Here's to a New Year!

Again, the New York Times is providing some helpful insights on this pursuit of an improved lifestyle with its timely "New Year, New You? Nice Try." It's hard not to hang my head in reading its description of the multitudes of people who give up on their New Year's resolutions by February 14 -- my breaking point is always 2 days before, my birthday, when I allow myself to celebrate and then never really find my way back "on the wagon" afterwards.

But the article has some great advice, which reminds of the old saying that "the definition of crazy is repeating the same thing over and over again expecting a different result." What works if people want to make a change? Stop trying to do it the same old way, stop using the habits that didn't work for you before.

I like the sound of that, cuz that fits well with the philosophy we're trying to promote on this blog -- that it's not about short-term tricks but rather about making manageable but real changes in order to improve our health.

So, along those lines, I'm NOT going to do what I do every year at this time -- I'm NOT going to make any specific resolutions which will hang over my head. I'm NOT going to post any short-term goals that will just be too easy to cast aside. (Don't get me wrong, I've got them in my head of course, but I'm trying to break that annual cycle o' mine.) Instead, I'm turning the page in the calendar and rededicating myself to the cause of this here blog.

Happy New Year!

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One more for good measure: Here's another NYT article about how more people are cooking than dining out these days, as a response to the economy. Cooking class registrantions are on the rise nationwide -- soon a DC school will have one more registrant: Me!