9. Unplug your life
Feel like the TV, computer or even the telephone is a larger-than-life fixture in your house? You're not alone. "The need to disconnect is one of the most important steps to take to focus on you," says Nora Spinks, president of Work-Life Harmony Enterprises in Toronto. "We check e-mail and return calls at 11 p.m. and then jump into bed and wonder why we can't sleep. Evidence is showing that all that go-go-go is impacting our immune systems. We are exhausted because we have less capacity to relax and rejuvenate."
"Think, Out of sight, out of mind," says Spinks, who suggests placing computers and televisions into lesser-used rooms, such as a separate den, rather than in a living room or bedroom. If they are in a principal rooms, don't make them a focal point. "Put them in an armoire or behind a screen -- whatever it takes to get them out of sight," she says. Limit your need to be on the computer: don't feel you have to screen incoming e-mail and reply right away, get off all listservs and stop forwarding jokes and frivolous e-mails to others. "Then people will stop sending them to you," she says. Better still, set some boundaries. Pick a set number of hours to watch television each week and stick to it and a certain number of times a week to check your personal e-mail account and home voice-mail messages. You might even resort to setting an oven timer to remind you that when time's up, it's time to pull the plug and reconnect with the rest of your life.
10. Ditch the diet
Been bouncing from Atkins to South Beach? Women whose weight fluctuated significantly were more likely to gain weight and binge, reports a study from Children's Hospital in Boston and Harvard Medical School. Replacing your bad eating habits with a sensible guide to great eating will not only boost your health, but more than likely also help you drop those pounds.
Forget about whatever fad diet you are on. Focus on healthy eating with Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating (www.hc-sc.gc.ca) as your foundation. Start with the smaller range of servings if you're not that active. Too overwhelmed to follow it all at once? Make weekly changes and start with overhauling one food group at a time, says Rosie Schwartz, a registered dietitian in Toronto. For example, Week 1, commit to eating breakfast on a daily basis because it will decrease your cravings and start you off on the right track. Focus on fruits and veggies and see how many you can eat in the morning. During Week 2, go for more whole grains by switching to whole grain bread instead of a plain bagel and sprinkle whole grain cereal on your mid-afternoon yogurt. Week 3, put dairy on your agenda and work on meeting your servings quota. "Instead of a large coffee, have a non-fat latte instead," suggests Schwartz. "Because variety is key to eating well, resolve that each week you'll make a new recipe." Writing a three-day food journal will show you where you're falling short nutrient-wise (or thickening up fat-wise). Plan meals ahead to avoid the 6 p.m. raid-the-fridge-for-dinner search. This will also help you follow the guide.
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