New Year’s Eve is here and so comes the New Year’s resolutions!  According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology at the University of Scranton, the top 10 New Year’s resolutions for 2014 were:

1. Lose Weight
2. Getting Organized
3. Spend Less, Save More
4. Enjoy Life to the Fullest
5. Staying Fit and Healthy
6. Learn Something Exciting
7. Quit Smoking
8. Help Others in Their Dreams
9. Fall in Love
10. Spend More Time with Family

45% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions but only 8% actually follow through with them.  I’m sure none of these statistics come as a big surprise to you but why is it that only 8% are successful with reaching their goals, whether it’s a New Year’s resolution or not?  My guess is the other 37% didn’t have a plan in place.  A goal without a plan is nothing more than a WISH!!  Your map to success is very simple (I said simple, not easy).  All you need are three important elements set in place:

1. A reasonable goal –

• Set a goal that will challenge you but is also within reach
• Your end goal may be to lose weight but that doesn’t mean you have to set a weight loss goal.  You could set a goal to run a 5K, attend so many fitness classes weekly, eat less sugar, eat more protein, drink more water or quit drinking soda.  All of these goals can result in weight loss without having to focus on the number on the scale.

2. A Plan of Action – Be Specific

• It’s important to break down what you want to accomplish in 12 months, 6 months, 3 months and monthly but more importantly, you need to breakdown what you are going to accomplish daily and weekly.  Track your progress daily and if you happen to mess up one day, don’t give up!!  Look back at the progress you’ve made and keep moving forward!

3. Accountability – MOST IMPOTANT!!  You are more likely to quit on yourself than you are to quit on a friend.

• Your accountability partner should be someone you truly respect and value.  Someone who can commit to walk with you on your journey, give tough love when it’s needed and someone you can receive that tough love from.
• If possible, choose someone you already interact with on a daily basis.  I would recommend choosing someone who is NOT your spouse or significant other.  It’s great to receive encouragement from your spouse or significant other but having that person keep you accountable can sometimes put unnecessary stress on your relationship :-).

As always, email me or call me if you would like help putting a plan together :-).  Be on the lookout for my email on Monday.  All of the info about individual quarterly challenges, 30 day team challenges, weekly sprints and a few daily sprints will be in that email!!  2015 is going to be a GREAT year!!!

Happy New Year everyone!!

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith