It’s tough love time. Most people will make New Year resolutions, and very few will keep them. Why? Because they make the so-called resolution, but don’t initiate new behaviors to see those resolutions through.

If you really want to make changes in your health for this New Year, you can do it. Here are some tips for getting real.

Stop smoking

This is perhaps the toughest addiction of all to break – but doing so could save your life. Continuing to smoke can lead to greater risk of a heart attack or any number of gruesome cancers. Smoking adds absolutely no benefits to life, and is a dangerous and destructive habit.

Acupuncture can help. The trick is to find a highly qualified acupuncturist with experience helping smokers to quit. Utilizing hair-thin wires, the treatment re-wires patterns in the nervous system and does not hurt.

Hypnosis can also be very valuable. Make sure that the person you see is trained and highly experienced. Many people have undergone a few sessions of well-conducted hypnotherapy and have walked away smoke-free. Ericksonian hypnotherapy is an especially effective method of hypnosis for helping to quit smoking.

While you’re trying to kick the habit, drink lots of pure, fresh, plain water daily to detoxify your body, and take a couple of grams of vitamin C daily to rejuvenate your cells and provide antioxidant protection.

Most important of all, if you’re struggling with a smoking addiction, get help. Many people simply cannot quit on their own. Do whatever you have to do to win this battle over cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or whatever form your tobacco vice takes. Change some of your daily routine to disrupt your smoking schedule.

Lose weight

For starters, try not to finish your plate or consuming fewer calories. You gain excess pounds by taking in more calories than you expend, pure and simple.

Avoid all fast foods and fried foods, and stop drinking sodas, which are just liquid candy. Also, cutting out snacks and junk food can help with weight loss.

If you really want to lose weight, you need to change your eating habits. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Try eating a fresh apple every day. Apples help elimination, are packed with antioxidants, and help to stabilize metabolism.

Drink a couple of cups of green tea daily. The antioxidant compounds in green tea aid weight loss. Try taking green coffee extract – a minimum of 500 milligrams twice daily. Either Svetol or GCA are the brands that are actually tested and proven effective. Both cause your body to steadily shed pounds, day after day.

It’s not just diet that will help you lose weight – but exercise is also key. Exercise faithfully, every day. Get out and walk at least two miles – and if you can, make that four. Exercise spends calories that would otherwise turn into fat, and it tones your body while helping to clear your mind. You can absolutely lose weight if you really want to.

Be more focused

If you want to maximize your mind power, start by taking 400 milligrams of Rhodiola rosea extract every day. Rhodiola is proven in human clinical studies to enhance concentration, thought formation, memory and overall mood.

Meditate daily. You don’t need to become a monk; just learn to meditate and clear your mind, so you can live in a naturally fresh and alert state. Drink less alcohol – or even no alcohol at all. A little alcohol is fine for health, but booze does in fact fog the mind. Want to be razor sharp? Nix the drink.

Get in shape

Start with realistic goals. If you don't walk much, start walking just two miles daily at a brisk pace. Increase your daily exercise gradually, so you'll stay with it.

If you like going to the gym, ask a trainer to help you out. Attend exercise classes, so you'll be encouraged by others. Reinforce the habit of daily exercise.

The best tip is not to aim too high in the beginning. Don’t resolve to work out every day for two hours. You won’t do it. Be moderate and once you have the hang of it, go for more.

Get more sleep

Are you sleep-deprived and tired? Make more time for sleep. Spend less time in front of the TV and a bit more time in bed. Drink less alcohol (which often makes sleeping harder), and try passion flower
tea, holy basil (Tulsi) tea, or L-theanine capsules, 100 milligrams each. All these can help you to get more deep snoozing time.

Reduce stress

Start by taking walks outdoors on a regular basis. This is immensely helpful for shedding stress. Meditate daily to calm your mind. Play with your children more. It’s pretty hard to stay stressed when you’re actively having fun with kids.

Practice Yoga. It’s probably among the very best things for shedding stress and worry. Be more intimate with your significant other. Exercise more, to work the tension right out of your body. Quit smoking, as smoking stresses everything.

More often than not, New Year’s resolutions are hopeful ideas that quickly dissipate as we engage in the same old behaviors. But by making real and significant changes, we can act on those resolutions and achieve our goals. So make it a happy – and healthy – New Year.

Chris Kilham is a medicine hunter, and researches natural remedies all over the world, from the Amazon to Siberia. Chris teaches ethnobotany at U Mass Amherst where he is Explorer-in-Residence. He advises herbal, cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies , and is a regular guest on radio and TV programs worldwide. His field research is largely sponsored by Naturex of Avignon, France. Visit his web site at www.MedicineHunter.com.