Resolve to Succeed in 2012! Reframing your health resolution can help you succeed long-term

Do you have a health-related New Year's resolution?  How you frame your resolution can make the difference between failure to stick with them and long-term success that ripples into positive changes in your life.  Here are a few tips for reframing your resolutions for success!

Tip #1:  Pick up a slimming habit.  Instead of resolving to lose weight this year, choose a specific "slimming" habit to adopt instead.  For example, you could resolve to eat all of your meals/snacks before 8 p.m., squeeze a walk in every day, try interval training, enroll in a yoga class, or make the switch to eating organic foods.

Tip #2:  Never say never.  It is a part of human nature that, when we're told we can't have something, we want it even more. Instead of dropping a less than healthy habit, a smarter approach would be to upgrade it.  For example, if you love chocolate ice cream, find a healthier alternative to it (such as organic Coconut Bliss chocolate ice cream), rather than resolving to never eat it again!

Tip #3:  Get specific.  A resolution to "eat better," is too vague.  A resolution to try one new, healthy recipe per week will garner better long term success in changing your eating habits.

Tip #4:  Take Baby Steps.  Did you know that breaking larger tasks into smaller ones can help you succeed?  According to Steven Covey's book, 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, the habit of chunking- or breaking larger tasks into smaller ones- is a habit of highly successful people!  By focusing on achieving one small step at a time, one can achieve a larger goal much more easily.  If you'd like to shrink from a size 12 to a size 4, resolve instead to slim down to a size 10 first.  The feeling of success you'll have from reaching your initial goal will give you the fuel to continue moving towards achieving your larger one.

Tip #5:  Cultivate self-love first.  At the core of anyone's ability to follow through with a health resolution is an inner feeling of self-love that inspires them to live as fully, long, and healthfully as possible.