The New Year represents a perfect opportunity to set realistic and highly achievable goals for a new you in 2007. When it comes to New Year's resolutions it is easy to set goals that are so far reaching that they can not be attained without an extremely dedicated and sustained effort. Thus we will explore some healthy habits for a better life that will also help you to feel fantastic about yourself.

Exercise

The most common New Year's resolution people have involves exercise. A realistic, achievable goal in this arena includes adding 15 minutes of walking to your daily routine. Simple steps such as parking further away from local spots where you run errands such as the supermarket, the bank and even your house are relatively easy to incorporate into one's life. On the weekends, we recommend that you go for a nice brisk walk at the start of your day. This easy exercise is excellent for maintaining healthy bones and good postural support. If you do have a gym membership, the same benefits can be derived from use of the elliptical machine or bicycle for 15 minutes at least twice a week.

Similarly, stretching should be part of every exercise regime and only requires 2-3 minutes of time. Reaching down to touch your toes, leaning backwards, then to each side followed by calf and hamstring stretching are excellent for improving lower extremity tone.

Weight Management

The second most common resolution usually involves weight management. Here one should return to the basics. This is due to the fact that almost every diet on the market incorporates relatively basic principles. By eliminating red meats and sweetened drinks, cutting down the portion size of carbohydrates by half and increasing the amount of fruit, vegetables and salad that you consume, you will be well on your way to a new you without spending unnecessary dollars on an expensive diet plan. When the basic principles of taking in less fattening food are combined with a daily exercise regimen, one can manage their weight appropriately.

Finances

The last area of resolution, rounding out the top three recommendations for a new you involves finance. We have an easy recommendation that everyone should incorporate into their savings plan. One can purchase individual shares of stock for dozens of companies at Sharebuilder.com for less than twenty-five dollars. We then encourage people to enroll in the direct reinvestment of dividend option which costs nothing. Finally, one can elect to also have $25.00 directly transferred from your bank account to purchase an additional share each payday. This painless way of saving will allow you to become a stockholder and accumulate more than a dozen shares each year. Over time, these shares make an excellent addition to any retirement portfolio. Likewise, individual shares of stock are a phenomenal gift idea for young children, as a way to encourage them to start saving wisely while the years for appreciation are enormously in their favor.

For those, who wish to make a greater sacrifice, we recommend the funding of an IRA account by April 15th. Most individuals can take a direct deduction on their taxes for this contribution. However, if it is not possible to maximize this year's contribution of $4,000.00, consider direct transfers of approximately $150.00 biweekly to the financial institution where you establish your IRA. Many people are surprised at how painless this transaction is in their overall ability to meet their current expenses. This is due to the fact that many of us do not create budgets and thus we often lose track of at least $200.00 every month. In addition, the more we earn, the more we spend. We all say that we wish we could save more and with the forethought to make saving automatic, this goal can be easily achieved.

We at BlackWomensHealth.com have incorporated the above recommendations into our own lives and have found them to be easier than first imagined. Therefore, do not hesitate to contact us about your successes and any difficulties that you encounter so that we may pass your comments onto others. Have a healthy, blessed and prosperous New Year from our family to yours.