Have you gotten tired of making New Year’s resolutions? Do you feel that for too many years, your efforts have fizzled out after too short a time, making you feel like a failure instead of renewing your energy and hope for the coming year? Don’t give up. Maybe the way you’re making your resolutions is the problem, not your ability to follow through on a goal.

Resolutions are supposed to be about making improvements in your life—choosing challenging goals and committing to change for the coming year and beyond. But too often they end in disappointment and backfire emotionally long before the year is over. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take the opportunity to make a fresh start, though. It just means you need to take a slightly different approach to bringing about positive changes in your life.

Don’t make your resolutions with an “all-or-nothing” ultimatum attached to them. For example, don’t tell yourself “I will go to the gym every day without fail for an entire year.” The first time you’re too sick to work out or have a genuine emergency that prevents you from getting to the gym that day, you’ll feel like a failure. This may in turn cause you to give up on the entire idea, which would be a shame.
Allow yourself to feel good about any improvements you make. Let’s say you wanted to quit smoking on January 1st, but the best you’ve been able to manage is one less cigarette per day for the first week, then two less the second week, and so on. This is progress in the right direction, and you deserve to feel good about that!
Go easy on yourself when you slip up. We women are our own worst critics, and we tend to beat ourselves up when we feel like we’re failing. But we’re human, too, and it’s normal to have some setbacks when trying to reach a challenging goal. Allow yourself some “freebies” and roll past the setbacks as if they never happened. Pick up where you left off and continue working toward your goals with optimism and good cheer.
Set reasonable, short-term goals that help you make progress towards bigger goals. For instance, instead of saying “I will lose 50 pounds this year,” say instead “I will lose one pound this week.” When you reach that goal, reward yourself and set the same goal for the following week. If you do that every week for a year, you will lose 52 pounds! “I will lose one pound” sounds so much more do-able than “I will lose 50 pounds,” doesn’t it?
Reward yourself when you reach goals, large or small. Think of things that you consider to be treats that you would genuinely look forward to, such as a lovely pedicure or a guilt-free evening out with your girlfriends. Promise yourself these things and follow through when you’ve reached a milestone.

And finally, don’t save your resolutions for January 1st! Resolve to make positive changes throughout the year, and renew them regularly. You are so worth it!

This year, forget the crash diets—it's time to make some resolutions that can impact your long-term health.

Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a thinning and weakening of the bones that can occur after menopause. Simple lifestyle changes, including eating more calcium-containing foods, certain exercises, and quitting smoking, can help to prevent this condition. Below, we'll show you some simple ways to work bone health into your New Year's resolutions. Remember to talk to your healthcare professional before making any changes to your diet or exercise regimen.

Get back to the gym

Performing weight-bearing exercises regularly may help to slow or prevent bone loss, especially during the first few years after menopause. Weight-bearing exercises are activities that force you to work against gravity. Some good options include:

• Hiking
• Brisk walking
• Running or jogging
• Dancing
• Tennis
• Working out with weights

Eat a calcium-rich diet

A diet low in calcium and vitamin D can leave you more vulnerable to postmenopausal osteoporosis. This year, find creative ways to add these calcium-containing foods to your diet:

• Low-fat milk, cheese, and yogurt
• Leafy green vegetables, such as broccoli and kale
• Canned salmon and sardines (only those with bones)
• Almonds
• Tofu

Quit smoking once and for all

As if there weren't enough good reasons to quit, smoking has been shown to contribute to the depletion of estrogen and to bone loss. It can also cause you to absorb less calcium from your diet.

Talk to your doctor about how you can reduce your risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis. In addition to weight-bearing exercises, he or she may suggest changes in diet, calcium supplements, or an estrogen therapy approved to protect your bones from postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Did you know that being creative is good for your health? Research suggests that creativity is closer to a need than a want in terms of maintaining good mental and physical health. Being creative reduces stress, which in turn improves one’s overall well-being. When we were children, we got to be creative every day; we were encouraged to explore the world, try new things, create art, and solve problems as creatively as possible.

As we grow up, though, there is less and less time for creativity and exploration, and we begin to suffer for it. Hobbies seem frivolous and unnecessary compared to career and family and other obligations in life. But it turns out we do need to allow ourselves that child-like abandonment to pure creativity from time to time. While it’s true that some people seem to have more of a need for creativity in their lives than others, everyone needs some kind of creative outlet, whether they realize it or not.

Did you know that being creative is good for your health? Research suggests that creativity is closer to a need than a want in terms of maintaining good mental and physical health. Being creative reduces stress, which in turn improves one’s overall well-being. When we were children, we got to be creative every day; we were encouraged to explore the world, try new things, create art, and solve problems as creatively as possible. As we grow up, though, there is less and less time for creativity and exploration, and we begin to suffer for it. Hobbies seem frivolous and unnecessary compared to career and family and other obligations in life. But it turns out we do need to allow ourselves that child-like abandonment to pure creativity from time to time. While it’s true that some people seem to have more of a need for creativity in their lives than others, everyone needs some kind of creative outlet, whether they realize it or not.

Once you find something that is fun and challenging for you, look for ways to connect with others who share your creative passion. There are online forums for virtually any kind of creative genre you can imagine, and members tend to encourage and inspire each other to continue in the hobby long-term.

If you don’t have a local club for what you do, consider starting one. The more involved you are in both your creativity and in the social activities that go with it, the more active your mind and hands will be. And the more active your mind and hands are, the younger you’ll feel. Creativity literally keeps the mind sharper as time goes on by keeping synapses firing for longer. And the use of fine motor skills keeps your eyes and hands nimble for longer as well. Plus, of course, sharing your passions with others keeps you socially active and reduces stress.

So what new creative outlet will you try this year?

Every day, you make dozens of choices that affect your health and wellness. And no matter how hard you try, you will never be able to make perfect choices every time. Some women read and read and read, staying up to date on all the latest research about food, nutrition, chemicals, exercise, body chemistry, supplements, and more, only to become frustrated at the sheer volume of information—often conflicting—that is out there on these topics. For example, they told us that fat was bad for us, so we started using low-fat products and partially hydrogenated oils.

It turned out that our bodies can’t properly handle these processed trans-fats, so they told us to stop eating trans-fats altogether. But trans-fats are in almost everything now and are nearly impossible to avoid. It turns out that natural fats from sources such as extra virgin olive oil are what’s best for us after all. It is frustrating to know that you could spend hours in the grocery store reading labels to try to make the best choices possible, only to find out later that the so-called “healthy” substitute turned out to be worse than the “unhealthy” thing it was replacing.

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to make healthy choices, though. It just means that you have to accept that, as the saying goes, all you can do is the best you can do. Use common sense and listen to trustworthy sources about what is healthy and what is not. Resist fads, and pay attention to your body’s signals when you make a dietary change.

Ask people you know about their experiences with supplements, health foods, and diets before trying them yourself. Very often, you will find that results are not as advertised, or that the trade-offs are not worth it. Other times, though, you will discover that simple changes, such as switching from sodas to water or from white bread to whole grain bread, will have a noticeable positive impact on your health and wellness. Stay reasonably informed and strive for moderation in whatever you consume, and you will be on the right track to making many more healthy choices than unhealthy ones.

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Did you know that HysterSIsters.com forums has a section just for post-hystectomy fitness and health? It's called Hysteritaville! Come join the discussion for your resolutions, your fitness plans, your weight-loss goals and more.

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