New Year's resolutions begin popping up after Christmas and are often passionately declared at New Year's Eve parties. Most resolutions include health or fitness in some way, most are lofty and unrealistic, and unfortunately, most will be failures.

As I think back on this subject I am reminded of an episode of "Friends." Ross made a New Year's Resolution to do something different every day. It, of course, got him into a lot of comical hot water but the point is he wanted to learn and do and experience things that he never had before in order to broaden his life. A resolution, by definition, is simply "a course of action determined or decided on," in other words, a goal.

Generally speaking I don't like to take on a goal according to a day or date on a calendar. I think the best time to start a goal is when I am most fired up about it, even if that time falls on a Wednesday at 2:24 in the afternoon. However, a goal for the New Year does make sense to me, if done right. The New Year is a good place to mark time. Out with the old, in with the new - I'm going to be a better person this year than I was last year and when the next New Year rolls around I will think back and decide if I accomplished it or not. This is a nice start, but a little too vague.

A goal or resolution, if it's going to be effective should be quantifiable, definite, clear and obtainable. I suggest keeping a "Goal Journal," a small notebook to record these goals. It's kind of like a road map for life. Occasionally I'll feel like I'm drifting aimlessly in life and don't know why, then I realize that I haven't looked in my goal book in a while. When I do, I am reminded of where I've been, where I'm going and how I'm going to get there. I find this very helpful. Like having a list of classes one needs to take in order to graduate from college, or following a map to see where a celebrity lives, a series of goals can help lead you in the right direction. There are a lot of distractions in this world and a lot of ways to get derailed. If you plan your path and look at it occasionally, it may help you from becoming lost, however, this is not to say that you should never change your plan. It's important to be open to new things. If I weren't, I wouldn't be a trainer now (and loving it). Re-evaluating your goals is important in life. After you set your goals look at them once a month or so, determine if they are still viable and desirable. If not, change them to suit you.

Here is what I plan to do for the New Year. I will first reflect on the past year to see if I met my goal(s). If so, hurray. If not, re-evaluate to see if it's something I want to continue to work on in the New Year or disregard. I will then look at the areas in my life I want to improve and break them down into four categories:

A) Spiritual, B) Social, C) Physical and D) Professional. This year I will set resolutions in these four categories.

For example:
A) Spiritual. I may decide that meditation would be a good way to balance
my soul. I would write down that I will learn to meditate (maybe through
a book) and will practice it at least once a week for the next year.

B) Social. Perhaps I need to be more outgoing and friendly to strangers. I would find a person who has this ability and I would model myself after them. Maybe take them on as a mentor.

C) Physical. Maybe I want to climb Mt. Whitney. I will get in shape for a high elevation, steep climb physically and learn what I will need to know about camping, hiking and the terrain in that area.

D) Professional. A Masters degree in Exercise Science may be beneficial to my career. If that's the case I will go back to school and get the necessary degree.

After I write down all these goals I ask and answer the questions why? How will I do this? In a month or so I will look all this over to see if it's still doable, or was I just being overzealous. I think it's most important to make the goals appropriate; if they are too easy the challenge won't be compelling enough. If they are too hard, giving up and not trying may win. I think Genghis Khan said it best "The merit in action lies in finishing it to the end." However, I would like to point out that many people have a self-defeatist streak in them. For people like this I would suggest stating that you will "Try" to achieve the goal as opposed to making it a directive. This way it is more of a challenge to accomplish then a dare to take orders. Some people don't like to be told what to do even if it's themselves who are telling them. Reverse psychology or non-threatening challenges work best for these people.

All told, I think the crux of the biscuit is to have a plan of some sort, check up on it, re-evaluate and follow through. Don't forget about it. Come April or June it's easy to forget about a plan you made for yourself in January. Put it on your calendar; send yourself an e-greeting to remind you that will arrive on a certain day, whatever it takes to keep your goals active in your mind throughout the year. Don't be too hard on yourself if you fail. You will always have another chance.

Glenn Johnson
Motion Works Fitness
justglenn@earthlink.net