{"id":4604,"date":"2016-01-18T06:00:11","date_gmt":"2016-01-18T14:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/?p=4604"},"modified":"2016-01-17T10:59:47","modified_gmt":"2016-01-17T18:59:47","slug":"how-are-those-new-years-resolutions-going","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/?p=4604","title":{"rendered":"How Are Those New Year’s Resolutions Going?"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Bob Sparrow<\/p>\n

\"Resolutions<\/a>It\u2019s only half-past January and statistically 46%<\/strong> of you have made New Year resolutions that are now 100%<\/strong> in jeopardy. The rest of you didn\u2019t bother to make any resolutions, so once again our blog will be useless to you. For those still reading, as a public service, \u2018From A Bird\u2019s Eye View\u2019<\/strong> is offering simple, yet ineffective ways to approach your resolutions this year.<\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s look at the word resolution <\/em>\u2013 it come from the root word \u2018resolve\u2019<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

(ri-zolv)<\/em><\/strong> a transitive verb (duh, who didn\u2019t know that?) of Middle English\/Latin origin, originally meaning to dissolve, melt or loosen.<\/p>\n

Inexplicably, over time, this word has come to mean \u2018to come to a definite or earnest decision about\u2019<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0 So essentially the meaning has changed from \u2018loose\u2019<\/strong> to \u2018definite\u2019<\/strong> \u2013 with this kind of beginning, it\u2019s no wonder resolutions are so hard to keep. But let\u2019s not let semantics get in the way of our resolve to help you attain or forget those resolutions you so optimistically made just a few weeks ago.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve done a little research and, in order of popularity, here are the Top 10<\/strong> New Year\u2019s Resolutions<\/strong> nationwide, \"Top<\/a>followed by what some have said are insightful, others have dubbed useless, suggestions that could help make this year different . . . or not.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Weight loss<\/strong> \u2013 by far the most resolved lie of every New Year. This harkens back to the original meanings of \u2018definite\u2019 and \u2018loosen\u2019, as in you\u2019ll \u2018definitely\u2019 be \u2018loosening\u2019 your belt. Statistically, middle-aged to older adults gain between 6-8 pounds per year<\/strong> (women a little more than men \u2013 sorry ladies), so in order to lose weight, you not only have to lose the extra weight you already carry around, but lose the weight you don\u2019t even have yet! Not fair. Let\u2019s face it, you\u2019re probably not going to lose weight again this year, so just buy bigger clothes so you \u2018feel\u2019 thinner.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
    1. Improve finances<\/strong> \u2013 Unless you have a plan to win the lotto, get a different job, are in line for a big promotion, have a rich relative with a bloody cough, or are delusional about how the government is going to help you, this is not a resolution, it\u2019s a wish. Want to improve your finances? Stop buying those $5 lattes every morning! And just so you know, statistically, right after you win the lotto you\u2019ll be struck by lightning.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        \n
      1. Exercise more <\/strong>\u2013 This is a trap resolution, if you don\u2019t exercise at all, lifting another glass of wine would be exercising more, so here\u2019s a real tip: Don\u2019t underestimate the power of the walk. Every day, start at your house and walk 10 minutes down the road, then walk back. That\u2019s it! If a bar<\/strong> or a Baskin-Robbins<\/strong> is 10 minutes down the road, walk the other way.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
          \n
        1. Get a new job <\/strong>\u2013 Many who read our blog are either retired or too far down the road in their careers to genuinely consider this resolution, so reword this one to say, \u2018Get spouse a job\u2019.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
            \n
          1. Healthier eating <\/strong>\u2013 The list of foods that are healthy and unhealthy for you continues to change on a regular basis; so let me make this simple; assume the foods you\u2019re currently eating are or will be on the \u2018healthy\u2019 list and continue to eat \u00a0them, and drink . . . more water and less alcohol. Wait a minute, did I just suggest you drink less alcohol? Forget that, but do drink more water.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
              \n
            1. Manage stress better<\/strong> \u2013 this resolution assumes a) you have stress and b) you\u2019ve been managing it poorly. It\u2019s been reported that a certain amount of stress is actually good for you, so this year assume that whatever stress you have, is good for you. There now, doesn\u2019t that feel better already?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              7. Stop\u00a0<\/strong>or reduce smoking<\/strong> \u2013If you are still smoking, you already know that cigarettes contain more than 70 cancer-causing chemical compounds<\/strong>, which along with second-hand smoke, significantly affects yours and other\u2019s respiratory organs and immune systems and that half of all long-term smokers will die of tobacco-related death. So there\u2019s nothing that I\u2019m going to write here that\u2019s going to convince you to stop. However, if your doctor has told you, like mine has, that your body is actually low on the tar and nicotine found in Cuban cigars<\/strong>, then smoke \u2018em if you got \u2018em.<\/p>\n

                \n
              1. Improve a relationship<\/strong> \u2013 If you\u2019re bad at relationships, which statistically all of us men are and we just don\u2019t know it, start with something simple, like improving the relationship with your dog. Let him know that you\u2019ve peed on the carpet a few time yourself, of course you spent the night in the doghouse, but it was like camping with your dog. Just remember that your dog will forgive you long before your spouse will.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                9. Stop procrastinating <\/strong>\u2013 I\u2019ve got a lot of stuff on this, but I\u2019ll get it to you later.<\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. Stop\/reduce drinking alcohol<\/strong> \u2013 I think this one was worded incorrectly, it should read, Stop reducing alcohol drinking<\/strong>. This raises several questions:\n
                    \n
                  1. What alcohol has the best affect on your health?<\/li>\n
                  2. If some amount of alcohol is actually good for you, isn\u2019t more better?<\/li>\n
                  3. Can I actually drink someone handsome or pretty?<\/li>\n
                  4. How does alcohol actually improve my personality?<\/li>\n
                  5. Does alcohol really make me invisible sometimes?<\/li>\n
                  6. Why does alcohol make me sing better?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                    \"wine<\/a>I think the key here is to remember that whatever the question, wine is probably the answer!<\/p>\n

                     <\/p>\n

                    However you\u2019re managing your resolutions this year and even if you didn\u2019t make any, the good news is that January is almost over and then no one will be talking about resolutions anymore.<\/p>\n

                     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                    by Bob Sparrow It\u2019s only half-past January and statistically 46% of you have made New Year resolutions that are now 100% in jeopardy. The rest of you didn\u2019t bother to make any resolutions, so once again our blog will be … read more<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4612,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[502],"class_list":["post-4604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-holiday-observations","tag-new-years-resolutions"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Top-10.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p31aN0-1cg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4604"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4604\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4619,"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4604\/revisions\/4619"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}