Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

(CARLSBAD, CA) – It’s the annual challenge. Who has broken their New Year’s resolution after one day? After one week? After one month? After all, nobody actually makes their new year’s resolution into a reality, right?

Perhaps this year you have a resolution that you really do want to keep. You aim to drop a few pounds, start working out, stop smoking, eat more greens, remember relatives’ birthdays, or finally write that novel you’ve been talking about. Can it be done? Absolutely! Jazzercise Founder and CEO Judi Sheppard Missett offers these suggestions for keeping your New Year’s resolutions.

1. Be Realistic – The first step to turning your New Year’s resolutions into reality is setting realistic goals in the first place. Competing in a triathlon in March isn’t probable if you’ve never donned a pair of sneakers before. But, walking two blocks every day is quite possible. Start with the attainable goal, and then go for the triathlon next year.

2. Make a Plan – Set a plan to meet your goal and be specific. What does “losing weight” or “healthy diet” really mean? Dropping 10 pounds? Eating three green vegetables per day? Determine exactly what you want to do, and then keep a log of your progress.

3. Make a Back-up Plan - Whatever your goal, think about possible blocks to that goal, then come up with a back-up plan. If your New Year’s resolution is to walk a mile every day, be prepared for rainy weather or sick kids staying home from school. Purchase a few exercise DVDs for such occasions.

4. Think Positive – Psychologists use a term called “self-efficacy.” When you truly believe that you can achieve your goal, you’re more likely to actually do it. Positive thinking will keep you going, even when you face obstacles.

5. Gather a Support Group – Tell your friends and family about your new goal. Ask your sister to join a daily group fitness class with you or invite your co-worker to the whole foods store. Consider joining a formal support group, but don’t let that substitute the vital support that you need from those who see you every day.

6. Keep Track of Your Progress – Measure your progress on a regular basis. If your goal is to lose weight, then weigh yourself daily. An 18-month study from the Weight Control Research Center at Miriam Hospital in Providence, RI, found that participants were 82% more likely to keep the weight off when they weighed-in daily. Whether your goal is weight loss, increased fitness, better nutrition, smoking cessation, or anything else, keep a record and measure your progress often.

7. Reward Yourself – Set small benchmarks along the way to your ultimate goal and reward yourself each time that you meet the mark. If you go three days without smoking, then indulge in a massage. If you work exercise into your schedule every day for a week, then book a pedicure. These rewards will keep you motivated along the road to your final goal.

Jazzercise, created by Judi Sheppard Missett, is the world's leading dance-fitness program with more than 7,200 instructors teaching 32,000 classes weekly in the U.S. and around the globe. Since 1969, millions of people of all ages and fitness levels have reaped the benefits of this comprehensive program, designed to enhance cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility. For more information on Jazzercise go to jazzercise.com or call (800)FIT-IS-IT or (760)476-1750.

Courtesy of Jazzercise, Inc. - jazzercise.com