New Year's resolutions can either provide a goal with the premise of a promise to yourself to achieve your innermost desire or it can set you up for yet another internal guilt trip.  Depending on how many times you set up a New Year's resolution you need to reflect for a moment and really think about how many of those resolutions you stuck to.  If your answer is less than 100% you may want to reconsider the type of resolution you are making.  A resolution according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary is (among other definitions):

the act or process of resolving: as

- the act of analyzing a complex notion into simpler ones
- the act of answering : solving
- the act of determining. 

When we think about making that traditional "New Year's Resolution" let's think about the definition and realize that there is a bigger thought process to this act then just saying you don't like something about yourself and you are going to fix it.  You need to join a revolution on your area of concern because by definition,  revolution is "a sudden, radical, or complete change, a fundamental change in the way of thinking about or visualizing something".

I say STOP!!!!  Don't make a "Resolution" this year!  I say we should wage war on empty promises we make to ourselves that leave us emotionally broken when we fail to achieve.  Revolt! Revolution on Resolution!!!  Make a plan.  Make a map of tasks to follow that WILL lead you to success.

Let's  Resolve  to set forth on  a Revolution!  Set an attainable goal and then  make a plan.  You will need to put a strategy in place that will automatically set you in the direction of success.  You see, just wishing for a better and/or healthier body, more money, or dropping a bad habit is just that, a wish.  But to resolve to get the job done is a goal.  Usually a person will desire to change a fairly big part of their lifestyle like eating less, exercising more, increasing income, quitting smoking, or drinking less to name a few. As you can see, most "resolutions" are parts of a habitual lifestyle that took years of inattention that inevitably snowballed into an issue that now requires changing.   With this last statement the desired change is a very big deal that requires more than wishful thinking.

Recent research shows that while 52% of participants in a resolution study were confident of success with their goals, only 12% actually achieved their goals. Men achieved their goal 22% more often when they engaged in goal setting, (a system where small measurable goals are being set, such as, a pound a week, instead of saying "lose weight"), while women succeeded 10% more when they made their goals public and got support from their friends according to a study by Richard Wiseman of Quirkology.  In order to set forth on your path of change you need to figure out what you really want to resolve in your life and then understand why you need to make this change.  These reasons will provide you with greater energy when building your strategy and setting your goals. Your path is the strategy you map out for yourself.  Understand that you are not alone and that family, friends and professionals are all on standby waiting for you to call for assistance and advice.

You can do anything you set your mind to especially if you find guidance and put it in writing.  Grab yourself a New Year's Revolution Journal and on the very first page, in your nicest hand writing, in your boldest pen, write down your Resolution!  On the very next page you need to write down the very first step you are going to make towards that goal and then achieve it.  Write down how you achieved it and what your next step is going to be.  The next thing you know you will have filled up that book with your very own success story.  You will have completed your goal and you will have documented your travels throughout the year so you can share your story of the "DO's and Don'ts" you experienced along the way.

In this world of technology and infinite access to information the only thing you should need is patience or you need to get someone who can give you the tools to accomplish your goal.  The most common areas of concern are fitness, smoking, and income (or lack thereof for that matter).  You can find a gym that suites your needs for fitness, ask your physician for a quit-smoking plan, or get your resume polished.  I know, it's always easier said than done but if your problem is big enough to need a resolution then the amount of effort should not have a limit on it.  Gathering the information is the first step.

Here's an example:

"My New Year's Resolution this year is to lose 30 pounds!"

Your experience with a gym may be limited to how you exercised for a sport in high school and maybe some entertainment type activities like skiing or hiking.  Through the years you may have gained a general knowledge of nutrition but with all of the conflicting health alerts you find yourself on an endless cycle of semi-successful diet plans but always end up reverting back to the old ways of eating due to life's little complications (or big complications).  You may have the found the perfect fitness club with rates, dues, and location suitable for you but when you walk into the building all of the crazy contraptions called exercise equipment may as well be alien spaceships. Where do you start?!  What do you eat before and after you work out?!  How long is this going to take if you can't even figure out how to start the darn stationary bike?!!!

 Ask for help the second you sign up for your membership.  Start your trek by getting directed in the appropriate direction and stay the course.  Ask the membership representative if there is a personal trainer or fitness instructor available for a consultation.  Also ask which group fitness classes (if they offer classes) would be good for someone new to fitness.  And as I stated earlier, start a journal so you can see where you started and then you can plan your next step.  In your journal you should make an appointment or schedule a class before you leave the building.  Even if you have a membership and need to reignite your desire for fitness and want to lose those last, pesky 10 pounds you could still use a fresh perspective on the situation.  A fitness professional will set you up with realistic goals and timelines for you to follow as well as give you some basics on nutrition.  Sometimes the fitness facility will have a nutritionist on staff for a detailed plan, never hurts to ask.

I would never tell anyone not to try.  I will, however, be brave enough to quote an old English proverb, "Where there's a will, there's a way". If you really want to lose that weight and keep it off then do it, don't just wish for it to happen.   So go into this next year with a light heart and the comfort that if you can't find your way to achievement, someone out there can point you in the right direction you just need to put that first foot forward and make good choices.

Charlene has been a personal trainer with the Field House Athletic Club and Shelburne Health & Fitness for many years. She has studied under many nationally recognized personal training and nutritional certification groups such as the National Academy of Sports Medicine, International Sports Science Association, 24Hour Fitness University, and American Fitness Professionals and Associates. She specializes in providing motivation, education, and supervision of the elderly population as well as our youthful population. In addition, Charlene has created and offers classes for youth fitness as well as group fitness.  She can be reached at [email protected].