Whatever the topic of your goal, making sure it's "SMART" will help you make it a reality.  Learn more in my original "Set Smart Goals" post.

What are your goals for 2014?  

Other Dare You To tips for your resolutions:

• Set non-traditional resolutions, or try small resolutions
• #1 Tip: Dare you to write them down to make them reality!
• Use the Lift App to help establish new daily habits
• Know the difference between Setbacks and Failure - don't give up! You've got a year.  
• Also, it's okay to change your plans.  Don't beat yourself up if new circumstances arise.
• Once again, make sure your goals are "SMART"!  And then continue to check in on your progress.

Personally, I'm looking at a few focuses for the new year.  I admit they don't quite fit the paradigm above, but I'll work out details soon. For now, I've got some big-picture ideas to work on.

Thanks to new opportunities, the time from January - May will likely be an exciting but stressful time for me. For this reason, I'm aiming to intentionally not place additional stress my mind or body while I'm stressed enough as it is. With that in mind, my coming focuses are:

• Mind: Time management
• Mono-task. Practice being more focused.  
• Stop wasting time online (this app is helpful)
• Prioritize priorities (and noting 2-to-3 top priorities, not ten) 
• Body: Posture improvement
• Sit up straight, stand up straight; stop hunching over my desk
• Look into tools to help with this -- any suggestions?
• YOGA!
• Spirit:  Practice gratitude and journal
• Continue writing down Three Good Things
• Use the one-sentence journal that was gifted to me last year by my friend Becky (image, right) -- (I used for a month or two before waning off. This time, I'll stick with it!) 
• Let this help with my other two goals, so I can learn from errors and improve throughout the year. 

Hope those of you that celebrate had a lovely joy-filled holiday!  Now, we're just six days away from the new year, and just FIVE days away from the release of a new book that can help you achieve your health goals for the new year.

I've said before that I'm a fan of the work of Jonathan Bailor and listen to his podcast frequently.  When I heard he was publishing a book that would contain all his well-phrased findings in one package, I was eager to learn more and share it with all of you.  I contacted Jonathan with an offer to review his new book, and was so excited when he agreed to send over an advance copy!  Now I can tell you all about it, just in time for you to pre-order before it is released on December 31.

His new book is a complete guide to all the science he has uncovered independently, seeking to find the most proven path to health and fitness.  Now, I dare you to free yourself of the calorie myths by reading Jonathan Bailor's new book:

The Calorie Myth: How to Eat More, Exercise Less, Lose Weight, and Live Better.

The Calorie Myth is the myth--or the set of myths--that have been propogated by popular media, medical professionals, and government recommendations, claiming that the most (or only) important factor in your health and weight management is counting calories.  The myth holds that if you eat the right amount of calories and burn the right amount of calories, you can achieve your dream body and attain health.  This has resulted in obsessive calorie-counting, severe food restriction, and even unhealthy starvation.

Jonathan Bailor is here to free us of this myth and give us our lives back.  If calorie-counting is the answer to achieving health, then why have we gotten fatter and sicker ever since the calorie has become so widely understood?  What has gotten us to this world in which children now have a lower life expectancy than their parents?  HOW can we reverse the trend and reclaim our health?


Who is this book for?  The main market for this book is probably those who have been yo-yo dieting for a long time, not seeing the results they want from calorie restriction, but a wider audience could certainly benefit.  What's important to note is that the focus should be on HEALTH, and weight loss will follow naturally.  I'd hold that even those who already eat a real-foods diet can benefit from reading this.  It is great to be reminded why you eat the way you do, and to collect knowledge that will help you explain your lifestyle to others (or to give as a gift).  It's also good for anyone who claims they know calories aren't all that matter, but hasn't fully, truly embraced the mentality.  He uses science to bust "The Calorie Myth" and provides a more efficient, more enjoyable route to health.

Read on to learn more about what's inside the book, and for a GIVEAWAY!

Paleo Friendsgiving! 

Finally, all the dishes were ready and dinner was served!

Thank you to Diane Sanfilippo and Danielle Walker for so many of the recipes that inspired this meal! Find their paleo/grain-free cookbooks on Amazon, including Danielle Walker's Thankful, 20 Thanksgiving and Holiday Gluten-free and Paleo Recipes

#proud

Danielle Digging In

And dessert happened, too.  The pumpkin cookies were out of this world, and I swooned over Amber's chocolate pecan pie.



Thank you, Rebecca, for hosting us, and thanks to all the wonderful women at our friendsgiving for the good eats and fun night! I look forward to seeing you all again, soon!

Have you ever partaken in a "friendsgiving"?  Share your stories below!