Are You Still Following Your New Years Resolution To Lose Weight?

One of the most common New Year's Resolutions is "to lose weight, and get in shape". However within a few weeks an overwhelming majority of people are right back where they started eating foods that aren't healthy and not exercising. So why do so many people start out with good intentions and fail? Most people focus on short term goals and instant gratification. They want to lose weight but aren't committed to making the lifestyle changes necessary to lead a healthier life. Let's be honest that chocolate covered doughnut with sprinkles certainly tastes better than a bowl of oatmeal, and who wouldn't want to eat something that tastes better. Truth is unless you are training for an athletic event its ok to have a chocolate doughnut from time to time. The key is not to have a chocolate doughnut every morning. Realize that there are some foods that just aren't healthy and you should only be eating them on a limited basis and in moderation. The second part of getting in shape and losing weight is exercise. Again people start out with the best intentions I'm going to run 5 miles every day. However if you haven't run a mile in more years than you care to admit, this is a recipe for failure. Set moderate and obtainable goals for yourself. First start out with walking one mile. After a few weeks start walking for two miles, then three. Once you can comfortably walk the 5 miles, start walking four and half miles and run for a half mile. Keep up adding to the length you run and subtracting from the length you walk. It may take 6 months or more for you get to that stage, and that's ok. It's not important that you succeed quickly, just that you succeed. One of the biggest reasons people give up weight loss resolutions is temporary defeat. Maybe they went on a vacation and gained a few pounds, or they had some big projects for work and haven't exercised for a week or two, and what's the point in starting back up again. When you start down the road to a healthier lifestyle realize there will be bumps and even a few dead ends on the way. Realize its ok to make a mistake as long as you get back on the right path again, and try not to repeat the same mistakes you did last time.