1. Because 2008 was soooo 1999. All those things that weren’t good for you in the previous year should go out of fashion like Aqua-net plastered bangs. Just apply the rule for handling clutter: if you don’t need it, don’t want it and can’t use it, throw it away! That goes for bad habits too.

2. Because Jack Lalanne (the Juiceman) said: “if a man made it don’t eat it” and “if it tastes good, spit it out.” Now I wouldn’t be so extreme. Even Jack Lalanne can’t put down a good hummus dip, a slice of watermelon, or a nice juicy buffalo burger. Point is, though, most people can change their eating habits and the new year is a natural time to do it.

3. Because you are what you eat. Okay, this is very much like point number two but it’s THAT important. The new year is time to feel clean and lean. You’re going for the trim polished look of a celery stick. You don’t want to look deep fried and oily and you wouldn’t want Jack Lalanne to spit you out.

4. Because when the boogie man goes to sleep he checks the closet for Chuck Norris. And Chuck Norris WILL get on your case if you don’t start some kind of exercise program.

5. Because, at the age of 70, while shackled and restrained, Jack Lalanne propelled himself using his own two hands and two feet for 1.5 miles through the ocean while pulling 70 boats with 70 people in them. Alright, if you’re under 70 you just can’t let Jack show you up like that.

By the way, the pic at top right isn't me, it's Jack Lalanne. I'm personally not too fond of one piece jumpsuits, even the glorified yellow jammies Bruce Lee used to wear.

It's bad enough that the word "inevitable" is part of the English language. It's even worse if you use it often, still worse if you believe it. But what if some seemingly "inevitable" things were, in fact, evitable? Would a missing two-letter prefix be enough to change reality?

You might be too hung up by the word “evitable” to consider my question. But, there is such a word. In fact, it’s just as real as “maritorius”, “macaronic” or “mugwump.”

But we half-empty types seem to prefer uglier “realities”—things we supposedly can’t avoid. “Oh it’s just inevitable. His dad had it, his grandpa had it, his poodle has it. How can he NOT die of a heart attack?” Now, really. Let’s give belief a chance to make things right. There’s no changing age, sex or family history. Okay. But consider:

-Fat intake
-Blood pressure
-Smoking
-Physical activity
-Stress

All of these things are changeable (at least to some extent). But there’s still some of us who would rather remain helpless. It’s literally a "dogged" way of thinking, and one with consequences. Martin Seligman discovered this in the 1960's while studying conditioning in dogs. He "accidentally" discovered what he later called "learned helplessness", an extreme form of "I can't" behavior.

Initially, Seligman's dogs didn't start off feeling or thinking that they were helpless (hence the term "learned"). It was only after they got shocked repeatedly and couldn’t escape that they decided to give up. The twist, though, is that Seligman then made it so they COULD escape. He even showed them how to escape. Yet, the next time around the dogs just sat there. They had come to believe in the “inevitable.”

There was a way out for them, though. For the dogs it was getting up and walking to the other side of a shuttlebox. For the rest of us, it's believing that the possibility of a healthy life is something worth believing in. Then we got to get up and walk to the other side of the shuttlebox.

What I like about Beachbody is that it brings fitness to the people. You don't have to stand in line at the gym. And you definitely don't have to wait around for the 300pound hirsute hercules to wipe his sweat and slime off the bench--unless you're married to such a person (in which case you might want to invest in a squeegee).

For the rest of us, Beachbody is a great option. And I think because it lends itself to privacy and yet balances this with a kind of public connection (at a level you feel comfortable with), it's exactly what most of us need.

As a healthcare maven, I have come to the following conclusion: If Beachbody motivates just one person to set goals and get fit, it's done a service. It will have made a dent in the public health crisis. And it already has.

Sure that triumvarate of ill health-- obesity, diabetes, and heart disease--will continue its reign. But BB and efforts like it bring the countervailing forces of exercise, nutrition, and positive thinking into the mix. This can only lead to good things.

You might be wondering about the science behind all of this: HOW will BB help to turn the tide of illness and disease? AND, how will it help me? That's a great question... and... it deserves a great answer... Thought I was going to cop out with that one didn't you? I would never back down from a good question, but you'll have to wait for my next post to hear the answer.