The New Year is creeping up on us, and if you are like most people, you have a New Year’s resolution planned. Many people decide to start exercising for their resolution. As many of you will begin to notice after the holiday, the gyms will soon get very crowded and weight loss supplements will gain popularity. For all of us religious gym-goers, this can be a very frustrating time. We now have to wait to get on our favorite pieces of equipment and our supplements are selling out everywhere in stores. What should we do about this!?? Absolutely nothing!! Within a few weeks the gym will be back to normal and the supplements will be back on the shelves. Why is this? Because New Year’s resolutions very rarely work!

According to research, only about 30% of people are capable of keeping a New Year’s resolution for more than a month. Research also shows that in order to create a habit, depending on the person, it can take anywhere from 1 month to 8 months. Wait a minute…only about 30% of the people are making it to a month!? A month is almost the minimum time it takes to develop a habit though? This is extremely frustrating to hear, and I’m sure you are wondering why you should even create a New Year’s resolution at all if it’s just doomed to fail. There is still hope.

In order to keep your New Year’s resolution this year, make sure it’s a realistic goal. You don’t have to completely jump into it. Baby steps may be the way to go if you want to say by the end of next year that you accomplished your resolution. For getting in shape, you have to eat properly and exercise. So, let’s start by cutting back on the holiday cookies and getting back to a more sensible diet. After we clean up the diet a bit, we may already see some wait starting to shed. Next, let’s add a day at the gym. A few weeks later, we can move to a second day at the gym. Let your body get used to the change without overwhelming it, and it will be much easier to make these changes. Remember, for most people it will take 1 to 8 months to develop a habit, so you have to be patient. Once it becomes a habit, it will be a normal part of your life, just like putting shoes on before you walk outside. Reward yourself for a job well done. If your goal is to get fit this upcoming year, when you drop a size or two, don’t be afraid to get yourself some new, form fitting clothes. Finally, keep thinking about your end result. If you can see it in your mind, you can accomplish it. Time to make 2013 the best year ever!!

-Tom