Those pesky New Year's Resolutions

Making 2010 your best year yet!

2009 is coming to an end. It's not only the end of a year, but the end of a decade. 2010 is right around the corner, and with the new year comes those pesky resolutions that, for most of us, never seem to make it to the following year.

They're made with the best of intentions. We want to quit doing something destructive. We want to pick up a new, healthy habit. We want to better ourselves in one way or another. Why, then, are most of them put on the back burner by spring, and become just a distant memory, if even that, by this time next year?

I have found that though we might have good intentions, the goals we set for ourselves don't fit into our everyday life. After the celebrating is done and it's time to return to our "real life", those goals we made on the 31st don't have a place. Or we try to squeeze them in only to get burnt out. The key is to set resolutions that progress slowly. What I mean by that is, put a little planning into it - heck, make the planning a part of the resolution. Set time-oriented goals. Make it gradual so that you can slowly fit it into your current life instead of trying to reorganize your life around it!

The number one resolution made each year has something to do with body image - maybe it is to lose weight, exercise more, become more healthy, or a combination of all of the above. The key is to gradually integrate changes that will help to meet these goals slowly. Instead of setting a goal of "lose 30 pounds" and running after it, set the goal, and make a plan. Give yourself the first week of the year to reflect. Figure out what you need to change to get to the end result. Set attainable goals. Maybe the next week, you will cut back on soft drinks. Maybe the next week you will make sure you drink two glasses of water a day. The next week, you can decide that every Monday you are going to walk thirty minutes. Each week will build upon the previous. By the beginning of February, you have already made diet and exercise changes that weren't too painful because you did it a little at a time.

The same is true for any of the resolutions you make - put a little planning into it, plan to gradually make your way towards that goal, and by the end of the year, you will not only have attained your goal, but it will be something that became a part of your everyday life. Chances are by 2011, you won't remember it being any other way!