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It's the end of a long, hard work week and you can't wait for the big hand to reach five. It's Friday and you know you have earned the right to a restful weekend. But as we all know, weekends hold agendas that are all too often filled with baskets full of laundry, carpets in need of vacuuming, and catching up on other work that the weekdays didn't grant you. Sigh... here's to two fun-filled days that you hoped would bring you joy and happiness.
Sometimes, the best advice is to forget the laundry and put up your feet. You're probably thinking, is she out of her mind for even suggesting that? Well, let me clarify, you have to get things done, but it doesn't have to all get done the way you had planned. Why not save your weekend and stress levels in the process?

Here's 5 ways you can save your weekend, while getting the things you need done.

We all think about changing, and how changing would be a good idea. But when it comes to actually making changes... something happens and we find ourselves saying, "Okay, tomorrow I'll change, or maybe even asking ourselves, "why can't I change". The bottom line is, change has to come from within, and your readiness to change determines if, when, and how that change will occur.
Change is a process. So how does change occur, and more importantly how can you change? It doesn't happen overnight. The road to change can be tricky. There are different stages of change we may find ourselves in. The stage of change you find yourself, determines the behavioural changes you may make. The first step in making change is determining what stage of change you currently find yourself.

Change depends on your readiness for it. In my last blog post, I discussed the different stages of change you may experience, on your path to mobilizing toward change. After reading, you may have figured out where you are in your stage of change. Now the question is, how do you move into the next stage? Here are some suggestions to help you move forward in your quest for change.

If you are in the Pre-Contemplation Stage you are avoidant of change and may not even recognize you have a problem. Until you recognize you have a problem you will not be able to move forward. Usually there has to be some type of turning point in your life, to make you face the fact that change is necessary. For example, maybe your doctor has told you that you are facing health related problems because of your weight; this makes you see that change is necessary to live a healthy life.

"Making the absolute best of ourselves is not an easy task. It is a pleasurable pursuit... but it requires patience, persistence, and perseverance."                

                   -Sarah Ban Breathnach, author

How many of us have easily made a resolution, started working toward it, and by mid January its non-existent? I think it's safe to say many of us can identify with this. Days leading up to New Years Eve, the question is, what are your New Year's resolutions? From personal experience, most people I know have more than one resolution up their sleeve. They're confident that this is the year that they will follow through with their resolution...unlike other years. Sound familiar? Well, according to a recent Toronto Star Article, where numbers were compiled on this very subject, it was found that only 19 percent of Canadians kept their New Year's resolutions for the entire year. Also, there are similarities in the resolutions Canadians make. The number one resolution is to lose weight, while stop smoking came at second, and sticking to a budget came at number three. With 68 percent of Canadians making resolutions last year, it's interesting that majority of us want to better ourselves. But only a small percentage follows through on their New Year's resolutions, with most people losing motivation in the first month of January.