It’s that time of year again. Time to re-visit the past year and see where you achieved – or didn’t achieve – those goals you set for yourself 12 months ago. (Procrastinators insert groan here).

While many chose to ignore New Year’s Resolutions strictly for the absurdity of it, or previous experience at failure perhaps – it may well be the best way to get your dusty, ignored goals back on track. Now before you go running off to that vat of ice cream, keep reading. You might be pleasantly surprised by the following loopholes!

If the thought of jumping on that treadmill or eating that small salad SO soon after the holidays has you in a slump, take heart. The “New Year”, doesn’t HAVE to begin on January 1^st.

WHAT did you say?

You may or may not be aware that the “NEW YEAR” changes according to various calendars across the world.  For many Westernized countries, the first of January is the typically accepted start of the New Year. But, for many others across the globe the New Year begins January / February and even in October.

The New Year of the Gregorian calendar, today in worldwide use, falls on 1 January, continuing the practice of the Roman calendar. There are numerous calendars that remain in regional use that calculate the New Year individually.

Of course, this is no excuse to continuously put off improving yourself in perpetuity, but it is a really good way to avoid the “newbie’s” that will soon pack your favorite gym and make shopping at the farmer’s market impossible.

The Chinese New Year “Yuan Tan” takes place between January 21 and February 20. The exact date is fixed by the lunar calendar, in which a new moon marks the beginning of each new month.

In the Middle East, many celebrate the New Year on the first day of their spring on the 21 of March according to the Gregorian calendar.

In Switzerland people celebrate Old Sylvester’s Day on 13 January according to the Julian calendar.

In the South Pacific region, great importance is attached to the appearance of the group of stars called the Pleiades in mid-October. The reason is that this marks the end of the harvesting season and the end of the year.

The Indian New Year festival is called Diwali and is a festival of lights. The festival is celebrated differently in the various districts of India. For three days in late October early November every town and village shines and glows with thousands of lights.

Point is, there are lots of options here to choose from – which can help take some of the pressure off being “fitter, thinner or much improved by March.”

Take a look what the top 10 New Year’s Resolutions according to About.com

1. Spend More Time with Family & Friends

2. Excercise Regularly

3. Tame the Bulge / Loose Weight

4. Quit Smoking

5. Enjoy Life More

6. Quit Drinking

7. Get Out of Debt

8. Learn Something New

9. Help Others / Volunteer

10. Get Organized

To find your own “personal New year” Take a look at some of these links or do your own research and find that time that suits your goals best. Just be sure to make a goal, even one and try to keep it. You’ll be glad you did.

http://www.fathertimes.net/traditions.htm

Good luck and good health to you in the new year – whenever that may be.

Author – Rachelle Dupree
Vivoderm Marketing and Communications