It has been a busy holiday season filled with gatherings and gifting and lots of good cheer. Now is the moment when we need to consider a belated gift to ourselves. Yes, it’s time for a little reflection and good old New Year’s resolutions. Mine don’t seem to change much from year to year; sometimes I achieve them, sometimes I don’t. The smoke detector batteries are pretty straightforward. It’s the more nebulous ones that tend to trip me up. My yearly favorites are: number one, to spend more time with those I love; number two, to eat more healthfully; and number three, to exercise more (in no particular order).

Right off the bat I can give you a couple of great ideas. Salty’s has reengineered their menu to make it possible to gather with friends and family frequently. We have price points for every occasion, so stop by and let us help you easily achieve that goal. You relax and we do all the work. Love that. Second, we happen to specialize in some of the most healthful food on the planet. The lean protein of fish and seafood and our fresh local vegetables are so very good for you, plus we have plenty of healthy dishes or are happy to modify any dish to suit your dietary needs. Okay, resolutions one and two are easily solved for us. Yes, that was easy.

“Without exercise we step on that proverbial banana peel and slide.”

Now we must get on to the tougher goal, exercise. I have ideas for that one, too. Let’s start with the premise that exercise is absolutely essential. It is not the reward of the day when we get everything done, rather it is an essential ingredient we must build in. Get that mind set going and you are well on your way. Without exercise we step on that proverbial banana peel and slide. It’s a move-it or lose-it proposition. Exercise is not just beneficial for our bodies, but for our minds as well. This concept is well illustrated in Harvard professor Dr. John Rately’s best selling book Spark. His research explains the health benefits of exercise on the brain in a new and compelling way, which gives us even more reason to resolve to move.

I would also like to direct you to the incredible website sparkpeople.com which was created because of the book. It contains fantastic information and advice and is now considered one of the best health-related sites on the web. A brief synopsis of what Dr. Ratley’s research found is quite interesting and inspirational. Exercise actually keeps the brain from aging and helps us learn better and faster. It also promotes the rejuvenation of our brain cells and “sparks” our neurological connections. This improves our ability to think, learn and function on every level. Exercise has a way of interrupting the stress, pain and anxiety loop. Physical activity actually causes the production of serotonin, a chemical that affects us neurologically to give us a sense of well-being. Exercise is now technically a really brainy idea.

So let’s get our year off to a smart start. Let’s resolve to gather more with friends and family, eat delicious food that is good for us and include daily consistent exercise to move our year in the right direction. Happy New Year to you!