Why New Year's Resolutions Fail

Every year, it never fails, people will make that proverbial resolution to exercise and eat right come January 1st. One of the main reasons this fails, if not THE reason, is this: The moment someone doesn't follow their 'plan' EXACTLY, they feel like they failed and stop.  Progress is not measured by that day only..or that meal only.  Men and women alike, young and old, slim and not so slim, believe if they 'fall off the wagon' for just a moment in time, after starting that New Year's Program, then they failed altogether.  NOTHING IS FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.

If you enter a new program, on January 1st or 12th...it doesn't matter.  It is a setup for failure and feeling badly, to put some unnecessary, unrealistic expectation on yourself that you blew the whole program just because  you skipped one day or one week of exercise, or indulged eating badly for one day or one week.  It's about progress...not perfection.  Enter your program taking it one day at a time, and give yourself points for what you DID do on plan, not what you missed. Give yourself credit for recognizing the changes you are making in your eating plan, instead of beating yourself up for that day's splurge.  One meal, one day, is not a program failed. It does not destroy all the changes and hard work  you did up to that point. Its just that one day...as badly as you may feel. You didn't fail your resolution.  Allow your resolution to include time for old habits to change to newer healthier ones...and you will STILL see progress in fitness and weight loss. 

Remember: its those quick fixes that do not last. Lifestyle changes and thinking progress versus perfection work long term.