A New Year’s Resolution You Can Actually Keep

Let's face it, you've made New Year's Resolutions before and given up. We've all been there. My solution? Keep it real, folks. We are all human. We are destined to get off track now and again.

I am in total resolution mode right now. I'm eating better and exercising. It's more than that though. In order to be successful you need to follow a few simple steps.

1. Be accountable to someone. You have a far better chance of sticking to your program if you have a gym buddy and/or someone you share diet tips and recipes with. I suggest pulling together a group of friends and creating a closed facebook group. In this group you can all share weekly weigh-ins, struggles, workouts, recipes, etc.

2. Be accountable to yourself. Write down everything you eat. It's not rocket science people. Calories in vs. calories out. I use an app on my phone called My Fitness Pal. I also wear a fitbit to track steps and calories burned. If you crack and get the Milky Way out of the vending machine at work, you have to record it. What you eat in private shows in public. Don't lie to yourself. We are all going to have good eating days and bad eating days. The idea is to make sure the good days happen more often than the bad.

3. Don't use time as an excuse. We are all busy. I'm a working Mom and I still find time to hit the gym. I can't always go at the same time, but I make it work. Sometimes I set my alarm at 4:30 and get there at 5:00 am, sometimes I sneak in at lunch and sometimes I'm there right after work. But if you don't make it, don't beat yourself up. There are lots of ways to sneak in extra calorie burn. Park at the end of the parkinglot when  you do your shopping, always take the stairs and stand up at your desk and move around.

4. Allow yourself a day to indulge. This doesn't mean to eat junk food all day. You'll throw away your whole week of hard work if you sit on the couch with a tub of cookie dough on Saturday night. Think of the one food that you crave the most and allow yourself just a few bites. I am crazy about sweets. Cookies, cake, ice cream, you name it. Let yourself have a little something once in a while. For me, mixing frozen banana with cocoa and peanut butter is the perfect 'healthy' indulgence.

Whatever you do, don't give up. If you fall, get back up. Remember, you are always lapping the person on the couch. Just keep moving!