How About Those New Year's Resolutions?

By Mary Jane Horton

Last January, Diana Ennen made a New Year's resolution to get in shape. She started off with a bang: "I was on fire," says the writer and publicist from Margate, Fla., "working out at the gym, going to kickboxing and Zumba [a fitness class that combines Latin music and dance steps], exercising with videos one to two hours a day and walking. Then life happened. I had to plan a seminar for a client, took on a new client, then there was my daughter's birthday party, and well, all those excuses. I haven't been able to get it back."

Sound familiar? The truth is, only about 40 percent of people are successful at changing ingrained habits on the first attempt, according to G. Alan Marlatt, Ph.D., who, as director of the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at the University of Washington, has studied resolutions for more than 20 years and specializes in helping people alter their daily routine.

The secret to successfully keeping your resolutions? Try and try again, says Marlatt. This is especially true when it comes to getting (and staying) in shape. So if your New Year's resolution to get fit has fallen flat, consider the following:

Try something different When you fall off the fitness wagon, three simple words do the trick: "Mix it up," says Michael George, a Hollywood trainer who has worked with starlets Reese Witherspoon, Julianne Moore and Meg Ryan, among others. Nothing beats the excitement of starting something new. So if you can't drum up enthusiasm for your usual workout, "go back to the drawing board," says George. "Set new goals, change your music, do different activities, go to a different gym, take it outside."

Add a new resolution Let's face it. Change can be difficult. And while it may seem that making two changes would be twice as hard, that's actually not the case. Marlatt has found that having a second resolution helps by taking the intense focus off the first. So if you're having trouble staying committed to exercise, try adding a second commitment, like eating more healthfully. That way you'll have something else to cogitate on and exercise won't loom so large in your mind.

Hire a personal trainer, even if it's just for a few sessions, or ask a reliable friend to be your workout partner, suggests Melissa O'Brien, a certified life coach in Thousand Oaks, Calif. It's harder to blow off a workout when someone's counting on you and doubly difficult if you're paying them!

Don't torture yourself All of the experts agree that you should do activities that you like. If a gym isn't for you, try a Tai Chi or pilates class. Keep trying until you find something you enjoy enough to do regularly.

Make appointments with yourself Rather than squeezing in a workout whenever you're free (who has free time?), set aside an hour specifically for exercise by marking it on your calendar or putting it in your to-do list or entering it into your BlackBerry, advises O'Brien.

Time it right If you're a morning person, lay out your gym clothes the night before so there's nothing to stop you from working out as soon as you wake up, suggests O'Brien. Not a morning person? Don't try to drag yourself out of bed an hour early to go to the gym. Instead, take a yoga class on your way home from work or go for an after-dinner power walk.

Put it in writing Post your daily goals someplace you can see them, like the bathroom mirror or refrigerator, says O'Brien. Add a power slogan like "No excuses" or "Remember swimsuit season" to keep yourself motivated.

Avoid the blame game Berating yourself for lack of willpower “just leads to a negative emotional state, which doesn't help,” says Marlatt. “If you can't do an hour workout, take a 20-minute walk. It's a continuum. You can say, I didn't do that, but I did do this!”’ Focusing on your successes will help keep your New Year's resolution going strong all year long.

Mary Jane Horton has written for Shape, Prevention, Living Fit and Vegetarian Times. A former editor at Fit Pregnancy and Living Fit magazines, she is now editor in chief of Plum, a lifestyle magazine for pregnant women over 35.

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