Making twelve healthy lifestyle changes in a year sounds ambitious. To make it easy, simply adopt one change per month. For inspiration meditate on each month's verse.

JANUARY - New Year's Resolution

Determine to incorporate one healthy change in your lifestyle each month.

...Like a lily among thorns, so are you, my love among the daughters. -Song of Solomon 2:2 (The Amplified Bible)

FEBRUARY - Be Your Valentine

Take care of your heart! Start adding cardiovascular exercises to your week walking, jogging, biking, swimming, etc. Work up to a minimum of 3x per week for 15-30 minutes a day.

My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. -Psalm 73:26

MARCH - Eating of the Greens

Eat plenty of vegetables! Especially the green ones like broccoli.

The LORD called your name, Green Olive Tree, Lovely and of Good Fruit. -Jeremiah 11:16

APRIL - April Showers

Hydrate yourself! Work up to a minimum of 8-10oz glasses a day.

I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. -Ezekiel 34:26

MAY - May Flowers

Include salads with your meals! Watch out for high calorie dressings. Low fat soups are also a great beginning to your meal.

For lo, the winter is past...The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove -Song of Solomon 2:11,12

JUNE - June Brides

Be a Lady in Weighting! Start with low weights. Work up to a minimum of 2x per week. Crunches can also be included.

...And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. -Isaiah 62:5

JULY - Independence Day

Celebrate freedom from diets! Start cutting portion size. Go nuts! And beans too. Nuts curb the appetite (not too many), and beans add fullness to a light portion.

But thank God you've started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom! I'm using this freedom language because it's easy to picture. You can readily recall, can't you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like doing-not caring about others, not caring about God-the worse your life became and the less freedom you had? And how much different is it now as you live in God's freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness? -Romans 6:15-18 (The Message)

AUGUST - Gone Fishing

Include fish in your diet! Start with one portion a week.

Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught."...Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast."...Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish. -John 21:9-13

SEPTEMBER - Back to School

Bring two apples to school (work)! Eat a minimum of 3 to 4 servings of fruit per day. This will help to cut sweet cravings too.

And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. -Genesis 1:29

OCT0BER - Harvest Time

Reap the benefits of whole grains foods! Start substituting white rice, pasta, and flours for whole grain versions.

For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing;...When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you. -Deuteronomy 8:7

NOVEMBER - Happy Thanksgiving

Give thanks to God! Your lifestyle changes are almost complete.

Cut fat intake! Chose the low fat version of foods like turkey, instead of hamburgers. Gradually switch from whole milk to skim, etc.

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, -Psalm 107:1-2

DECEMBER - Merry Christmas

The best gift you've given yourself is a healthy well-maintained body.

But now that you've found you don't have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God's gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master. -Romans 6:22-23 (The Message)

All scriptures are from the New Kings James Version unless otherwise noted.