If you're like many people I know, you probably consider the beginning of the New Year as a fresh slate. You might have vowed to eat healthier foods, lose weight and/or exercise more. Perhaps you've pledged to cut back on your alcohol consumption after a social December.
Now comes the hard part: sticking to your resolution. Difficult perhaps, but not impossible. According to a study from the University of Washington in Seattle, 63 per cent of people surveyed managed to keep their primary New Year's resolution past February. How successful you'll be at making your resolutions more than wishful thinking depends on how you approach your goals. In this study, the keys to making a successful resolution were confidence (believing in one's ability to make change) and commitment to goals.
Persistence also paid off. Of the people who successfully achieved their top resolution, only 40 per cent did so on their first attempt. The rest required multiple tries; 17 per cent finally succeeded after more than six attempts.
The following strategies can help you turn your good intentions into action and stay motivated along the way.
Make it a priority
To be successful, you have to truly want to make a change. Making a lifestyle change -- be it eating better, exercising more, or quitting smoking -- has to be among your highest priorities. Why bother setting a goal if you're not truly committed?
You need to own your goals. Your goals should be for you, and only you.
Put it on paper
Write down your goals and read them daily. Keep written goals in a prominent place such as on your desk, on the fridge, in your BlackBerry or as your screen saver. Written goals serve as your contract; they remind you of your commitment, provide focus and help keep you on track.
Be specific
Successful goals state, in specific terms, what you want to achieve. Instead of saying, "I will eat healthier," spell out precisely how you are going to do that. Will you eat at least two fruit and three vegetable servings a day? Eat breakfast everyday before you leave for work? Limit unhealthy snacks or desserts to once a week? Go for a power walk at lunch?
Break it down
Break lofty goals into manageable pieces. If you intend to lose 20 pounds or more this year, set monthly weight-loss targets of four to eight pounds. Setting bite-size goals boosts self-confidence and motivation because they're easier (and quicker) to achieve.
If you've pledged to eat more healthily, make one small change each week and build on your successes. For example, the first week you might commit to eating breakfast each day. The following week you might decide to replace your afternoon coffee with a piece of fruit, and so on. Making small changes each week adds up over time.
Get organized
Whether your plan is to eat more meals at home instead of in restaurants or to get to the gym more often, neither will happen if you're not organized. On the weekend, spend a few minutes thinking about the week ahead. Map out your meals, healthy snacks and workouts. Use your weekly planner to determine your grocery list.
If scheduling a week's worth of meals seems too daunting, plan for only one or two days. Determine what foods you'll need to bring to work and what you'll prepare for dinner. If you're going to eat in a restaurant, decide in advance what type of meal you'll order. Planning means you'll be less likely to give in to temptation.
Assess your hunger
