Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions
Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions 3. Tame the Bulge 4. Quit Smoking 5. Enjoy Life More 6. Quit Drinking 7. Get Out of Debt 8. Learn Something New 9. Help Others 10. Get Organized
1. Spend More Time with Family & Friends
Recent polls conducted by General Nutrition Centers, Quicken, and others shows that more than 50% of Americans vow to appreciate loved ones and spend more time with family and friends this year. 2. Fit in Fitness
The evidence is in for fitness. Regular exercise has been associated with more health benefits than anything else known to man. Studies show that it reduces the risk of some cancers, increases longevity, helps achieve and maintain weight loss, enhances mood, lowers blood pressure, and even improves arthritis. In short, exercise keeps you healthy and makes you look and feel better.
Over 66 percent of adult Americans are considered overweight or obese by recent studies, so it is not surprising to find that weight loss is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions. Setting reasonable goals and staying focused are the two most important factors in sticking with a weight loss program, and the key to success for those millions of Americans who made a New Year’s commitment to shed extra pounds.
If you have resolved to make this the year that you stamp out your smoking habit, over-the-counter availability of nicotine replacement therapy now provides easier access to proven quit-smoking aids. Even if you’ve tried to quit before and failed, don’t let it get you down.
Given the hectic, stressful lifestyles of millions of Americans, it is no wonder that “enjoying life more” has become a popular resolution in recent years. It’s an important step to a happier and healthier you! Consider one of Pittsburgh’s holistic healing centers for products designed to bring balance to your body, mind and soul. Or just get out and try something new! Take up a new hobby or try your hand at skiing. Go to a theater performance, or head to the local spa.
While many people use the New Year as an incentive to finally stop drinking, most are not equipped to make such a drastic lifestyle change all at once. Many heavy drinkers fail to quit cold turkey but do much better when they taper gradually, or even learn to moderate their drinking. If you have decided that you want to stop drinking, there is a world of help and support available. Pittsburgh Alcoholics Anonymous offers meetings throughout the greater Pittsburgh area. There is also a Pittsburgh group for Parents of Teenage Alcohol and Drug Abusers. There are also a number of treatment-based programs, as well as support groups for families of alcoholics.
Was money a big source of stress in your life last year? Join the millions of Americans who have resolved to spend this year getting a handle on their finances.
Have you vowed to make this year the year to learn something new? Perhaps you are considering a career change, want to learn a new language, or just how to fix your computer? Whether you take a course or read a book, you’ll find education to be one of the easiest, most motivating New Year’s resolutions to keep.
A popular, non-selfish New Year’s resolution, volunteerism can take many forms. Whether you choose to spend time helping out at your local library, mentoring a child, or building a house, there are many nonprofit volunteer organizations that could really use your help.
On just about every New Year resolution top ten list, organization can be a very reasonable goal. Whether you want your home organized enough that you can invite someone over on a whim, or your office organized enough that you can find the stapler when you need it, these tips and resources should get you started on the way to a more organized life.
Economy puts damper on New Year's Eve celebrations
NEW YORK – Hundreds of thousands of revelers packed a frigid Times Square for the descent of the famous Waterford crystal ball on Wednesday, eager to say goodbye to 2008 and hoping to put the nation's economic troubles in the past.
The wind chill made it feel like 1 degree in the area, but that didn't deter the throngs who were cloaked in fur hats and sleeping bags.
"We're worried about the economy but hoping for the best," said Lisa Mills, of Danville, Ohio.
Mills and her husband, Ken, took her 17-year-old daughter, Kara, to Times Square for her birthday.
"We decided, we haven't taken a family vacation yet, and this was a great time to do it," she said. "We're staying positive."
Many other New Year's Eve traditions around the country were in place, but some festivities fell victim to hard times, and those that remained felt somewhat subdued. The nation's economic troubles made many people less interested in giving 2008 an expensive send-off.
Public celebrations were canceled in communities from Louisville, Ky., to Reno, Nev., and promoters in Miami Beach, Fla., reported slower ticket sales than expected for celebrity-studded parties that they say would have sold out in past years.
Tourism officials in Las Vegas expected more tourists in Sin City to celebrate New Year's Eve than last year, despite economic worries that have meant fewer visitors in 2008, Mayor Oscar Goodman said Wednesday night. Las Vegas casinos were putting on a midnight fireworks display and daredevil acts, including a 200-foot jump over the refurbished volcano at The Mirage hotel-casino by Robbie Knievel, son of the late Evel Knievel.
