It's only January 4, but you'd be surprised how quickly some people break their New Year's resolution(s). I've resolved to accomplish two things from the get-go: (1) Lose weight, and (2) Read every single day. So far, I've done just that, losing a pound within the last two days while reading at least five pages daily. After the novelty of the New Year has worn off, it can be all too tempting to crawl back into our comfort zone. But we must resist the urge to revert to our old ways, whether it be snacking at all hours of the day or always putting exercise on the back burner. The New Year provides the opportunity to start anew -- physically, mentally and emotionally -- and that means pressing the "reset" button rather than the "rewind" button. A person can begin working toward their goals any day of the year -- whether January 1, April 20, or September 30. But somehow, the start of the year gives one the feeling of starting with a clean...

Do you prefer talking about people -- or discussing ideas? For example, if you had a choice between chatting with your coworker about her neighbor's friend's cousin, or conversing about something more substantive -- say, human behavior, the future of the U.S. under Donald Trump, or research-backed ways to lose weight -- which would you choose? As you can probably guess, I strongly favor the latter. When it comes to people-centered conversations, I become very bored after a while unless the conversation concerns something impressive the subject has done (e.g., graduate with honors or start his own business). I find the most compelling conversations to be those I can (1) relate to, and (2) ultimately learn something from. For example, if I were looking to sell my property, I would take great interest in a friend's drawn-out speech on everything her sister went through to sell her townhouse. If I were looking to buy new tires for my car, I'd listen attentively to...

If there's one thing I've learned in this unpredictable labyrinth we call life, it's that we can achieve much more by complaining less . Once you let negative thoughts creep into your head -- like "I can't do it," "I don't want to do it," and "this is too hard" -- your resolve is stopped in its tracks and you become paralyzed into inaction. So how do you avoid this mental trap? You get to work -- without even thinking about it! If you start thinking about the myriad reasons why you don't want to do something, the chances of you doing it drop precipitously. In other words, we won't be inclined to take action when we're subconsciously trotting out reasons for why we shouldn't. For example, let's say you're trying to lose weight. If you find any excuse in the book not to go to the gym -- you're tired after working all day, you don't like to exercise when it's dark outside, you hate being all sw...

The things we value most are those we have to work hard to obtain or achieve. If someone were to hand you a trophy with your name and "world's best swimmer" engraved on it when you couldn't swim to save your life, would it mean anything to you? Of course not. You didn't earn it, so it holds no value. If losing weight were as easy as waving a magic wand, do you think one would still feel the same sense of accomplishment as they would upon completing an intense weight-loss program? Not at all. It's one thing to get something done -- it's another to overcome an arduous challenge that tests our patience and mettle. There's a reason most people blow their diets and New Year's resolutions and fail to get through law school and Ph.D. programs. When the going gets tough, many people buckle under the pressure and give up. That's precisely why reaching the finish line can be so gratifying. If something comes too easy, though, we tend not to a...

We all know about the myriad benefits of exercise, from helping us lose weight to lowering our blood pressure. A recent study in the journal  Psychosomatic Medicine finds that it also helps adults with high-anxiety sensitivity -- or fear of anxiety and related sensations like sweating, dizziness, or a racing heart -- quit smoking. By reducing anxiety sensitivity and depressive symptoms, exercise makes it twice as likely that these individuals will kick their smoking habit. I always encourage my friends and loved ones to exercise -- and with good reason. The benefits go way beyond the physical. When I go to the gym, put on my headphones, and blast the music while on the treadmill or elliptical, I feel fantastic. Not only does it melt away my worries, but it puts me in a good mood -- and I feel more energized (not less so, as contradictory as that may seem) once I get home. If you're not big on exercising, I recommend that you put in at least a couple of hours a week. (I aim to h...

Whatever goal it is you're aiming for -- landing a better job, losing weight, finding a boyfriend -- it's imperative that you NOT do one thing that will most certainly set you back rather than put you closer to the finish line: complain. You can grumble incessantly over the fact that your current job has made you miserable since you first got it three years ago. You can complain non-stop that all those trips to McDonald's after work have resulted in your gaining 30 pounds. You can beat yourself up over not listening to your friends and putting yourself out there more to increases your chances of snagging a great guy. But what good does that do? What's done is done. There's no use of harping over things that can't be changed. Bygones will be bygones. Put aside the "buts" and "what ifs" and move forward. Complaining about things you can't change does nothing but build negativity and lead to feelings of guilt and resentment. While ...

In many relationships, partners are particularly finicky about how much they feel their partner should weigh. As someone who prefers curvier women, I'll admit that I've told my wife I prefer she not get too skinny . But it seems most women (and men, for that matter) have the opposite dilemma: their partners insist that they keep their weight at or below a certain threshold. Notice how I used the word "prefer" above when referring to my wife's weight. If she chooses to lose more than I'd like, that's really her decision. I won't love her any less for it. If she were to gain weight, I'd still love her just the same. I would never put pressure on her to cater to my preferences. I might only become more emphatic in my desire that she gain or lose weight if I see her going too far in one direction. When health becomes a serious concern, that's when I'll make sure she hears me loud and clear. I think it's perfectly normal for our part...