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It doesnt have to be a New Year's resolution for one to set goals pertaining to their health and fitness. While participating in regular exercise, losing weight, and eating right are much easier said than done, it is suggested that setting goals in this department should become a gradual process. Since many diets and exercise plans tend to fail, it is highly recommended to start out slow in order to provide the best chances for achievement and success. Below you will find some of the most common goals for health and fitness:

1) Shed Pounds

Every New Years' Eve, millions of people struggle with the goals they have set to lose weight. Whether it is 5, 10, or 50 pounds, losing weight has always been a popular goal high up on the list of many objectives in life. Unfortunately, so many people fail despite all of the diet fads, fat-free snacks, and weight-loss programs. In the end, self-improvement and motivation are some of the key factors that drive people towards weight loss success.

2) Push Yourself

When it comes to health and fitness goals, it is important to keep pushing forward and try new things that aim to boost your overall health. You never want to miss out on the experiences that helps shape a life, tests character, or pushes an individual to learn more about themselves. You never know how high you'll climb a mountain unless you take the time to try. Achievement is a great way to improve the way you view your life and create future goals.

A few examples on pushing yourself to succeed in your weight loss, health, and fitness goals is to attempt a demanding workout plan (such as advanced Taebo), increase the number of miles you walk or run, take up an advanced swimming class, join local sporting competitions, ride your bike to work or the store, and eliminate junk food for a month.

3) Build Muscles

You dont have to become a bodybuilder to appreciate the self-improvement and achievement of building healthier muscle mass. Not only does lifting light weights or tossing up a few dumbbells help tone the body, but muscles burn more calories than fat. For many, confidence levels and self-esteem skyrockets when results appear. Just remember in order to stay on track following your program is a must, which requires a certain level of self-discipline and motivation.

4) Tone the Body

A firm backside or solid thigh and calf muscles are just some of the things that toning the body may accomplish. When working on the curves and appearance of your exterior shell, the things you dread (such as cellulite and extra weight) start to disappear and a more chiseled physique begins to emerge.

5) Drink More water

The recommended daily intake of water is eight glasses, which should increase when adding heavy exercise to your regular workout routine or during the spring and summer months. For many, it is rather hard to consume desired amounts of water, but there are a few ways to stay on track. Whenever you eat a meal or snack, make sure to consume 1 to 2 glasses of water. When counting your ounces becomes a drag invest in a water bottle (with known capacity), which helps keep track of your intake.

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How do you find tranquility and inner-peace? The answer is simple, but for the masses to practice regularly, is another matter. The answer is take a Yoga class.

Yoga contains many physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional, aspects for the holistic health of mankind. Yet, how many real pro-active people do you know? If you visit a Yoga studio, Yoga class, or an ashram, you will meet many people who take care of themselves.

Some of the more well known Yogic techniques are asana, meditation, pranayama, mantras, mudras and bandhas, but there is a lot more to Yoga than techniques. It is the Yoga off the mat, which causes life changing results. For example: Lets look at meditation a bit closer.

many people practice meditation in the morning or evening, when the rest of their family is in bed. If you wake up early, the morning should suit you. However, if you go to bed late, then meditate at night.

This is the easiest way to develop a regular routine, create a steady practice, and calm your mind. It will take a few weeks to feel results, but they come from practice. What kind of results can you expect from meditation?

Some of the many Yoga meditation benefits include: happiness, emotional stability, creativity, and clear thought. You can also reduce stress, anxiety, moodiness, and depression, with a regular meditation practice. There are many more benefits from meditation, which can be measured on the physical and mental levels.

When you are not meditating, you can forgive others, give to others, be mindful, avoid judging others, show loving kindness, and do not seek rewards. You will see that rewards will come back to you, which is fine, but do not refuse loving kindness from others.

This is the Law of Karma. You perform an action and the universe responds with a reaction. You accept the reaction. You help people and people help you. We do not have to hoard our possessions, but we have a moral obligation to help those who need us.

Yoga and meditation have sometimes been accused of having self-indulgent practitioners by religious fundamentalists. This is interesting because Yoga and meditation have practitioners from every religion.

Self-indulgent materialism often occurs, when people are spiritually disconnected. Yet, Yoga opens the spiritual connection to God, which will result in the unification of mind, body, and spirit.

So, how do you find tranquility and inner-peace? Forgive the foolish because it will do no good to hate them, and it is a waste of energy. Give to those who need because giving is the greatest reward in life. Become a fountain of loving kindness and good things will be magnetized to you.

Some will ask, Why should you forgive, give, be mindful, or show loving kindness? The answer is: Because it is right; every religion agrees, and it is too much work to avoid helping those who need it.

Copyright 2007 Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-Book: "Yoga in practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

When yoga teachers gather in a workshop to hear a lecture about communication - what is the first topic that comes to mind? Is it cueing skills, voice inflection, or when to ask a student for permission to assist? Those are important issues for anyone who teaches yoga, but lets take a look at many more areas that could use some work.

Communication is a two way street. How can we exchange ideas if students are made to feel stupid for asking questions? Granted, yoga classes cannot operate like an open forum, if you have a lesson plan in mind, but a student who is experiencing pain should not have to feel bad for asking about it. Nor should he or she have to wait until the end of class to ask an impatient teacher about his or her pain.

Listen Empathically: When a student asks a yoga-related question during class time, the yoga instructor present, should listen to all of the details. There are times when a yoga student asks questions, which are on the mind of many more classmates.

For some yoga students, it takes a lot of courage to ask a question in a group setting. Some students ponder questions for days before asking them. Their heart rate may rise because it took courage to ask the question.

With all this said, listening is a primary communication skill. As a yoga teacher, you are respected by your students, so do not violate a trust by bolstering your ego. The key is to listen intently, because you may have questions of your own, which will result in a deeper answer.

Who becomes a yoga students best teacher during hatha Yoga practice? His or her body, and mind, must eventually be the best Yoga teacher. If not, we have failed to give our students the gift of self-realization. To go further: yoga students must learn to think for themselves. If they are dependent on a yoga teacher, all the time, then our teaching method is flawed.

Why do I say this? If a student is not present for yoga practice, we must make him or her gently aware of it. There is no need to make students dependent on us. Good students will always return to yoga class.

yoga must still be practiced after our students have rolled up their mats. Breathing, walking, talking, eating, posturing, and acting with mindfulness, is the sign of a yoga practitioner. All of the amazing physical feats are nice, but any flexible pilates student, dancer, gymnast, or martial artist, could do the same.

Copyright 2007 Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of yoga teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free yoga e-book: "yoga in practice," and a Free yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html