This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Making 2013 Your Best Year

If you would like to be headed in the direction of improved health, lowered weight and increased strength, then here are 17 suggested changes for you to apply in 2013

What are you going to do differently in 2013?

Are you going to reduce your stress level?

Are you going to improve your diet?

Are you going to take exercise more seriously?

Or will you allow the next 365 days to pass by without changing a thing?

If you haven't put any thought into it, then do so now.

The fact is that you will age and change in 2013, and next year on 12-31-13 you will be slightly (or dramatically) different than you are today.

The cool thing about a New Year is that it gives us the opportunity to reflect over our life, to acknowledge where we are and where we want to be headed.

If you would like to be headed in the direction of improved health, lowered weight and increased strength, then here are 17 suggested changes for you to apply in 2013:

1) Exercise 2 more hours each week than you did in 2012.
2) Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
3) Drink less alcohol.
4) Sign up for one of my time-tested fitness programs.
5) Stop drinking and eating artificial sweeteners.
6) Use heavier dumbbells.
7) Eat less bread, or even eliminate gluten from your diet.
8) Train for a 5K, 10K or a marathon.
9) Eliminate corn syrup from your diet.
10) Exercise at least 4 times each week.
11) Eat healthy, simple dinners at home.
12) Do not eat fast food.
13) Drink less caffeine.
14) Eat more protein and fiber.
15) Drink water throughout your whole day.
16) Do not eat packaged snack foods.
17) Contact me for motivation and support.

Now come up with a few of your own. I know there are some ideas that popped into your mind while you were reading my list.

Take a minute to jot those down.

Step back and re-examine the list. Which of these changes are you going to make your own?

I certainly don't expect you to make all of these changes – though the more you do, the greater your transformation will be.

Wishing you great health and happiness this year.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?