30 Tips to Help You Make New Year's Resolutions (and keep them)

It's that time of year again.

The time of year when we find ourselves saying this will be the year when we "get healthy", "fitter" and "eat better"... and so it goes on and on.

[caption id="attachment_21391" align="alignright" width="360"]The Whole Life Fitness Manifesto - learn to leverage 30 minutes a day for a healthier body, mind and spirit.[/caption]

I dedicate a few chapters in my book, the Whole Life Fitness Manifesto , to helping people create specific lifestyle goals that are both attainable and realistic. The biggest thing being the goals achieved are sustainable for life . Don't get me wrong, short-term goals are great, but many a times the short-term goals need a lot of commitment and require people changing their routine. When we change our routine to fit a "program", our default is to return to routine - but if you can find a routine that can adapt into your lifestyle, it's no longer a question of sustainability.

It's now just about living your life.

Last year around this time, I wrote a post entitled the Top 10 Resolutions That No One Achieves. Those failed resolutions included:

Top 10 Failed New Year's Resolutions

1. Lose Weight


2. Getting Organized


3. Spend Less, Save More


4. Enjoy Life to the Fullest


5. Staying Fit and Healthy


6. Learn Something Exciting


7. Quit Smoking


8. Help Others in Their Dreams


9. Fall in Love


10. Spend More Time with Family

To make things worse, according to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, only 64 per cent of people continue their New Year’s workouts into February.

[tweet_box design="box_10"]According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, only 64 per cent of people continue their New Year’s workouts into February.[/tweet_box]

So this leads to two very distinct questions:

1. Why do we bother creating New Year's Resolutions, if we know statistically speaking that majority of us will give up on them within the first 30 days?


2. What are we doing so wrong that we can't meet our resolution goals?

To shed some light on this anti-Resolutionist phenomena, I went to Twitter.

I sought out a couple dozen fitness and lifestyle experts to share (in 140 characters or less)  their answer to the question...

What's your best New Year's resolution fitness tip?

@daimanuel Start small now so that you aren't going from 0 to 60 on Jan. 1 with all the rest of the crowds!

— Amanda Loudin (@MissZippy1) December 11, 2015

@daimanuel Don't make resolutions. Make mini, specific goals for each day, week, month. It becomes a daily priority not one you forget about

— Happy Fit Mama (@happyfitmama) December 11, 2015

@daimanuel Drink water! Lots of water! For every glass of wine or cup of coffee you drink in a day, add 2 more glasses to your intake. HTH

— Run DMT (@denisermt) December 11, 2015

@daimanuel I say make a commitment to tracking your steps everyday. Find a fitness tracker and walk as much as you can!

— M.A. Donohue (@BrooklynFitChik) December 10, 2015

@daimanuel Have a realistic plan. If you plan ahead, you will succeed. This goes for your nutrition and workouts.

— Shannon Chenoweth (@GirlsGotSole) December 9, 2015

@daimanuel I would say take it slow and celebrate the little victories!!

— Katie (@momslrb) December 9, 2015

@daimanuel Don't be bound by how you *think* a workout should go. You may not have the perfect shoes or equipment, but move anyway!

— Paula Kiger (@biggreenpen) December 6, 2015

@daimanuel Make realistic goals + focus in 4 week increments. Baby steps for success. #FitFluential #JustMoveYall

— Michelle Lancaster (@CyFitFreedom) December 6, 2015

@daimanuel Celebrate small goals!

— Amy Glass (@MrsGlass) December 6, 2015

@daimanuel start small and then slowly build up to doing more.

— FemmeFitaleFitClub (@DSTPRL) December 7, 2015

@daimanuel Hi Dai. My tip would be to associate a fitness action with a trigger. Like a buzz (on smartphone) every hour to do 10+ burpees.

— Bob Choat (@BobChoat) December 7, 2015

Awesome, @daimanuel ! My tip: stay active during the holidays, so if working out in the new year is your goal, it won't be as hard to start ?

— Lisa Douglas (@crazyadventures) December 7, 2015

@daimanuel staying active during the holidays is a great stress-reliever, should family visits/holidays stress you out, y'know? ?

— Lisa Douglas (@crazyadventures) December 7, 2015

@daimanuel Drink more water. Move your body more. Set realistic goals. And stick with you. You’ll feel so much better.

— Jennifer Z (@JenZenator) December 9, 2015

@daimanuel If it’s worth doing for the new year, start now. I don’t believe in putting off important goals.

— Erika Wiggins (@Active_Explorer) December 7, 2015

@daimanuel My best fitness tip for NYR's? Share your goal with a close friend or family member. Have them help YOU stay accountable. :)

— Rachel (@RunningRachel) December 8, 2015

@daimanuel Sure. ? "Set realistic, smaller goals, to not overwhelm yourself." Also, to be patient with your self.

— Arie Rich, RRCA, CPT (@ArieRich) December 8, 2015

@daimanuel schedule in your workouts along with all your holiday parties to make sure you stay on track! Planning is key!

— Alicia Bell (@TrainItRight) December 8, 2015

@daimanuel sure! Commit to making changes for just 30 days at a time. Anyone can do anything for 30 days. 1yr can be overwhelming. :)

— Bonnie Pfiester (@BonniePfiester) December 8, 2015

@daimanuel I don't typically make a resolution, more of what I would like to accomplish in the year. Maybe it's a time goal, or a distance.
— Pavement Runner (@PavementRunner) December 3, 2015

@daimanuel Resolve to, first and foremost, journal your food intake. Changing how you eat is the most important part of weight loss, and

— Erika Nicole Kendall (@bgg2wl) December 4, 2015

@daimanuel you can’t do that effectively without knowing exactly what you eat and why!

— Erika Nicole Kendall (@bgg2wl) December 4, 2015

@daimanuel I would say have patience and don't give up. It takes time to reach your goals

— Jill Hanner (@jillhanner) December 4, 2015

@daimanuel Everything including food and fitness in moderation to keep your life in balance

— Marla (@SavingUGreenMom) December 4, 2015

Make it something interesting & exciting enough that you'll want to pursue it for life! #lifestyle https://t.co/VTQcpYYY9c

— Jana_Stewart (@JanaStewart) December 4, 2015

@daimanuel To find the form of exercise that they find fun! Fitness is only sustainable if it's something we get to do vs. have to do.

— Anne Mauney, MPH, RD (@fANNEtasticfood) December 4, 2015

@daimanuel Best tip? Don't think of it as a resolution! Think of it as a permanent lifestyle change ??

— Becca (@BeccaLudlum) December 5, 2015

@daimanuel Plan your fitness & meals every week. If you miss a planned day, just pick up & carry on with the rest of the plan.

— Janice S. (@fitcheerldr) December 5, 2015

Find one small, measurable thing to change & focus on that. 4 ex: switch 1 soda 4 water, or add 500 steps 2 your day https://t.co/YhyEcPvGG0

— Alexandra Williams (@Alexandrafunfit) December 3, 2015

I practice what I preach. I do what I can when I can. I do my best each day and get back up the next and try again https://t.co/NO4Ua65UZ9

— carla birnberg (@carla_birnberg) December 2, 2015

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If you can take away and apply any one of the above New Year's Resolution tips, you'll be well on your way to making 2016 your healthiest year yet.

And, if you are looking for a community of like-minded people to join on your journey, check out the Whole Life Fitness Manifesto Facebook group.

Remember, enjoy the journey!

[tweet_box design="box_12"]I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples ― Mother Teresa[/tweet_box]