If the newsletter seems a little off this week, I apologize.

My laptop's power cord went beserk-o this week, and thus my
battery won't remain charged.  That means...yes, Armageddon HAS
arrived at my house, and I won't have access to my personal
computer for the next 8 to 10 business days.  God bless extended

warranties, but geez, what did we do before computers
came along?

That being said, I still read my trusty daily newspaper during
lunchtime, and this week found an interesting article on the back
page.  Turns out a new study from the University of Cambridge in
the UK proved you can get an extra 14 years out of life if you do
the following four things:

--don't smoke
--eat lots of fruits and vegetables
--exercise regularly
--drink alcohol in moderation

Wow. I had no idea. (Chuckle.)  I think everyone knows this.
Right?

But then it hit me. It's not like those are hard things to do.  Yes,
you probably want to lose weight and keep it off, but I think if
someone offered you an extra 14 years, you'd probably take
them up on it, right? 

So if you've tried dieting and exercising and programs and
counters and special food and eating nothing but shakes or
grapefruit, take heart.  Take one step at a time.  Start by
creating those four healthy habits.

Read more here:
www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/08/health/main3689054.shtml?source=R
SSattr=Health_3689054

***

I heard about a new "fad diet" on talk radio the other day.  I
won't mention names.

Some good stuff, until the person being interviewed talked about
eating four times a day at regular intervals.  That's when I tuned
out.

That works great if you're home all day making up your own
schedule.  Not so great if you're at work and have a bunch of
meetings with clients.  Or maybe you're a mom at home with kids,
where every day is different and you never really know where you'll
be at precisely 10:30 a.m.  Perhaps you're on a business trip,
your car breaks down, you go on vacation, your in-laws show up for
a visit...you get the point.

You'll fall off the wagon, and then - wham!  There goes your "diet".

I still haven't found a "diet" that works as well as my "un-diet".
Just last weekend my brother-in-law cornered me to ask how Chris
and I lost weight and look so great.  I think there was some
sibling rivalry at work--he's my husband's older brother--but his
curiosity was plain.  He's about 100 pounds overweight and knows it.

I shared some of what we do and it seemed to encourage him. I hope
he gives it a try.  And I hope you do, too.

You can get a copy of our "strategy" (it's not a diet) here:
http://www.realpeopledontdiet.com

***

I received a lot of positive feedback on my New Year's issue, so
thought I'd repeat the four resolutions I made (and what I'm using to
work on them).  Hope they're helpful to you.  

Just for fun, write and let me know what you're shooting for in 2008,
and what you're doing to get  'er done.  I'll feature the best responses
in a future newsletter.  Write me at cate AT realpeopledontdiet.com.

Here goes:

Simplifying/Planning--"Bizzimom Planner"
http://www.bizzi2go.com

Organizing My Files--"Oh-So Organized Filing System"
http://www.getorganizednow.com

Get Out Of Debt--"Own Your Paycheck Again"
http://www.OwnYourPaycheck.com

Start/Build My Home Business--"SiteBuildIt!"
http://buildit.sitesell.com/budgetbuild.html

***

That's all for now.  Gotta check on that power cord shipment.

Thanks for reading.  I know your time is valuable!