An article like this usually appears in a January newsletter, not December. But we’re gonna change things around this time. This year, we’re gonna cheat a little.

Reading this, you find yourself right in the middle of holiday season. Usually, the words “holiday season” are code for “throw out all dieting rules and cut loose with the sweets!” It seems like this should be the worst time to encourage new habits and “resolutions.” In my mind, though, it’s the best time. Here are some reasons why.

First, have you ever made a resolution in January and actually stuck with it? I’ve met only a few people who ever stuck with it. Those who did usually got a head start and figured, “Why wait?”

Also, what you do from Halloween until New Year’s Day either stacks the deck for you or against you. Nearly three months of uninterrupted sweets can do massive harm to your body, not to mention your will. It represents almost a full quarter of the year! Every week you either avoid the cookies and the fudge trays being passed around the office and Sunday School classes, or you indulge. And let’s face it – it’s easier to indulge. Before long, it’s a habit.

Why not “start over” today? You still have nearly a whole month’s head start that you can either dedicate to achieving your fitness goals, or an extra month of finding yourself deeper into bad habits, dealing with the return of symptoms, and the loss of energy and will.

Try something this month. Pretend you’re “starting with a clean slate.” Let’s all cheat, and get started on our New Year’s resolutions right now. Here are a few tips to help you along the way:

Between now and Christmas, practice the Phase 1 Diet. Find some recipes in Eating Your Way To Good Health, learn how to prepare them to your palate, and stick with them for a few weeks. By Christmas, you may find yourself feeling so much better that you’re simply not interested in the sweets being passed around.

If you go to the office, take some nutritious snacks with you, like sliced green apples and almond butter. When the 10-pound canister of caramel popcorn comes around, pull out your snack instead. It’ll be hard in the beginning, but eventually you’ll begin to feel sorry for your swollen, ill colleagues.

Start your exercise routine right now. If you can run, then run. If you can walk, then walk. If you can do calisthenics in your living room, do those. Use this “head start” time in December to get used to it, get over the soreness, and develop the habit by the time New Year’s Day arrives. You’ll be so glad you’re not like the throngs of people who are lumbering into the gym in January only to have failed by February. Determine a modest amount of weight you’d like to lose by the time January 1st comes. Achieve it, and there will be no looking back throughout the entire year.

Get your supplement routine down this month. Start with a comprehensive multi. Build from there. You’ll probably want some immune support, some probiotics, and maybe some symptom-specific supplements, as well. If you’re one of those people who forget to take your supplements, use this month to figure out how to stick with it. Maybe you should put your supplements in little baggies to carry with you. Maybe you should lay everything out in a place you’ll be sure to pass by during the day. Whatever you need to do, use a “no excuses” mindset to bolster you along.

“No Excuses.” That may be a good motto for you this coming year. Every time an authority figure in your life tells you what you’ll do and when you’ll do it, you find a way, don’t you? Why not be your own boss, though? Set your schedule around your new habits. Leave nothing to chance. Go to bed a little earlier, wake up a little sooner, plan a little more closely. Don’t let this one slip from you like it may have done before.

2008 begins early for you this year. Cheat a little by getting a head start, and take this month to get your habits firmly in place. Have a “No Excuses” attitude. Plan your success, and when you do succeed, write to us and tell us how you’re doing.

Good luck!