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4 ways to keep your weight loss goal going for longer than a month
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How can you keep the excitement of your New Year's Resolution weight-loss goal alive for longer than a month? Here are 4 goal-sustaining suggestions. - photo by Sarah Shepherd
January 1st brings the promise of a new year and a new you. The first week of January gyms are packed with people, weight-loss ads flood the media, and desserts are avoided like the plague. But when the calendar flips to February, old habits can start to creep in and before you know it you are off track.

How can you keep the excitement of your weight-loss journey alive for longer than a month? Here are 4 goal-sustaining suggestions:

1. Start smaller

Sometimes you can get so excited to start losing weight that you actually trip the starting line.

If you havent exercised in 2 years, dont start with a plan to hit the gym for 3 hours a day. You will put too much pressure on yourself, and you might give up your new exercise routine completely.

Try easing into your exercise routine with a 20 minute walk around the neighborhood. When you find that becomes too easy, increase your time or add an additional activity like pushups. Soon you may find yourself running a 5k or doing 20 pullups, all because you worked up to it.

2. Cook delicious homemade meals

Healthy and delicious can feel like complete opposites, but believe it or not, you can actually make nutritious food taste yummy.

Search online for healthy cooking blogs or pick up a cookbook at the bookstore. Try different recipes and keep a list of your favorites.

One cookbook that could help is 400 Calories with Our Best Bites. Its filled with tasty recipes you can feed the whole family. The recipes are all less than 400 calories per serving and actually come with other nutritional information like fat, carbs, fiber, sugar, and protein. Make the time to cook dinner at home, and it may surprise you how much it helps you lose the weight.

3. Give rewards along the way

Give yourself a pat on the back as the number on the scale goes down.

Every week and every month reward yourself for your hard work. For weekly rewards, make a list of smaller items you want like a new bottle of nail polish or a candle. For monthly rewards treat yourself with bigger items like a night at the movies, a new book, or a new pair of running shoes. Give yourself something you can keep using during your weight-loss journey, dont use food as a reward.

4. Share your progress

Having someone to talk to and share in your success is a very important tool. Share weekly progress with your spouse, your walking buddy, or your neighborhood friends. The positive encouragement you receive will keep you motivated to exercise and eat well.

If you are really brave, you can even share your progress on social media. Share monthly updates on Facebook, take progress photos to share on Instagram, or start a blog to document your whole journey.

Heres to keeping your goals and getting healthy!
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Have You Seen This? Street musician slays with clarinet
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Better than almost every face-melting guitar or drum solo. - photo by Facebook video screenshot

THE BIG EASY — Yeah, yeah, we all know that New Orleans is stuffed to the gills will incredible musicians.

But knowing that fact and then hearing that fact are two different things. You can step into any number of jazz clubs on any given night on Bourbon Street, and you’ll probably be impressed with virtually every act. Or you can sit at home on your comfy couch and watch this featured video.

In the video, you’ll see a woman who is in the groove. She is swinging hard, and wailing on her clarinet with a practiced expertise that makes it sounds so easy.

From note one you’ll be drawn in; your appreciation will grow with every second, and then your face will melt off when you realize how incredible she really is.

If you’ve never played a woodwind or a brass, you may not know everything that comes with a performance like this. Lung capacity and breath control are huge factors in keeping your notes clear and loud, and hitting those high notes is especially difficult.

So when this woman hits that high note and holds it for several seconds, you know you’re dealing with an exceptional musician. It means she has worked hard for years to develop skill on top of her natural talent, and we get to benefit.

It kinda makes you wonder how we let people get away with mumble rap and autotune when talent like this exists in the world.

I wish this video were longer, and I wish I had more information about this woman, but as it is, we’ll just have to appreciate the little flavor of New Orleans jazz posted by the Facebook group Clarinet Life.

Martha Ostergar is a writer who delights in the ridiculous that internet serves up, which means she's more than grateful that she gets to cruise the web for amazing videos to highlight for your viewing pleasure.
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