New Year's Resolutions: Stay Strong

We're half-way through January. How are you doing on your New Year's Resolutions? You've had a couple weeks to get into your routine, and they say it takes 27 days to build a habit, so you're almost there.

If you've ever tried to keep a New Year's resolution, however, you know how hard it can be to keep it going all year long. Maybe you're still riding high on New Year's motivation right now, but studies show that most people start to lose steam around the end of January. Why then? After nearly a month of commitment, you've moved out of the honeymoon phase with your new gym membership, closet organizer or Spanish books, and it's still too early to really start seeing results.

So how do you beat that January slump? You have to reignite your motivation and find ways to keep it going. The longer you stick with something, the easier it gets, so hopefully by spring, your resolutions will be habit. In the meantime, try some of these tricks to get you back in gear.

Get motivated

Remember when you told yourself "this year is going to be the year" and believed it? Recapture that excitement you had when you made your resolutions in the first place. Buy some new exercise equipment or a killer workout DVD, Like Jillian Michaels' "30 Day Shred," to get excited about getting your heart rate up. I know some cute new workout clothing and a few new tunes on my iPod help me get re-motivated to workout, and a cool new snowboard would certainly get me on the slopes to actually learn how to snowboard. Figure out what you need to get excited again and use that to keep you on track.

Remind yourself

Most people do better when they have reminders. Let's face it: Sometimes your brand-new workout regimen slips your mind when you get busy. Leave sticky notes around the house for yourself or buy a planner to help you keep track. One of my resolutions was to spend more time with friends and family, and with a planner, it's easier to make sure I have quality time to spend with them every week.

Set goals

The thought of going an entire year without soda can be completely overwhelming, so you might as well just crack one open now, right? Well, what about going a month without soda? A week? That sounds more doable. Set little goals to keep yourself going, and make sure to reward yourself when you reach one. Did you pay off your credit card this month? Celebrate with a dinner out with friends.

Start over

One of the biggest resolution killers is giving up after you slip up. So you didn't make it to the gym this week. Don't let that keep you from the gym next week! Haven't stuck to your diet? Try this Weight Watchers cookbook to help you get back on top. Don't view your resolutions as make-or-break. Instead, give yourself as many do-overs as you need.

What resolutions did you make for 2012? Do you have any of your own tips on how to keep them?

Posted by Andrea Sparks