We wait for the New Year to make changes to ourselves, whether it is losing some weight, quit smoking, to give back, or to find true love.

Losing weight

It's the top of everyone's resolutions, and usually the hardest one to start. After partying all night on New Year's Eve no one wants to go out and sign up for a gym membership. Start with S.M.A.R.T:

Specific: Make a specific goal and commit it to paper and put it in a visible area so you are reminded of your goal.

Measurable: Measure the amount of weight that you want to lose.

Realistic: Make the goal something you can achieve.

Time: Divide the goal into four different time lines (one for each season) example-lose 20 pounds in the year, five pounds each season.

Step two look up exercise tips on the internet, Women's Health magazine and Fitness Magazine has some excellent work out tips for target areas and even podcasts' and videos you can download to your iPod.

Next, sign up at the gym. Fanshawe's Fitness 101 is a good place to work out they have great student prices, awesome challenging classes (I recommend spinning class) that you can go alone or with a friend.

The final step I recommend is to join Myfitnesspal.com, is a website that you can enter in your desired weight, and weekly exercise and it will layout your daily calorie intake. But not junk-wise it will go down into eats, protein and carbs. You can also keep track of the amount of water you drink and exercise. The more you exercise the more you get to eat (which is always good) and there's a message board so you can talk to other members and exchange workout tips, support and recipes.

Smoking

I am not a smoker, but my mom is and I see how hard it is for her to quit. With that in mind, she pretty much used the same S.M.A.R.T. formula to quit smoking.

Specific: Make a specific goal and commit it to paper and put it in a visible area so you are reminded of your goal.

Measurable: Measure the amount of weight that you want to lose.

Realistic: Make the goal something you can achieve.

Time: Divide the goal into months. After a few months and encouragement she had stopped smoking for almost a full year, until a friend of hers started smoking around her and offering her cigarettes.

So with that in mind, if you have a friend that smokes ask them not to smoke around you (most people will understand that you are trying to quit and support you) if not then go outside for some fresh air.

Finding true love

A topic that I am still working on, but I read a lot of Cosmo and watch too much “Sex and the City” so here are some things that I have picked up.

Good Places to meet guys: Book stores, the gym, a sports bar, anywhere with lineups. Those are all places where you have a common interest and something to talk about, like a book, getting work out tips, fighting over the best team in the league, or talking about “what the hell is taking whoever so long” to get this line moving. If you want to go the Internet route Plentyoffish.com, flirtbox.ca, dateacanadian.ca are all free dating websites. I know there's a lot of controversy behind Internet dating, but what's so different about it compared to meeting someone at the bar?

These are just some tips to help keep and achieve your New Year's resolutions - Happy New Year everyone.

Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.