(January 4, 2010)  For many people, the New Year includes a grudging realization that they need to improve their health or lose the weight they gained over the holiday season. If your New Year’s Resolutions are forgotten before the Christmas tree comes down, there are steps you can take to keep your resolutions in 2010.

Making resolutions is the first step. People who resolve to change actually are more successful than their counterparts with similar bad habits who make no resolutions. But, it’s important to have a plan and a healthy dose of perseverance if you want to successfully change your lifestyle. Part of the plan is to anticipate pitfalls in your journey to good health, take steps to minimize their impact and stay on track.

The most common resolutions involve losing weight, eating healthier, breaking the smoking habit and exercising more. Use these tips to improve your chances for success:

Eating Healthy:

Instead of trying to overhaul your entire diet at once, make small changes to incorporate a healthier eating plan.

• Drink more water. Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning, and with meals. If you find water boring, try one of the flavored options or splash some of your favorite juice or beverage into a glass of icy water.
• Even if you don’t brown-bag it to work, take along a piece of produce to eat at lunch or as a snack.
• Package a single serving of your favorite whole-grain cereal for your midmorning snack.
• Experiment – pick out a new fruit or vegetable to try each time you’re in the produce section of your grocery store.
• Embrace colors and pick fruits and vegetables in a variety of colors and shades.
• To avoid snacking while watching television or visiting with friends, try chewing sugar-free gum or pop a sugar-free mint in your mouth.
• Instead of keeping high-sugar snacks in your home, buy single servings for a one-time splurge. Or, go out to the ice cream store for the occasional treat rather than making ice cream or other high-calorie treats easily available for a daily extravagance.

Get Moving:

• Include at least 30 minutes of exercise most – or all – days.
• Having support in creating new health habits is important. Ask a buddy to join you for a daily walk at lunch or schedule a time for daily walks or bike rides.
• Socialize with non-food events such as a game in the park, a hike, a bike ride or other activities. Learn – or relearn – an activity such as volleyball, basketball or tennis.

Set Small Goals:

• Break your ultimate goals down into smaller steps that can be accomplished and celebrated along the way.
• For example, ease into an exercise program or set a goal of incorporating one healthy new eating habit in your meal plan every two weeks.
• If you mess up, don’t give up. Accept the set-back and continue working toward your health goals. The key is to take small, positive steps and keep moving ahead.

Make Time for Yourself:

• Allow some alone or “me” time to de-stress from your life. Include activities in your daily schedule that give you joy or satisfaction.
• Don’t skimp on sleep. Sleep deprivation can actually increase appetite and make it harder to lose or maintain weight.

Listed below are a number of simple resolutions that most people can achieve.

• Invest in a pedometer. It counts your steps and makes it easy to set goals like taking 10,000 steps a day, or increasing your daily steps a little at a time.
• Take advantage of the health benefits of green and black tea and sip two cups a day.
• Switch to whole-grain breads, cereals, crackers and pasta.
• Change to healthier fats in dining and cooking. Instead of margarine or butter, use a spread with added plant sterols like Benecol or Take Control, and try canola or olive oil when cooking.
• Cut down on sodium by minimizing consumption of processed foods and choosing lower-sodium soups, crackers, salad dressings, canned tomatoes and other products.
• Become a food label reader to make the most nutritious and healthy food choices.

Approach your new healthier lifestyle like a marathon, not a sprint. A rigid low fat, low calorie diet may help you lose weight, but is generally not sustainable. Such diets actually lower metabolism so when you go back to a more normal eating style, you gain back all of the lost weight and more. The best approach is to identify and follow an eating and exercise plan you can stick with for the long term.