How to Give Your New Year's Resolution a Fighting Chance

On January 1, millions of people will make a New Years resolution. The next day they will be going to health clubs, eating right, and dropping bad habits. Despite all their good intentions, most people fail at their resolutions. By February 2, most New Years resolutions will only be a dim memory. What can you do to increase the likelihood of your resolution to work? The first thing you need to look at is the psychology of the New Year resolution.

During the month of December people, tend to overindulge in eating, drinking, spending money and neglecting exercise. Instead of just moderating these behaviors. We promise ourselves after the holiday are over, we will take control. It is easy to think about dieting while you unbutton your pants after stuffing yourself at a holiday meal. Then we start to rationalize. It is cold outside, maybe we should wait until summer before working out, and here goes your resolution.

There are other reasons for abandoning resolutions, they are:

Lack of results - not losing weights fast enough. There are many factors involved in your body's response to exercise, some you cannot control such as gender, age, goals, intensity of workout, diet, genetics and lifestyle (getting enough sleep, keeping stress down, etc). It also depends on how you measure results. If you are using a scale to weigh, your weight may actually increase if you gain lean muscle (which weighs more than fat). So do not give up, give your resolution a chance to work.

Lack of planning - making permanent changes in life requires planning. Going from sitting on the couch to running a marathon involves much more then go to the gym a few times. The rest of your life may have to change to support your goal. Another problem is hitting the gym without an idea what to do. They can lead to confusion, frustration and for many quitting.

Setting unrealistic goals- your goals should be specific, achievable, measurable, reasonable and trackable. Stick with goals that work for your body, your lifestyle and what you are willing to do.

Biting off more than you can chew - your body needs time to get used to exercise and so does your mind. When you do too much too soon you run into problems like constant soreness, fatigue, risk of injury and a general feeling of hatred against your resolution, such as exercise.

How increase the chances of your resolution working:

Look at your motivation for change. Are you feeling fat? Do you have a hangover from last night? Did your last cigarette give you a hacking cough? On the other hand, is there a more enduring reason for your desire to change? If you cannot think of a better reason than the fact you are uncomfortable, then you are better off not making a promise that you probably will not keep. If you are realistic and accept the responsibility of discipline required to change, your motivation will stay strong long after the discomfort from over-indulgence has passed.

Focus on the behavioral change more than one goal. An example would be if you decide to control your eating, your goal is not to lose a specific number of pounds, but to stick to your program. A focus on your behavior will help you feel in control of your life.

Make tasks non-negotiatable - If you debate with yourself whether you should crawl out of bed early in the morning and go to the gym, you probably will not. However, if getting up to go to the gym is no more negotionable than getting up and going to work, then you will do it regardless of how you feel about it.

Allow for imperfection- no one is exactly on target all the time. You should expect to falter every now and then. If you mess up one day, do not use that as an excuse to chunk the whole thing. Learn form your mistake and move on.
Do it now - if you wait for a more convient time to make a behavioral change it will never happen. Now is just as convenient as any other time.