Last chance!
Friday, Jan. 4, 2008, at 4:30 p.m.
Still haven't resolved to do something in 2008? As the first week of 2008 draws to a close in a few days, take some time to think of something to do different in your life this year ... then let us know about it over the weekend! Your comments are fully welcomed below. (And you're more than welcome to make fun of our resolutions.)
Make '08 a great one! Happy New Year everybody.
-- Richmond.com editorial staff
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No more Coke?
Wednesday, Jan. 2, at 2 p.m.
How many times have your heard or said this: I'm giving up soft drinks. But the next day you have loose change in your pocket that's really getting on your nerves. Your head is also pounding and you have the shakes because you're used to two, three or four caffeine drinks a day.
The problem is you're addicted to caffeine, not the actual drink itself. Quitting soft drinks may drive you crazier than quitting smoking. You'll get moody if you cut the caffeine from your bloodstream all at once. The best solution is to do it in moderation - just like quitting smoking or trying to lose weight, you have to make small changes.
If you drink four soft drinks a day, cut it to three for a couple of days. Then three to two. Then two to one. Then make it once or twice a week.
The beauty of "giving up" soft drinks is that you don't really need to completely void them out of your life. Reward yourself with one every once in a while.
As a side note, laying back on the soft drink will also help in losing weight. So if losing weight is your goal, take a look at the calories you're drinking. Replace your drinks with water and you'll be amazed.
-- David Hylton, editor
What's your resolution? Have you successfully lost weight, quit smoking or made any other drastic lifestyle changes due to a resolution? We'd like to know. Leave a comment below.
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Jan. 2 and still going strong
Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2008, at 10 a.m.
It's the second day of the year ... have you broken your resolutions already? Here are a few more of mine that I vow to keep this year.
This New Year I resolve …
Not to fantasize about smacking the faces of cashiers who won't stop talking to their co-workers long enough to ring up my purchases.
This New Year I resolve …
Not to tell people who drive SUVs and don't recycle that they are stupid, selfish, natural resource hogging idiots who should have to live on their own filthy, depilated planet and leave me mine. Even though it's true.
This New Year I resolve …
Not to say passive aggressive things to my boyfriend like, "I guess those bags of leaves you never finished creating are now permanent lawn ornaments." Or "I suppose you think that laundry is just going to fold itself."
-- Karri Peifer, arts & entertainment writer
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Snuff out your puffs
Monday, Dec. 31, 2007, at 12:50 p.m.
Another popular resolution that many people have (and fail at doing) is quitting smoking. The first day probably won't be so bad. Then when you go back to work or head out to a bar this weekend, all your friends are smoking. You'll say, "OK, just one." By one you didn't mean one pack, but sure enough, that's what happened. By Jan. 31, you've puffed a whole carton.
Like losing weight, quitting smoking is easier in moderation. For example, if you smoke 10 cigarettes a day, set a goal for yourself of the first week to smoke only seven a day. The next week make it five a day. Slowly build down to zero. Your body will certainly thank you for not quitting cold turkey.
-- David Hylton, editor
What are your New Year's resolutions? Leave them in the comments section below.
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More changes
Monday, Dec. 31 at 10:30 a.m.
Here's to hoping you don't take everything so seriously ...
This New Year I resolve …
Not to gossip about my friends … not even when they refuse to listen to my advice and return the call of the guy it took six months to get over, "just to say hi." Or when they make terrible life choices, like buying expensive cars and charging up a houseful of furniture when they have children and no money in the bank, I still won't gossip.
This New Year I resolve …
Not to read my boyfriend's email … even when he leaves it open on the computer screen and it refreshes itself. And an email comes through from a woman I've never heard of with a subject line that reads "It's been too long."
This New Year I resolve …
Not to have road rage. In 2008, I will remember that it's not other drivers' fault that they are too stupid to remember to signal their turn or not to stop in the middle of the road. I will be patient and accepting of other drivers because that idiot who is blocking three lanes of traffic because he got in the wrong lane and would prefer to inconvenience everyone around him rather than his own stupid, self-centered self may have just had a bad day.
-- Karri Peifer, arts & entertainment writer
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The weight battle
Friday, Dec. 28 at 1:45 p.m.
As Americans get fatter and fatter, it's no surprise that one of the top resolutions for people is to lose weight. Here's the easiest way for that to fail. On Jan. 1, you'll probably do OK. You'll have a salad for lunch and fish for dinner. You'll go out for a 30-minute walk or a short run and you'll think, "OK, I can do this."
But on Jan. 2, when everybody is back at work, your co-workers will bring in all the leftover pies and cookies from the holidays. You'll think, "Oh, just one bite won't hurt." Next thing you know, you've eaten 10 cookies and you're taking half the pie home. Instead of losing 5 pounds in January, you've gained 10. There's always next year.
If you want to achieve weight loss, you have to do it slow. Keep your goal reasonable. You won't lose the weight like they do on "Biggest Loser." Make one small change every week. Order vegetables instead of fries if you eat out. Get a to-go box when your food arrives, then put half the meal in it. Cut out high-calorie drinks. Increase your water intake. Next thing you know, a few pounds have shed off.
-- David Hylton, editor
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I resolve ...
Friday, Dec. 28, 2007, at 12:45 p.m.
It's that time of the year again -- to pledge to make changes in your life. Without any delay, here are a few things I hope to do in 2008:
This New Year I resolve …
To eat more vegetables … not just cook them, put them in pasta and eat around them.
This New Year I resolve …
To remember that a glass of red wine a day is healthy; a bottle is not.
This New Year I resolve …
To take my dog for daily leashed walks ... instead of just watching her crap in the neighbor's' lawn as I stand on the front porch, drinking wine and sneaking cigarettes.
What are your New Year's resolutions? Leave them in the comments section below. Continue to check with Richmond.com through the beginning of 2008 for more resolutions and ways to easily break them ... and even easier ways to stay on track.
-- Karri Peifer, arts & entertainment writer