Most people never make it past the first week. Why? Mostly because they quit when they realize how much work goes into getting back into the shape they once had. The fact of the matter is that it really is not as difficult as they think. They are just focusing on one aspect of overall wellness and burning themselves out on it.

In order to lose weight and keep it off for good, a person must develop the mindset necessary for living a healthy lifestyle. There is much more to being healthy than showing up to the gym every day. In fact, exercise is only one-eighth of the total equation. If you really want to achieve personal wellness in 2009, forget the gym and focus instead on improving the following 8 categories of health.

Health Tips #1: Diet & Nutrition

You already know the main reason you gained weight. Too many trips through the McDonalds drive-thru, late night snacking on junk food and poor dinner choices. You do not have to eat a diet of bland salads and yogurt, but you do need to limit the amount of trigger foods that you caused your weight gain. Replace your current American diet of high sugar, high-fat processed foods with those found in the produce and lean meat department as often as you can.

Health Tips #2: Nutritional Supplements

Now that our soils are more depleted of minerals than ever, and our farm animals are not fed properly, living a healthy lifestyle requires nutritional supplementation. I lost 70 pounds in 4 months and kept it off for over 15 years simply by drinking a soy-based protein shake for breakfast every morning and taking a few targeted vitamins. Why does this work? Because greasy bacon and runny eggs do not provide proper nutrition.

Health Tips #3: Fun & Recreation

What makes you happy? Going to the movies? Ice Skating? Playing the guitar? Whatever it is, you must find time for it on a weekly basis (if not daily) in order to maintain good mental stability. Your activities and hobbies should not include junk food or alcohol. Going to the movies is watching the movie, not eating a tub of fatty buttered popcorn. Be happy with what you are doing without the unnecessary evils.

Health Tips #4: Hydration

Drinking enough water throughout the day is the part of the equation that gets overlooked. People do not consider drinking as important as eating and it is! You should not be drinking soda or processed juices every day. Why? Because they deplete your body of vitamins and minerals while loading you up on sugar. Alcohol is even worse. Do yourself a favor and keep a water bottle with you at all times. Drink, drink, drink. I cannot stress this enough.

Health Tips #5: Stress

And speaking of stress, this is what happens when you do not allow yourself to have any fun in your life. This is just as important to living a healthy lifestyle as eating and drinking properly. Too much stress can cause major problems for your body. You only live once, so do not allow other people and events to get you so bothered and worried that you cannot live the lifestyle you deserve for yourself.

Health Tips #6: Unhealthy Habits

Not eating the wrong foods is just as important as eating the right foods. But unhealthy habits are not just about food, are they? Smoking and the use of other drugs, prescription or not, is probably the worst thing a person can do to their body. This is the only one you have! Take care of it. Alcohol is OK on occasion but not recommended on a daily basis to anyone interested in living a healthy lifestyle.

Health Tips #7: Weight Management

Have you ever noticed that weight loss really is not the issue that people struggle with? Most everyone has lost weight at one point in their life. Keeping that weight off is the obstacle that most people can not overcome. Think about it logically. If you gained weight by eating twinkies, then lost weight when you stopped eating twinkies, do not go back to eating twinkies. The person who eats twinkies on occasion (not every day) does not struggle with weight fluctuation.

Health Tips #8: Exercise

You knew this one was coming! It is totally possible to lose weight without exercising. I am living proof because my severe asthma prohibited me from doing it. The reason I can exercise now is because I got my body healthy through focusing on the other 7 categories. Once I began exercising, it only accelerated my weight loss and now helps to keep me lean. The key to exercise is not quantity but quality. A little bit every day will give you the best health benefits overall.

So there you have it! The 8 health tips to kick off the new year for a new you. Focus on improving each of these simultaneously as your one and only New Years Resolution and you will be on a successful path to overall wellness. Weight loss and poor health can be things of the past if you are just willing to make small changes on a daily basis.

The best tip in skin care is to use products which are certified organic, such as those from companies like Lavera, Saffron Rouge and Vegan. Every cosmetic you can think of can be found in an organic product. From blush to lipstick, organic products are available!  

The products available in organic forms include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Concealer
• Foundation
• Eyeliner
• Blush
• Lipstick
• Lotion/creams
• Soap/body wash/ shampoo

These items often contain no preservatives, colorants, dyes or perfumes. It may be surprising to know the fifth largest allergen in the world is fragrance. Products with fragrance can cause headaches, rashes and more. Instead of using products with harmful ingredients, look for organic makeup containing pure organic plant oils, herbs, flower extracts and essential oils.

Do not be fooled by products simply stating they are “mineral makeup” and therefore assume they’re safe for your body. Many mineral makeup products contain a powder form of titanium dioxide which when inhaled can cause effects such as those experienced by asbestos exposure and even lung cancer. Titanium dioxide is safe when used in creams, preventing inhalation.

Other ingredients to watch for include propylene glycol and diproylene glycol, which are odorless and colorless. These ingredients are simple fragrance carriers and are safe and often found in skin care products. You are also likely to see dimethicone which is a silicone based polymer found in bodily care products. It is an anti foaming agent, skin protectant and conditioning agent. It is non-toxic, non flammable and inert or having little to no ability to react. Silicone is another popular ingredient in cosmetics and is ubiquitous in the earth, making it safe for bodily use.

When you are looking for natural cosmetics or other skin care products, it’s important to pay attention to ingredients. As we become more aware of the products we use and how they affect our world, we must take action to choose the healthiest products. You can begin making your life more eco friendly today!

Debunked myth number one: Men alone place a premium on appearance, while women prioritize mates by the size of their wallets.

Reality check: It turns out that regardless of what people may claim they want, in the real world of face-to-face dating, physical attractiveness is the number one draw for both sexes, ahead of either money-making potential or ambition.

“When you ask them to describe their ideal preferences, women consistently say they care more about earning prospects, and men consistently say they care more about physical attractiveness,” said study co-author Paul W. Eastwick, a doctoral candidate in the department of psychology at Northwestern University. “But when you see what men and women are truly attracted to, you don’t find these sex differences emerging.”

Click the link to discover more debunked beauty myths. These studies show the importance of maintaining your attractiveness, which is easier than you think. This blog is dedicated to methods, programs and products that will help you be healthy-fit-and-beautiful. 

Our first beauty suggestion is to eliminate acne. Check out Ansr, an amazing and effective new home light treatment that kills acne causing bacteria using modern light waves.