Happy "New You" Year!

It's January, and the year is in full swing. Don't worry if you didn't get a chance to make a New Year's resolution. There's no better time than right now, to change your life through how you view and take care of yourself. Welcome this "New You" year by getting healthy in all aspects of your life!

Image Health
Through commercials, billboards, magazines, and even the fashion runways, Hollywood and the entertainment industry attempts to impose their standards of beauty on you. What Hollywood does not show you are the behind-the-scenes makeup artists, personal trainers, plastic surgeons, dentists, and hair and fashion stylists who work tirelessly to help your favorite celebrities look picture perfect for the red carpet and the glossy pages of a magazine. The bottom line is: your outer beauty is not who you are. God looks at your heart. It is less important to look like Hollywood’s standard of beauty, and more important to look and dress like you.

Some Ideas
• Have a pamper party with your friends. Give each other manicures, pedicures and facials, and experiment with jewelry and outfits. Don’t bring any fashion and beauty magazines to the party for inspiration, but be creative. Instead of trying to copy the new Beyoncé hairstyle or Tyra Banks’ makeup, do things to complement and accentuate your own best features.

• Try a new hairstyle. Seeing yourself day in and day out looking the same way can get boring, and you can look in the mirror everyday and not really “see” you. Something as simple as changing your hair can change your perspective of yourself.

• Discover your own personal style. Don’t just dress according to what’s trendy, or what you see everyone else wearing, but instead, identify the type of clothing you like, and what is most figure flattering for your body.

• Create and find items of clothing that you can add to your current wardrobe to have a look uniquely yours. Learn to make your own jewelry, sew, or knit. Perhaps you could have a shopping trip to a vintage or second-hand clothing store? There are always great finds that are “throw-backs” from other generations. (Warning: make sure you allow enough time for yourself to shop because it usually takes time to find good items, and when you get home, make sure you wash all of the items thoroughly before you wear them.)

Physical Health
You should be a good manager of the body that God has given you. It’s very important because this is the only body you have. You must take care of it so that you are able and healthy enough to accomplish everything that God wants you to do in your life. What are some things you can decide to do today that will help you become a healthier person?

Some Ideas
• Get more sleep. (I need to take my own advice!)
• Eat less junk food.
• Incorporate moderate exercise into your lifestyle.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables.
• Drink more water.
• Don’t just say what you are going to do, but actually do it!

For more information on how to balance a healthy diet with exercise, visit
www.mypyramid.gov to read about the “Food Pyramid.”

Emotional Health
Take the drama out of your life. Life was not meant to be stressful. The Bible tells us to, “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

It’s okay to be concerned about the things that happen in your life, but God did not create you to worry about this life and the things of this world. It’s all temporary. Why worry about something when the end result has already been determined? God knows the beginning of everything and He also knows the outcome.

Some Ideas
• Write it down. Journaling or keeping a diary is a great way to release all the thoughts, ideas, worries, and concerns that may be floating around in your head. By writing your thoughts down on paper, you are able to give your mind rest.

• Get organized. Keeping a planner or a daily or weekly to-do list, is a great way to stay on top of all of your responsibilities. Once you write your responsibilities down on paper, you don’t have to try to hold them in your memory and feel worried about forgetting them. You don’t have to buy an expensive planner either—you can make one out of a simple notebook. (One year when I was in college, I made my own planner using the case from an old planner I already had. I printed a personalized daily planner on a half sheet of paper turned long side up, punched holes on the left-hand side and placed a stack of duplicate sheets in the binder. Each page came complete with a place to write a scripture for the day, a prayer list, and my goals. I never felt more organized than during that particular school year.) To print your own free daily planner visit www.pocketmod.com.

• Stay on top of your homework and projects. There’s nothing worse than being stressed out about last-minute schoolwork. You will have so much more peace of mind just by learning not to procrastinate with your assignments.

• Prayer works! There is no other time that I feel most at peace than when I am spending time in prayer (talking to God). My mind is no longer thinking about everything that went on during the day, but rather, I’m thinking about the goodness of God.