Make Your Resolutions Last

[#1]

It’s that time of year again! To keep your 2013 nutrition and fitness resolutions attainable and lasting, keep these four tips in mind:

1. Be specific.  Instead of saying, “I’m going to exercise more,” decide on details. A better plan is “I’m going to start walking on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 7 a.m. each week and walk from my house to the park and back.”  

2. Find friends.  I’ve said it before, but this is absolutely key for me. Knowing that my friends are counting on me to show up is what gets me out of bed on chilly mornings.  I’d feel too guilty having them wait and be a no-show. Bonus: friends won’t let you get away with blowing them off – they’ll call you on it!

3. Say it out loud.  Right before Halloween, one of my exercise buddies said that she wasn’t going to eat any Halloween candy. I said that I was going to do that, too. And guess what? I didn’t! I didn’t sneak into the bags of candy I bought to give away and I didn’t sneak any of my son Tim’s candy haul, either. Every time I felt like eating just one little bar, I remembered that I made that darn commitment.  Much to my surprise, because I love chocolate–I kept my promise. Try it with something you either want to do or stop doing. I think you’ll find that the power of promise is pretty amazing.

4. Record in a daily log.  A study this past summer found that women who kept food logs and consistently wrote down the foods they ate lost more weight than women who didn’t record. Food logs keep you accountable on what you’re eating and how much in relation to the calorie limit you’ve set for losing weight. Whether you fancy the traditional pen and notebook method or prefer to use an online food log or app that electronically tallies the calories for you, keeping track of what you’re munching might be the missing link to help you reach your weight loss goal.

What nutrition and activity goals do you have this year-- and what strategies are you going to use to stick to them?

[#2]

My goal: discover new recipes that incorporate fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables while continuing to avoid processed foods (canned, packaged, frozen) and MSG.