Patch Pledge: A Heart-Healthy February

Rising on the shaky feet of January, the New Year — 2012 — offered the usual blank slate of possibility that comes with the passing of the old and the advent of the new. Resolutions swirled in the air like snowflakes, falling from the sky prolifically, but dissolving quickly in the face of actual effort. As the first days of the month ticked by, old habits reared their stubborn heads, displacing hope and encouraging defeat.

Well, don’t despair quite yet. Berkeley Patch wants to persuade its readers to continue along the path of healthy change. Each month we will promote a particular theme around which readers may formulate a personal pledge. Breaking the difficulty of commitment into bite-sized chunks, our challenges are designed to last just a month, setting change into motion without requiring the ofttimes daunting words “never” or “forever”.

With the arrival of February, and Valentine’s Day just a couple of weeks away, we thought a nod to hearts — healthy hearts, to be exact — was in order. So put on your thinking caps, and push away that last bowl of Ben and Jerry’s. What heart-healthy new habit can you cultivate this month? However large or small your personal pledge is, we want to hear about it. We want you to share your ideas, tips, pictures, recipes, goals, pains, and progress right here on the site. Join with other readers as we move through the month, comparing notes and sharing the infectious spirit of change.

Here's how you can document your journey:

• Tell us about it in the comments below.
• Become a Berkeley Patch blogger and share your triumphs and challenges along the way. Blog any time you like!
• Join us on Twitter and Facebook for support from the Berkeley Patch community.

To get things rolling, I will share my personal pledge: I promise to run a 5K once a week (or more), every week for the entire month of February. Join me on the site and monitor my progress, as I don my jogging attire, plug in my ipod, and chuff along some of Tilden’s most rugged paths. I’ll post pictures and offer up details of my month-long journey, describing the pains, pitfalls, and hard-won triumphs of my heart-thumping adventure.

What will your February heart-healthy pledge be? Share your ideas and embark on your journey in the comments below.