We Are Made New Every Day!

It's the pause after the big holiday hurrah. Ahhhhhhh, sweet relief.

So, how will you spend the last week of 2011?

Let's start with how NOT to spend it:

Over-indulging in preparation for the self-imposed New Year's famine ahead.
The old guilty feelings of "oh, I better eat this and not let it go to waste" are nothing but old, guilty garbage. If it's not nourishing your body; if you're feeling sick of the sugar and rich holiday leftovers; you DO NOT have to eat them! (I won't tell your mama or grandma.)

Surely by now you've cleared the house of empty boxes and wrapping paper, so I give you full permission to throw out as much junk food as you want. You may toss whatever it is into the compost bin and be done with it already. I used to have this guilt thing with food on my plate; I had to stuff it in because heaven forbid I be wasteful.

But how is eating more than I want or need being any less wasteful?

Mind you, I am not saying you must do this. However, in case you're wandering around your kitchen, nauseous from a food hangover and wishing that pie would stop staring at you, consider this a written permission slip to throw it away!

The less indulgent you are this week, the easier any upcoming changes will be -- and small incremental changes are easier to sustain. Remember, slow and steady wins the race!

By the way, anything new you may be considering starting doesn't have to wait until next week. You can start that new yoga class today. You can walk instead of drive, you can even stop drinking, smoking, gossiping or nail-biting today just as easily as on Jan. 1.

I'm not rushing you; just saying ...