A spokesman for the biggest player on the Las Vegas Strip, MGM Mirage Inc., said more than 90 percent of rooms were filled, albeit at historically low prices reflective of a down year for tourism and gambling.
Around the world, people paused for a deep breath and a sip of ... perhaps something cheaper than champagne.
"We're not going to celebrate in a big way. We're being careful," said architect Moussa Siham, 24, as shoppers in the affluent area west of Paris were scaling back purchases for the traditional New Year's Eve feast.
Sydney, Australia, was the world's first major city to ring in 2009, showering its shimmering harbor with a kaleidoscope of light that drew cheers from more than a million people.
At the Vatican, in the splendor of St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Benedict XVI called for "soberness and solidarity" in 2009. During a year's end vespers service Wednesday evening, the pope said these times are "marked by uncertainty and worry for the future" but urged people not to be afraid and to help each other.
Former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Clinton were scheduled to help Mayor Michael Bloomberg lower the ball atop 1 Times Square for the 60-second countdown to midnight.
Pauleene Romero, from Anchorage, Alaska, came to the celebration by herself on a whim.
"I had a bad year," she said, not wanting to elaborate. "I just wanted to do this for myself, as a way to start off a new year."
Others waiting in the windy winter cold were optimistic about 2009. Sam Tenorio and his family drove to New York from Orlando, Fla., so his teenage daughter Brianna could see the Jonas Brothers perform live in Times Square.
"The economy is what it is. It's going to turn around. You just have to be positive," Tenorio said. "That's what we're doing, otherwise we wouldn't be here. I think that's why most people are here tonight: optimism."
In Milwaukee, Cherie Klaus, a retail manager, was adamant about maintaining her New Year's Eve tradition. Every year her parents fly to Wisconsin from the Philadelphia area, and her family reunites at different relatives' homes, wrapping up with the big event in Klaus's home.
"I probably didn't spend as much money on Christmas presents, maybe 25 percent less," said Klaus, 53, "but we never cut back on family."
Others weren't so lucky. Windy weather and rough harbor waters caused Baltimore officials to postpone a New Year's Eve fireworks celebration. In Reno, officials canceled their fireworks show for the first time since 2000.
"With the downturn in the economy, with people getting laid off and with the tightening of budgets all over town, we just didn't think it was right to spend $20,000 or $30,000 on something that goes up in smoke," Mayor Bob Cashell said.
Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson expected to save $33,000 by canceling a New Year's Eve party he traditionally throws, a spokeswoman said. Hundreds of revelers were still expected to watch the Times Square countdown on a big screen at a separate, free event in the city's downtown business district.
Elkhart, Ind., planned a party at its outdoor skating rink, with volunteers leading some games, instead of a $5,000 event with fireworks. The city hadn't gotten any complaints about the scaled-back celebration, said Arvis Dawson, executive assistant to the mayor.
"I think most people understand," he said.
The downturn has been a boon for some inexpensive New Year's Eve events.
Advance ticket sales for the U.S. Bank New Year's Eve bash in Madison, Wis., were up 20 percent from a year ago, spokeswoman Lisa Clark said. A $10 family pass buys access to a family-oriented celebration involving music, magicians, hay rides and fireworks.
"What can you do for $10 anymore?" Clark asked, adding, "For someone trying to pinch pennies and yet still have a good time, this is a good bargain."
Philadelphia planned to celebrate New Year's Day with its more than century-old Mummers Parade, though it had fallen into jeopardy when city officials withdrew about $400,000 in support.
After weeks of limbo, the Mummers Association successfully raised enough private donations to continue the pageant filled with flamboyantly dressed performers, sometimes described as the city's Mardi Gras.
Rich Porco, a Mummer for 51 years, said the uncertainty made this "one of the worst years I've ever been involved with."
Instead of preparing for the festivities, "you found yourself thinking more about, 'Is there going to be a parade?'" Porco said. "It was hard."
In Pasadena, Calif., hundreds of thousands of spectators were expected for the Rose Parade. Organizers said any economic hit they might have suffered was lessened because commitments to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on floats have been in place for at least a year.
"We may or may not feel the effects of the economy this year, but more likely next year," Tournament of Roses Chief Operating Officer Bill Flinn said. "We do feel one of our jobs is to bring optimism at a time when things are not so good for so many people."
And plenty of Americans seemed ready to celebrate — even the National Association of Realtors, despite a flood of foreclosures and a
