The new year is upon us and many of us will be making resolutions to improve ourselves. While self improvement is always a good thing to ponder, you might want to take some time to remember previous years and how successful you were in meeting your goals. Statistics show most people don't do so well. Hey, I'm the first to admit I've been horrible at my resolutions. But instead of just throwing in the towel, let's look at the reasons we aren't sticking to our goals. By understanding how to set proper goals, maybe you and I can both reach some significant self improvement goals in 2014.

Now that the bulk of the holidays are over, you might be noticing some bulking of the waistband. If you're like me and you've been indulging in some things you wouldn't normally eat, a healthy detox smoothie might be just the thing to jump you back into healthy eating.

While we are celebrating the holidays and probably eating more than we should, many of us are already planning how we're going to lose some extra pounds in January. There's a good chance one of your New Year's Resolutions is to lose weight and get healthier. 

Next week is Thanksgiving and officially kicks off eating season. The average American consumes 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat at Thanksgiving dinner alone - more than twice what you should be eating daily. That doesn't include any other meals you'll eat that day and all the leftovers consumed several days after.

I'm personally not one who wants to count calories during Thanksgiving as the holiday is more about enjoying time with your family and eating dishes you wouldn't normally indulge in. Holiday food brings back fond memories of family tradition and good times so I automatically shut off when I hear people preaching non-traditional dishes to replace normal fair. I don't find anything celebratory about eating seeds, raw kale, fat free processed foods, and meat substitutes. There may be a time for that, but in my opinion that time is NOT Thanksgiving dinner.

With Fall upon us and a nice chill in the air it's time to get ready for holidays. Everyone is pulling out their decorations from storage, putting grocery lists together, and preparing for gatherings of friends and family. It also happens to be squash season and the king of all squash is our friend, the pumpkin. You are most likely going to be inundated with pumpkins this time of year - Jack-o-lanterns, pumpkin bread, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, and pumpkin ice cream are just a few things you might be surrounded by.

The cool days of Fall are now upon us and that means one thing to me - chili season. I love chili in all of it's traditional formats. Meat, beans, tomatoes, and strong flavors of cumin and dried chiles are what I consider to be key for a delicious bowl of red. Lately however, I've been leaving out the meat to make the dish lighter and I really haven't missed it.

Severe gum disease can cause your gums to start pulling away from your teeth. You may also form pockets between your teeth and gums and develop infections, cavities and even begin to lose your teeth. Poor oral health can lead to heart disease, kidney disease and even stroke. Many people may be surprised to know that gum disease and oral health can be negatively affected by having diabetes. On the flip side, poor oral health can lead to poor glucose control and eventually diabetes. Essentially, understanding the link between diabetes and oral health can help a person maintain proper oral health. This is necessary in order to stay healthy and keep diabetes at bay or under control.

The dog days of summer are officially over and I'm not missing the heat at all. I will, however, be missing all of the fresh local produce at our farmers market on Sundays. It's such a great experience to go buy locally grown and produced products from small farms and purveyers of goods and it's become a staple of our spring and summer. Aside from the excellent prices, quality, and sustainable methods, it's great to meet the actual people that are producing your food and who take pride in bringing you their best. To read further about our love of buying local, check out our recent blog post.

Nudge is here to help make wellness easy, fun, and effective for your organization. In our continuing series of articles to help you roll out an effective wellness initiative, we've covered 5 important topics including:

It's starting to get cold outside and that means one thing - rich, hearty soup season. There are few things better than sliding your chair up to a warm bowl of great soup when it's cold outside. I like all types of soups and creamy soups are some of my favorites. Chowders, broccoli cheese, potato, and cream of just about anything are always top of my list. These soups are certainly tasty but they're also incredibly fattening. Usually cream soups contain - you guessed it - heavy cream along with butter, cheese, bacon, and other thickeners such as flour and corn starch.