It’s an annual ritual: You make New Year’s resolutions — and then backslide, often before January is out. You meant well, but habits are hard to break, and perhaps your goals weren’t realistic. This year, consider resolutions that aren’t so hard to stick to. Don’t promise you’ll run five miles every day. You probably won’t. The key is to level with yourself, and you and your family will have a better 2017.

1. Exercise every day, but don’t overdo it at the start.

Even a 10-minute walk each day is far better than no physical activity, and small decisions like taking the stairs can make a difference. Consider inexpensive activities or sports that will be fun enough to keep you engaged. And remember to start slowly and build. You’ll be far more likely to keep things up if you don’t overtax yourself, and you may soon find your new activity addictive.

2. Get enough quality sleep.

This may require shifting a few habits, but eventually it will be as easy as nodding off. Experts say adults up to age 60 need seven hours of sleep each night for good health and top performance. So don’t eat or drink too much alcohol before bedtime, and avoid TV watching and gadgets in the bedroom. The more you associate the bed exclusively with sleep, the better you’ll do. Keep the bedroom dark and relatively cool, and try to retire about the same time every night.

3. Devote 15 minutes a day to yourself, alone.

It doesn’t matter whether you meditate, pray, read a novel or simply soak up the sunshine, a little daily “me time” can improve your attitude, relaxation and interactions with others. And don’t say you’re too busy. It’s actually not that hard to find part of the day for solitude. A small meeting room at the office or that old chair in the laundry room may offer refuge for a cup of tea or a few minutes of self-gratitude.

4. Become more polite to all.

In these coarse days, there may be no easier way to improve your life than finding kindness in yourself. The Golden Rule is the key: Always remember that people you’re dealing with have feelings. In tense situations, slow your reactions and think a moment. In any conflict, consider options for being less aggressive and more understanding. You can insist on your way without being disagreeable. Always say hello, find time for small talk, and remember names and details of other people’s lives. Learn to listen, and use appropriate language at all times. Others will like you better, and you will, too.

5. Learn one new thing each day, and retain it.

We all know some things very well — details about our jobs, or making a household run smoothly, or even sports statistics and trivia about movie stars. But few things enrich life more than knowledge for its own sake. These ideas will help you learn and retain something new each day: Find the “Featured Article” on Wikipedia’s main page, or check the Free Dictionary’s front page for interesting daily facts. Google “Did You Know?” or “Tell Me Why Facts” for fascinating tidbits. Listen to podcasts or read a daily newspaper. You’ll have far more varied topics to talk about, and you’ll thank yourself.

Angel of the Here and Now


Angel McVay’s two New Year’s resolutions go hand-in-hand with finding time for yourself. For one thing, she hopes to master the sitar, which she calls a “very complicated instrument.” But her main project is to “be more in the present, not worrying about the past or the future.”

That’s one outgrowth of a year and a half of treatment she underwent after discovering that she had Stage 4 breast cancer in July 2015. That meant chemotherapy, surgery and radiation, and now a commitment to getting her health and strength back. “I’ll be hiking, bike riding and spending time with my family.”

She’ll also find time for yoga, which has been a focus since she started practicing six years ago. She opened the Arkansas Yoga Collective on Cantrell Road in 2014 but has since sold that enterprise to partners. Nevertheless, the mindset endures.

Her husband, Scott McGehee, is executive chef and partner in Yellow Rocket Concepts, the group behind ZaZa’s, Big Orange, Local Lime, Heights Taco & Tamale and Lost Forty Brewery. Children include daughter Chloe, 13, and stepsons Milo and Eli, 17 and 15.