New Year's Resolutions

The gym has been hopping this week with new members who have resolved to get in shape for 2006. Most of the regulars tolerate the crowds with the full knowledge that next month things will get back to normal. Some studies have indicated that nearly 80 percent of those who join a gym this month won't be using that membership by March.

The NPD group, one of the biggest polling companies in the nation, has released a new study that supports the idea that few of these new members will last. This study indicates that most people won't try the diet approach until June, when bathing suit season looms on the horizon.

Harry Balzer, vp-The NPD Group, says,

"People start thinking in January that exercise will melt away the pounds but realize by March that it's much easier to change their food intake than exercise the weight away.

The annual "Eating Patterns in America" and "Dieting Monitor" studies found that typically, only 23% of adults are on diets in January versus 26% in March.

The study, a leading indicator of consumer eating/dieting patterns used by food marketers and restaurant operators in the U.S., also found that while 62% of Americans are overweight, some 60% agreed with the statement, "I would like to lose 20 pounds," and seem to be more tolerant of their battle with the bulge.

Clearly the diet OR exercise approach isn't working. Two-thirds of Americans are overweight and 20 percent of those are obese. The solution is diet AND exercise. They work hand in hand, and one without the other is sure to fail.

Even more than that, there needs to be the recognition that health is a lifestyle, not something you do for two or three months until the weight comes off. As a trainer, I try to teach my clients to adopt habits that they can stick with for the rest of their lives.

Here a few tips to help make the resolution to be healthy last past this month.

1. Clean out ALL of the junk from your refrigerator, your cabinets, your desk drawer at work, or wherever else you hide junk food. This means most boxed cereal, all white bread, white rice, anything made with white flour, candy, baked goods, chips, cookies, ice cream, regular soda, most fruit juices, and anything else that you know isn't good for you.

2. Go to the store and buy vegetables (go for a variety of colors, not just green), lean meats (chicken, turkey, fish), nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, pumpkin seeds), olive oil, fruit, low-fat cheese, sugar-free yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, whole wheat/high fiber wraps, whole wheat bread, oatmeal (not instant), and some spices and sauces (be sure they are low or no sugar).

3. Join a gym. Look for one close to where you live, or on the way home from work. If you have to go out of your way to get there, it's likely you won't. If you aren't sure about the gym, do a month-to-month membership--it'll cost a little more but you won't be locked in for three years. If you like the place, you can always upgrade the contract.

4. Get friends or family members to do it with you. It's much easier with teamwork and accountability.

5. Look at the reasons you eat badly. There is likely to be at least one emotional trigger that causes you to give up the healthy stuff and go for the junk. For some it's anger or sadness, for others it's boredom or fatigue. If you eat when you are bored, look at why you are bored. With all the options available to us, there is no reason to ever be bored--most likely there is something else going on.

6. Be clear that is this is a lifetime choice, not a quick fix. You should not do any diet that you don't want to do for the rest of your life. That said, avoid fad diets and simply make healthy choices each day, one day at a time.

7. Cut out some pictures from magazines of bodies that you admire. Post these pictures on the fridge, on the bathroom mirror, and above your nightstand. Use these images to motivate you. Imagine yourself, each night before falling asleep, with the body and the health you have always wanted. Visualization sounds woo-woo, but it works.

Good luck.