The only thing that is constant is change. But change is difficult.


Did you, like millions of people around the world, make resolutions on the first day of January? Have you stuck with your New Year’s resolutions or are you just about ready to give up?

Because many view resolutions as additional pressure to their already stressful lives, many people abandon their resolutions by February or March. Some resolutions don’t even last the first week of January.

Are your resolutions too unrealistic, Dr. Joseph Mercola asks? Maybe you were thinking of running for 10 kilometers each day when you haven’t taken a long walk in ages. Or going from a pack of cigarettes per day to zero sticks.

Don’t beat yourself up if you blow one or two resolutions, or even your entire list – that won’t accomplish anything. What’s important is never giving up. Give yourself a second chance to keep your resolutions alive.

You can make the decision to take control of your health at any point in the year. Just because it’s already March and not the first of January doesn’t make it any less fitting to decide to make that healthy change. Here are Dr. Mercola’s tips to help you get back on track with your resolutions:

•    Start small
It’s good to aim for a major and radical change but remember that the road to that big accomplishment starts with small and achievable goals.

•    Learn from your mistakes
Always look at failure as an opportunity to learn how to succeed, Mercola advises. Look back at what caused you to blow the resolution and the things that were working for you up to that point.

•    Use the disappointment and pain of failure to succeed
Think back to how bad you felt when you failed when you feel feel like you’re about to blow your resolution or goal. Afterward, focus on the good feelings you’ve had at the end of each successful day.

•    Reignite your motivation
Go back to why you made the resolution in the first place – because you wanted to achieve something. Ask yourself how much do you really want this change to happen. Stoke that fire in your belly by encouraging yourself and reinforcing your motivation.

•    Put it in writing
Make you resolution part of your daily routine. Put it in your daily planner and set aside any amount of time on a daily or weekly basis to devote to the accomplishment of the resolution.

•    Find an accountability partner
Get support from your partner, a family member or a close friend who are invested in the success of your resolution. Work out a way for them to check up on your progress. An accountability partner will share your successes, help you analyze failures, and be your constant source of motivation.

Some of the most victorious people in history are those who also made the biggest mistakes. Stick with your resolutions to take control of your health and your life.

What you eat before and after you exercise can influence the positive benefits of your workout on your body. You can exercise on an empty stomach but it’s not advisable to skip meals. It’s better to eat a healthy meal a couple of hours before you hit the gym or start any physical activities. How long you wait depends on the size and content of the meal and the type and intensity of activities/workouts you will engage in.

On the other hand, a new study shows that exercise enhances your insulin sensitivity, particularly when you eat low carbohydrate meals after your exercise session or workout, and that consuming less carbs after exercising is better than eating a low-calorie meal.

You don’t need to starve yourself after sweating it out because this may actually slow down your metabolism. Natural and alternative health expert Dr. Joseph Mercola believes that what you eat after you work out is more important than what you have before.

After exercising, your muscles have been pushed to the limit and your body is low in nitrogen, therefore, you’ll need complex carbohydrates from vegetables and amino acids from high quality animal protein like organic free-range chicken and eggs and grass-fed beef, Dr. Mercola advises. Combining a quality carb and protein source in every meal is important for whatever type of exercise and even if it’s a non-workout day.

Mercola recently joined forces with renowned fitness trainer and life coach Darin Steen to help you get more expert advice on how to get healthy, particulary on how you can get the most out of your workouts. Here are Darin’s recommendations on what you should eat after your workout:

•    Aerobic/Cardio – After engaging in a fat loss-centered cardiovascular workout, take a break for about 45-60 minutes before eating a whole food, high-quality source of protein and vegetable-type carbohydrate. An example would be chicken and spinach salad. You don’t need to wait an hour after the session because you’ll want to ride the fat-burning wave and avoid starvation mode.

•    Resistance – A post muscle-building resistance workout meal needs to be absorbed rapidly because you only have a one-hour window to open the gates for amino acids, glycogen and other anabolic nutrients to enter and help repair your muscles. You’ll want to eat this meal 15-30 minutes after an intense weight training session. Failure to do so may diminish the chances of allowing your muscles to recover properly to make them bigger and stronger. Darin’s recommended meal is whey protein and a higher glycemic, fast released, starchy carbohydrate such as a banana.

Go for Real, Whole Food

Many gym rats load up on energy bars and energy drinks, thinking they’re as good as advertised by food manufacturers and contain herbs, minerals, proteins, vitamins and other nutrients.

But let’s face it: the two active ingredients in these products are caffeine and sugar.

Many energy bars and drinks also contain additives, artificial flavors and sweeteners, toxins and useless calories.

Besides, you don’t need to chug a sports drink unless you are severely dehydrated and are losing more than a quart of water in sweat in 30-45 minutes.

The ticket to optimal performance is in eating whole, biodynamic and organic foods. So next time you need a quick snack after a workout, forget about that energy bar and go for these beneficial sources of carbs and protein:

•    any vegetable (with the exception of carrots and beets, which are high in sugar), particularly dark, green and leafy varieties like spinach, kale or Swiss chard
•    fruits that are low in fructose like apricots, cantaloupe, lemons, limes, passion fruit, plums and raspberries
•    lean, grass-fed red meat
•    organic free range chicken and eggs
•    raw nuts and seeds
•    whey protein

You are what you eat and what you are is influenced by how much you exercise so eat and exercise right.

Do you have sleepless nights? If you’ve experienced what it’s like to not sleep a wink, then you’ll know that the morning after is definitely not a pleasant experience. Besides being low in energy, you’re likely to not gain points for congeniality.

Nowadays, sleep deprivation has become a chronic condition and it’s possible that you might not even be aware that you’re suffering from it, Dr. Joseph Mercola points out.

If you’re gotten used to spreading yourself too thin and hardly have time to rest, then it’s likely that sleep deprivation has become normal to you. The same goes if you work the night shift, stay up way too late or ate too much food close to bedtime.

Lack of sleep, however, should not feel normal because it can have dire consequences to your health, Dr. Mercola warns.

Lack of Sleep Can Make You Weep

Lost sleep is a debt you can’t hope to repay because the hours of sleep you’ve lost are lost forever. You can’t store a supply of sleep to use for later. Sure you’ll feel better when you get longer sleep after a restless night but the benefits are temporary.

Ideally, adults need between 6 to 9 hours of sleep while adolescents and teens should get at least 9 hours a night, Mercola explains. If you constantly don’t get enough sleep, your sleep deficit is bound to catch up to you in the long run, which can lead to serious negative effects including:

•    Lack of focus and an impaired ability to think clearly the next day
•    Changes in brain activity similar to those experienced by people with psychiatric disorders
•    Stress related disorders like constipation, depression and stomach ulcers
•    Feeling more stressed by the same daily minor stressful events also experienced by people who sleep well
•    Increasing the possibility of weight gain and obesity
•    Putting your body into a pre-diabetic state, making you feel hungry even if you’ve already eaten
•    Weakening your immune system
•    Triggering memory loss
•    Hastening premature aging and increasing the severity of age-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure

Getting good quality sleep is a must. Don’t underestimate its importance to your health, longevity and quality of life. Click here to discover Dr. Mercola’s secrets to restful sleep.