Healthy resolutions for the year ahead

As the calendar turns to a new year, the focus of men and women often shifts as well. After the hectic holiday season has come and gone, many people re-dedicate themselves to their personal health and well-being. That renewed dedication might be thanks to all those big holiday meals or it might just be a result of the new calendar year being symbolic of a fresh start.
Regardless of the reasons behind this renewed vigor, the opportunities to make the next 12 months a healthier 12 months abound. While losing weight might the most popular resolution, there are a host of other health-related resolutions individuals can make to improve their lives over the next 365 days.
-Resolve to reduce stress. Stress is a major part of most adults' lives, and that's especially so after the hectic holiday season when men and women are pulled in so many different directions. Work is a common cause of stress, but family and personal finances, especially nowadays, are big sources of stress as well. This year, resolve to reduce stress in all aspects of life. At the office, analyze ways in which you can manage time more effectively, including how to best prioritize work projects so you don't always feel as if you're up against a wall. Outside the office, recognize the importance of maintaining a personal life and its relation to reducing stress. Spending time with friends and family can relax you and provide a welcome respite from the stress of the office.
-Resolve to eat better. Losing weight and adopting a healthier diet are not necessarily the same thing. While a healthier diet might help you lose weight, the goal of adopting a healthier diet is to improve overall health. A healthy diet can strengthen the body's immune system, making it easier to fight cold, flu and other ailments. A healthy diet can also help in the battle against any preexisting conditions. For example, replacing salt with healthier and flavorful herbs can help reduce high blood pressure, and many people cannot even taste the difference once they start eating.
-Resolve to exercise more. Much like changing a diet, exercising more is often seen as a means to weight loss. While that's a positive side effect of daily exercise, the goal should not be to lose weight. Instead, the goal of daily exercise is to get healthier. Exercise helps lower the risk of heart disease and hypertension by 40 percent while lowering the risk of depression by 30 percent. In addition, men and women with a family history of diabetes should know that regular exercise lowers their risk of type 2 diabetes by nearly 60 percent. So while exercise is a great means to losing weight, it's even better at helping reduce the risk for serious disease.
When incorporating exercise into a daily routine, start slowly and gradually work your way up to more vigorous exercise regimens. Going full speed from the outset is a great way to increase risk of injury, which could actually restrict your ability to exercise for some time.
-Resolve to quit smoking. To nonsmokers, keep up the good work. For smokers, perhaps some statistics are enough to get you on the path toward quitting smoking:
•More than 150,000 Americans were projected to succumb to lung cancer in 2012, according to the National Cancer Institute.
•The Canadian Cancer Society estimated that 20,000 Canadians would lose their lives to lung cancer in 2012.
•More than 6 percent of all deaths in the United Kingdom in 2012 were related to lung cancer, according to Cancer Research UK.
If those statistics aren't enough to get men and women serious about quitting smoking, consider the negative effect secondhand smoke has on your loved ones. The American Cancer Society notes that roughly 3,000 nonsmoking adults experience lung cancer caused by secondhand smoke in the U.S. each year. When making a resolution this year, smokers' top priority should be to quit smoking.
When making resolutions at the start of a new year, men and women often focus on healthy resolutions. But healthy resolutions go beyond losing a few extra pounds, and many involve dedication throughout the year to improve overall health this year and for years to come.

Last-minute shopping for the holidays

It's December 22 and you've just barely made it through half of your holiday shopping list. The panic may have set in that you just don't have enough time to get everything done.
This is a common scenario around the holidays. Shoppers have the best intentions to get their gifts early, but whether because of work obligations or social events, the task seems to get pushed further and further into December. Soon many are staring down the calendar experiencing sweaty palms. Many others may be putting off holiday shopping simply because of the current state of the economy and affordability.
For the scores of shoppers who consciously or subconsciously wait until the last possible minute to shop, there are ways to survive and surprise friends and family with great gifts.
·Gift cards: They may not have sentimental meaning behind them, but gift cards are fast and easy. Chances are you can run into a store and be out with a handful of gift cards in less than 15 minutes, depending on lines at the checkout counter. Also, many supermarkets, bookstores and other retailers offer gift card kiosks enabling you to shop for different gift cards all in one place.
·Food and beverages: While everyone is heading to the mall in droves, you can be stepping inside of a gourmet food or spirits store. Splurge on fine cheeses or that trendy bottle of liquor that a gift recipient has mentioned but not yet purchased for him- or herself.
·Magazine subscription: A magazine subscription is an easy fix as a last-minute gift. Purchase one copy of the magazine at the newsstand and wrap it up nicely. Put a note that a year's worth of this periodical is on the way. No one will suspect that the gift was a last-minute thought.
·E-certificates: Retailers like music or book sellers will e-mail a gift certificate code to the person of your choice on a selected date. For those who are never without an e-reader or mp3 player, digital gifts could fit the bill.
·Gas card: It may sound funny and tacky, but a gas card from a brand-name station is a universally acceptable gift for anyone who drives regularly. With fluctuating gas prices, filling up the tank can be an expensive venture. Having a pre-paid gift card can help.
Online retailers are also there to help last-minute shoppers. Many online retailers guarantee in-time-for-Christmas shipping even on gifts ordered as late as December 23. However, overnight shipping charges will cost more. But it's all worth it to get the item in time.
Waiting until the last minute for shopping can induce some anxiety. But knowing about easy gifts for procrastinators can take the stress out of this type of shopping.

Time management tips for busy college kids

Today's college students are busier than ever before. Tuition hikes and higher cost of living has forced many college students to work part-time jobs in addition to their full-time jobs as students.

In addition to the need to work, college students are also embracing extracurricular activities in an attempt to make themselves stand out in an increasingly competitive post-college job market.

While that ability to multi-task might one day prove attractive to prospective employers, it's an ability many students must learn. Time is often a commodity for college students, and managing time effectively can make the difference between a successful student and one who is overwhelmed by stress.

*Learn to prioritize. For some college students, the weekend is the ultimate priority. Though this might be a recipe for fun, it's not a recipe for success. Prioritizing both academic and social commitments is a very important step for students looking to manage time more effectively.

First and foremost, school should be a student's top priority. After studies, it's up to a student to choose what's the next most important priority. This is often very difficult, as colleges typically offer a bevy of activities to students. Socializing is an important aspect of college life, but students must be careful not to place socializing too far up the totem pole of their priorities. When prioritizing, it's best to keep in mind education comes first. Keep school and school-related activities high on the list of priorities.

*Don't over-extend. Many students love college for the very reason that there is so much to do. In an effort to ensure all students make the most of their college experiences, colleges and universities provide many different avenues by which students can express themselves and become a part of the college community's fabric. However, with all those activities, it's easy for college kids to go overboard and over-commit themselves. Attempting to do too much can lead to feelings of stress and burnout, often resulting in poorer academic performance. When managing time, college students should schedule some daily time to relax and take a breather.

*Keep a planner. Daily planners might seem very adult, but they're also very practical. Students with academic, extracurricular and social commitments should write things down in a daily planner to help keep their heads from spinning. Larger things like midterm exams or research papers don't need to be included in a daily planner. But smaller details that tend to get lost in the shuffle should be written down to help students stay on track and make the most of all of their commitments.

*Stay as flexible as possible. While today's busy college students might scoff at the suggestion they stay flexible, flexibility is an important element of time management. Few plans ever go off without a hitch, no matter how well planned they are. Something unexpected tends to pop up around every corner. By remaining flexible with their time, students are putting themselves in positions to better handle these unexpected surprises, be it a sickness, a computer crash, car troubles, etc.