It is already 15 days into the new year …and some of your resolutions are looking like ‘OMG did I really make it?’…let us see what can be done to make them stick.

1. Know why the resolution was made: If you said ‘i will get fitter’ – it really means NOTHING. Absolutely nothing at all. If you joined a gym to get fitter, what will drive you to get up at 5am to reach the gym at 5.30? Nothing.

What you need is a goal. The goal could be – i should be able to last 3 sets of a badminton game or 4 sets of a good tennis game. It could be to run a half marathon sub 2 hrs or a full marathon in say 4.30. When you go to a gym (as a means to an end) the chances are greater that you will go. If you treat going to the gym as an end in itself, it is more likely to FAIL.

2. Be specific: I will run for 45 minutes everyday is specific. I will run well, or I will run 5km without stopping is a dream if you have not had an active life. Slowly increase your duration, stamina, speed, etc. Of course consult a doctor before you start something aggressive, especially if you have had had a sedentary life.

3. Write down your goals: Whatever your goals, if it has to succeed it has to be written down and tracked on a regular basis. For e.g. you decide that you will reduce 5 kg in the next 3 months. Maintain a log book of your food and your exercise – and see where you are going. Once  a week check your weight and see whether you are doing it as per schedule. Too lazy to write? go to www.myfitnesspal.com – a free website which has all Indian foods listed with their calories. WRITE, WRITE, WRITE,…….it is a must.

4. Create an helpful environment: if people around you are helpful it makes life easier. If there are people who laugh or ridicule your efforts, cut them out of your life. If there is some group that you can create with common goals (facebook or actual group) it might help if you share goals, strategies, action plans, etc. GET OUT of groups which hamper this. If you are trying to lose weight there is no point in being with a group of alcohol consumers. Sitting with people consuming alcohol can force you to eat some high calorie stuff, and thus hamper your progress. Be careful of the company you keep.

5.  Be focused on the process. Going to the gym everyday for 5 days a week is a great start IMMATERIAL of how much of work out you are doing. Once the processes is in place, the results will naturally follow.

6. Forgive yourself if some things go wrong: If you break the diet rule for one day, relax. Take days 2-4 at a time. So one day of binging can be followed by a day of skipping meals. If you cannot skip a meal, have salads. If you eat meat 5 days a week, reduce it by doing things like ‘Meatless Mondays’ , no chicken on Wednesdays…..etc.

7. Reduce the number of goals: if you have ambitiously set too many goals, reduce them.

8. Remember that there are many new years! This was just the Christian new year. Then there is the Chinese, Parsi, Sindhi, Punjabi, Tamil, Maharashtrian, Gujarat, Muslim, ….so split the resolutions with different starting points, simple na?