So it is already February, and maybe you are not doing as well as you would like on those healthy green New Year’s Resolutions. Don’t worry, it’s not too late to get to work on making those green resolutions happen! There are plenty of things you can do to get the green ball rolling.   Don’t be too hard on yourself;  the most important thing is that you do things at your own pace. Just start small and try to keep it green and simple.

Here are the top five green resolutions that people make every year and good ways to make them work for you (and why you should keep them green):

Get Fit the Green Way- Everyone wants to have that rockin’ bod when summer comes around. We dream of small bikinis and strong bulging muscles. However, turning these dreams into reality is hard to start and even harder to keep. If you find that getting to the gym every night is hard to fit into your schedule, a wonderful thing to do is WALK. Need something from the gas station down the street? Walk! Walking trims your waist and tones your butt. If you choose walking places instead of driving,  you’re also saving gas, energy, and preventing pollution to our environment which is such a simple green solution! Get a pedometer and mark down how much you walked each day on the calendar.  Looking back on these will help your self-esteem and keep you motivated.

Save Money While Being Green-  Your mind is on your money and your money is on your mind.  Money makes the world go around and can help make life easier for the most part. We all would love to know the little secrets on saving and having a little more cash in our pockets. A small but effective green change you can make to your home is changing all of your lights to LED bulbs. Using LED takes less energy and lasts a lot longer. The cost of these green bulbs has gone down over time, thus cutting costs even more!  Make a budget and stick to it.  By cutting back on your spending of eating out, you can dramatically improve your finances.  Start planning meals at home and cut your eating out to only once a week. You will eat healthier, put less trash in the landfills and save money each week!  How green is that?  Another simple green solution is getting outside in the fresh air instead of going to the movies or the mall.  This can also be lighter on your wallet, and your bodies.

Stainless Steel Thermal Mug

Quit Smoking, an Obvious Green Resolution- Quitting smoking can be hard but it is an important green resolution for you and the world around you. Tobacco is one of the most addictive substances in the world. Smoking is not only bad for your body; it is bad for our environment. For every 300 cigarettes produced, one tree is killed. When a cigarette is casually flicked out of the window, it could start a fire that can dramatically expand into a whole forest being burned down. If this discarded butt fails to ignite the forest, it stays on the ground for 25-26 years before it decomposes.  If you can’t quit cold turkey, you can try cutting back dramatically. If you smoke a pack a day, try leaving a few out of the pack and putting them out of your reach. Over time you can increase the number of cigarettes you leave out of your pack.  Your body will thank you, the people around you and the tress will appreciate you green initiative.

Take Time to Enjoy Life in a Green Way- Taking special time out of the day for ourselves can be great for our stress levels. Everyone has those hectic days with the kids, or at the office. Try learning something new and practicing that every day. Instead of lying on the couch and flipping on the TV, you can pick up a guitar and start strumming. Reading can also be relaxing and educating, and by not watching TV we save energy. I frequent the local library — a very green way to enjoy a good book.  When you are relaxed and happy, you sleep better.

Organic Healthy Pasta Set

Go Green -Being green can be beneficial to all said resolutions above. Try eating organic foods, not only do they taste better, but they are pesticide free, thus better for our bodies and the planet. You can recycle. Recycling is good for reducing your carbon footprint, but it is also awesome for reducing our bills. If you save all of your cans, you can take them to a can deposit place and they will pay you for your old used cans! By taking a little time out of your busy life to go green and recycle those cans, you can throw that extra money toward your electric or water bill.

Trying to fit 5 different green resolutions into our crazy lives can seem hectic.  However, you may not realize that all of these green resolutions tie in together, which makes it easier to be successful.  By going green and eating organically, it is making our bodies healthier and helping us get fit.  By quitting smoking we are saving money and cutting back on the hazardous waste we put into the environment and our bodies.  By going out and spending time outside (instead of staying in and watching TV) we are saving money, saving energy, getting fit and enjoying life.  If you can’t do all five, try picking just a couple of green resolutions and see how much fun and different 2012 can be for you!  Remember that Good Gifts Naturally is here to help support you in your cause to be green and healthy.  Let us know in the comment section if you have a  favorite green resolution that you would like to share!