OK, we’ll admit it – part of the reason we haven’t published the ‘New Year’ article you were all expecting has been pure New Year busy-ness. We’ve been busy keeping our own resolutions (maybe 2007 will be the year for very regular, weekly articles). But even if we hadn’t been so busy, we probably would have held off a bit on the New Year’s Resolution article.

Why, you ask? Because while resolutions are a great opportunity to take stock of the past year and think about what can be improved, we often put too much importance in them and end up failing year after year. How many times have we vowed to lose 30 lbs (or whatever your just beyond realistic number is), start going to the gym at 5:30AM, master the art of feng shui AND travel to Africa? And the first day of this so-called rebirth usually involves a hangover, no less.

This year, we’re encouraging you to be a little more realistic. Instead of burning out in your first week of 2006 by hitting the gym for 2 hours a day and going on an all-raw foods diet, try to make one small change at a time. Maybe week one means extending your workouts by 10 minutes or committing to measuring out portion sizes. As you adapt to the new changes, add more challenges to your routine. Focus less on the end goal and more on mastering the small changes.

And who knows, maybe by the end of 2006 you’ll be an African princess, fluent in the art of feng shui, at your ideal weight and practically a fixture at the gym. Or, more likely, you’ll be healthier, happier, and maybe a little better-looking to boot.