2010 New Year

Although our 2011 New Year's resolution lists are growing by the minute, and includes things like exercise, better cell phone etiquette, getting away from our desks at lunch, and learning new languages, we also advocate cleaning up your digital lives for the new year. Reorganizing RSS readers, deleting old emails, and cleaning up external hard drives should be at the top of your to-do list for 2011. But what about you — do you have any geeky resolutions? If so, what are they?

Sure, we'd all love to snap our fingers and achieve our financial goals, particularly this time of year when we're riding high on resolutions. But successfully paying down credit card debt and saving money can only happen if you go in with a plan, and a realistic one at that.

Want to be debt free? Use our credit card payment calculator to determine how long it will take while paying a certain amount each month. If saving money is at the top of your list, whether it's for something fun or to build up your rainy day fund, use my savings calculator to figure out how long it will take to reach your goal.

Photo courtesy of The CW

With change, there comes an adjustment period, no? And I do believe that this is what's happening to me. As I adapt to a lighter diet, free of sweets, alcohol, and excess anything (except salad), today I am feeling hungry, weary, and a bit unfocused. Thus far, the only beauty-related thing that's changed is my hair, and sadly, it's not because it's miraculously become full of luster and enviable body. I merely got a six-week trim from my stylist.

As I mentioned before, I don't expect colossal changes during my five-day detox, but I've got to believe that my energy will pick up soon, and I've got to believe that this case of delirium is just a slight bump in the road called detox. About the post-holiday jean snugness factor? Happily, and much to my surprise, I no longer feel like I've been stuffed into my favorite dungarees. Stay tuned for day three . . .

Yesterday, I began my five-day journey to the land of detox, mostly in hopes of rejuvenating my lackluster complexion and recurring battle with chin and forehead acne. While I have realistic expectations, as I'm not anticipating perfectly flawless skin à la Reese Witherspoon in under a week, I chose the David Kirsch Wellness brand of detox just for that reason: it's a gentle detox, not a blow-through-your-system-with-fury type of cleanse.

Yesterday began with a grape-y flavored, vitamin-packed shot, a thick (almost too much so) chocolate-flavored protein shake for breakfast, and a train ride into work. Would I get shaky? Would I feel light-headed on the rails? In short, no. And by the time noon rolled around, my pre-lunch energy-boosting bubble drink, followed by a simple salad with lemon juice and four ounces of protein, was a welcome treat. I didn't even feel left wanting for more. To find out what else happened on day one of my experimental detox, just keep reading.

Are you what you eat? While some may say otherwise, I'm team what-you-stuff-in-your-mouth-matters. Take this picture of my friend Amy (the blonde) and me (the brunette) from about three years ago. Unfortunately, I was experiencing some gastronomical issues at the time, but thanks to a diet free of junk foods, my skin never looked better.

Flash-forward to present day, and I'm feeling a bit more sluggish, my skin's less than glowing, and my nails have become an embarrassing situation. Enter . . . a detox plan. Recommended by a friend, the David Kirsh Wellness 5-Day Detox Kit isn't exactly inexpensive at $175, but my friend's glowing review made me take the plunge. It also isn't exactly a "beauty detox" per se, but due to the fact that it is more than just a liquid diet and focuses on proper nutrition, I am on board. Starting next week, follow along with me as I aim to flush out toxins in hopes of starting off 2010 with clearer, brighter skin, hair, and nails.

With 2010 in full swing, many of us have jumped feet first into healthier lifestyles to slim down. Aside from regular exercise, getting portions under control during meal and snack times is a great way to reduce our calorie intake and help the scale budge.

I'm sure many of you have tips tucked away in your healthy tool belt for cutting calories, such as using skim milk in your coffee instead of cream or lemon juice instead of salad dressing. Although you may save only a few calories here and there, those little bits really add up and can help you get lean. Help other FitSugar readers meet their weight loss goals by sharing your calorie-cutting tips below.

If you made a New Year's Resolution this year, there's a pretty solid chance it involved getting healthier or losing weight. You could try a diet on your own, or there's always another option: home delivery meals. Trying a package last year from Freshology reaffirmed my greatest fears that diet deliveries are less-than-fresh, skimpy, and generally unappetizing. So when Cook! San Francisco, a local gourmet meals delivery company, sent me a trial, I was prepared to be underwhelmed. Did the meal they sent me change my mindset? Read more to find out.

Whether you're looking to lose weight, tone up, or run a marathon, seeing how your body measurements change is going to make you feel good. And really, who doesn't want to feel good about themselves? For the second challenge of the Get Fit For 2010 giveaway, I challenged you all to assess your fitness level. Now I am asking you to take some simple measurements of your body and write a blog post in the Get Fit group.

These two blogs will serve as a snapshot of the condition of your body at the beginning of the process, and be sure to include an actual snapshot of yourself if you haven't already (here's how to upload an image). This blog post enters you into our random weekly drawing of a $100 Nike gift card, as well as our tremendous grand prize.

All you need to do is write your weight, your waist size, and, if you can, your body fat percentage (many digital scales have this feature these days). If want to calculate your BMI and add that figure to your blog post, here is our BMI calculator. Think of this new blog post as extra credit to help you stay on track and get over the midweek hump.

Taking these measurements will help you see how your hard work has paid off and how much your body has changed during this three-month challenge. Don't use these measurements to beat yourself up; use them as motivation as a starting point.

Ready. Set. Measure!