Happy New Year!

It's time again to set those New Year goals.

Basically, I want to get to 140 pounds and see where I am. When I was fit and 17 I was about 128 - 135. I looked good! However, my body has changed with the birth of my three children and I'm graciously giving myself some room. I have a little more "junk" now to consider. ;)

So, with this goal set in mind I went looking for articles and what not on New Years resolutions.

These are the fruits of my labor.

This article talks about why last years resolutions didn't work. One statement that really caught my attention was, "If you don't truly want it for yourself, you won't be able to take the actions needed. " In regards to fitness, this is 100 percent accurate. If it's not something YOU want to do for YOURSELF you won't succeed. You'll end up making a million and one excuses, feel resentment or frustation and quit. You need to do it for you and no one else! The article also talks about setting realistic goals, which is something I mentioned back when I started this blog. Your goals should be realistically attainable. If you want to lose 50 pounds, start by losing 10. And don't expect to lose it in a week! Realistic and healthy weight loss takes a little time. Generally, you'll want to lose 1-2 pounds a week and that's pretty steady.

This article discusses the reasons people tend to avoid exercise like the plague. People think it's boring, painful, and obligatory. The author suggests you change your perspective. Exercise is something a person really needs to do to live a healthy life. Look at it with a different mindset. From experience, once I stuck to it and started feeling the positive effects I noticed I lost my temper far less often, I felt more energetic in general, I even stopped feeling depressed. Think of exercise as a trip to the spa for your body. You're doing something good for yourself that will make you feel better - mind, body and soul.

This article is from the perspective of a personal trainer. They talk about ways to succeed in the new year starting with personal habits. Before I started working out (and after, for that matter) I had to change some of my habits. I mean, what is starting a fitness program? Is it not changing your habit to be lazy? You'll have to change other habits, too. Like making sure you get enough sleep and eating well. It also talks about one of my favorite ways to train. Intervals! Instead of spending 1 to 1 1/2 hours aerobicizing yourself to a mundane death, do spurts of high intensity activity. Biggest plus is it takes less time! I'm a fan of that! :P

What are you're goals for the new year? Do you have a plan to succeed?

Whatever your goals are, good luck!