How come most resolutions don’t survive past Valentine’s Day? What gives a few determined people the will to continue, while so many drop off at the sidelines? How can you make sure that you will have the “right stuff” to stick to a resolution?

Being from the health / fitness / wellness industry, I have seen droves of enthusiastic and health minded clients come through the doors in early January. Within a month, or two, many of them were gone. When I worked at Ocean State Fitness, some of the personal trainers would bet on the odds of a client making it to February.

Below, I have outlined a preliminary game plan for anyone who wants to succeed at anything. This doesn’t just apply to fitness, body building, weight loss, Yoga, martial arts, or quitting smoking. The principles below apply to everything you can attain in life.

Write your resolution down, and put it somewhere you will see it every day. If you plan on a New Year’s Resolution, do it as soon as possible. Plan it out in your mind and understand that you will be at a few parties between now and then.

Design a realistic short-term goal and a long-range goal. Be prepared for some set backs, pick yourself up, and move forward. For example: If you made a resolution to lose weight, do you think you will eat perfect all year. There’s going to be at least one kind of junk food you

The worst thing you can do is get depressed over being human. If you overate, smoked a cigarette, or drank too much, get back into your new healthy lifestyle right away. Eventually, you will be less self-indulgent, but remember, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

The biggest difference between people who persist, and those who don’t, is consistency. You won’t see any big changes in your health in a single day, so don’t beat yourself up over skipping a workout, unless you make it a trend. If you find yourself having trouble, get professional advice.

Talk to your family physician, consult a personal trainer, Yoga teacher, or life coach, and adjust your plans to fit within your lifestyle. Talk is cheap, so make a plan, and take action based upon what you learn. Maximize your potential by using the knowledge that you pay for.

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

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