. Stay Gray. It doesn't have to be all or nothing.�Tell yourself, "Tomorrow I will eat less sugar" or "tonight I'll get an extra hour of sleep."�With one healthy change a day, you'll find yourself addicted to your body's healthier feelings in a couple of weeks, all while enjoying the game you've set for yourself: What will it be today -- and, well, will I ace it?�Live in the gray, where the stress is lower.
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2. Get Clean. Go through your kitchen and toss foods that threaten your good health. Ditch the junk foods. Lose those things you bought on a whim but clearly don't want to eat.�Replace them with healthy options, and keep them at the front of your fridge or pantry.�Make better choices easy to see, want and get to.
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3. Pay it backward. We're supposed to do unto others, lend a helping hand and pay it forward.�But when was the last time you did something for yourself? Resolve to treat yourself to a monthly massage or manicure.�Spend money on going to the spa or buying better sneakers.�Investigate acupuncture or craniosacral therapy.�Find new ways to make your body and life better.�
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4. Reach Out and Touch. You don't have to take a yoga class to start stretching. Stretch when you wake up, and get up from your desk about every hour. Just don't be sedentary. Google easy stretches: toe touches, backbends, runner stretches, and cobra poses. As you get older, you'll want that flexibility -- you might as well start working on it now.

5. Phone a Friend. Social media can't take the place of real-time experiences with your friends. Make a date to hang with your bestie, and combine working out with hanging out. Spending positive time around others will reduce your stress level. And by planning your meetings around good health and exercise, you'll have a support system that pays for itself in love and healthy results.

Bonus Resolution: Be Happy. The choice is yours. You get to decide how you're going to react to things and how you're going to feel today. Don't you want to be happy? Yeah, that's right. You know you do.