Every year as the new year rolls around people resolve to do things different, do things better. The gyms fill with the well intentioned who are just sure that this is the year that they are going to get in shape. You’ll also run into the nay-sayers with comments like, “you have to do it all year, and these newbies will be gone by mid-February.”  There’s some truth to that, but don’t let that stop you from making positive changes in your life. Prove them wrong!

It’s the first day of the year, and maybe you indulged a little too much last night, or you indulged a little too much since Halloween. Either way, your body and mind may be screaming “Enough of this! I feel like crap and I want to feel good again!”

Here are a few suggestions:

• Take is easy in the gym. If you haven’t been working out at all, a sure way to quick burn out is to do too much too fast. If you’re a runner, don’t try to jump your mileage from 5 miles a week to 10 miles a day. That’s a definite path to injury.
• Watch out for being overly restrictive in your diet. If you’ve been eating a high fat, high carb diet for the past few weeks and try to switch to a no carb high protein diet quickly, your body will most likely rebel against you. This could show up in extreme hunger, gastric distress or even illness.
• Establish a routine in both your eating habits and fitness regimen. At least for the first few weeks, plan out your eating and exercise ahead of time. Block out the time to work out, and commit to good food choices ahead of time. If you wait to work out when you have the time, you won’t make it a routine. If you wait to decide what you’re going to eat when you get hungry, you aren’t as likely to make good choices. Planning will help transform your routing into a habit.
• Be kind to yourself. Avoid putting yourself in situations where you are likely to not make good choices, but if you find you’ve slipped up, forgive yourself and get back at it as soon as possible. Every positive step brings you closer to your goals.
• Watch out for negative people who won’t support you. I don’t care if you have failed to reach your goals every year for the last 20 years, THIS YEAR IS DIFFERENT! Remember, most of the negativity that you run into is a function of that person’s need to bring others down, and has nothing to do with what you are up to.

Don’t worry, I’m in the same boat as many of you. I’ve allowed other circumstances in my life to get in the way of eating healthy and exercise. I am clear that I can do this and so can you!