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I hope everybody is doing great on these first days of 2011!

I just read a very interesting article on the renewal of the mind from the January edition of the newsletter “Food, Fitness & Faith.” What I learned from it could be applied to all my activities, on health and financial issues, for this bright and exciting year ahead.

Usually, what comes to mind at the start of each are resolutions – what we ought to be and what we ought to do for a better us in the future. But do these resolutions really work in the end? The fact is, they don’t usually last as we expected them to. The main reason? We tend to change things around us first, before we even change ourselves within. Look at the people who are fond of quick weight loss schemes. They change their eating habits to their own detriment. Instead of eating what is nutritional to their body, they restrict themselves of certain types of food, favoring fad diets (I admit. I was one of them!). Another example, compulsive buyers of exercise equipment and gadgets. After a while, their purchases become mere displays in the garage or the attic. Easy come, easy go!

Maintaining muscle mass

Puffy eyes for sleepless nights due to jet lag, dead toe nails for excessive walking, dry skin and hair due to extremely cold weather, irregular bowel movements because of foreign types of food in the digestive system - these are but some of the adjustments my body went through during my travel to Paris and Rome! But I am not complaining. I had such a great time strolling, exploring and eating in these wonderful cities!


Although I may have met my daily physical activity level in terms of walking (I think I did more than 10,000 steps a day!), I failed to do my usual load-bearing exercises because I was always on the move. I wanted to make the most of my limited time to see old and new friends in these two very rich cities (historically and culturally speaking). Besides my busy schedule, the winter season was a big challenge for mobility! I initially had stiff hips and legs and poor control over my body movements. I didn’t realize how tough it was to exercise in such a cold environment. But I know that excuses are unacceptable!