Sticking to your resolutions

I’m finding that my New Year’s Resolutions are waning as we get into the year. I made a resolution to join a gym and go five days a week and lose 40 pounds by Spring. The same thing happened last year too. How can I make my resolutions stick?

Forget the same old resolutions and following tabloid diets for major weight loss. The focus should be on lasting lifestyle changes rather than a number. People get lazy and frustrated this time of the year in the wake of lofty goals and rigid approaches that were established a month ago. Here are my sure fire steps to actually sticking to your fitness goals for 2011.

• To make big changes think small and keep it simple. You don’t need expensive trainers and gyms. You do need support and something that won’t break your bank so join a class or gather some friends who also want to get in shape. Take stairs instead of elevators; replace soda with water with lemon; walk briskly for 15 minutes on your lunch break.
• Set goals for yourself and out of inspiration, not guilt or desperation after a night of indulgence on beer and bar food. And forget about being part of a trend just because it’s the style du jour.
• Be detailed and specific. Vague generalizations like “I want to lose weight” will lead no where while “I’m going to take the 6:00 p.m. kick-boxing class on Monday and Wednesday” will get your closer to your goal.
• Be realistic. Losing 40 pounds by April isn’t healthy. Break the larger end-goal into smaller manageable ones. Set realistic weekly goals within a healthy time-frame. Reaching these smaller ones will motivate you towards the larger one.
• Lose weight by losing the rigidity. Extreme behavior changes such as cutting out all carbohydrates or sugar don’t work. And such thinking promotes perfectionism, leading to a sabotage of efforts.
• Make a distinction between feeding your body and feeding your emotions. Get to know the role your mind plays in your body. Depression, stress, anxiety, and loneliness can all lead to unhealthy eating.

Jonathan Alpert is a licensed psychotherapist. Find him on Facebook and Twitter, and look for his new book, "BE FEARLESS: Change Your Life in 28 Days," this April.