Controversial title, am I right? But think about it… How many times have you made big resolutions for your New Year, things like:

• I will sign up for a gym membership
• I will eat less

These resolutions often turn into:

• I will actually go the gym once I sign up for the membership
• I will eat less even though it's damn hard

Which eventually turns into:

• I will make an effort to drag myself off my lazy a** to get to the gym now that I have a membership
• I will try to eat less sugary foods - I just can't eat less

Finally, you end up with:

• I'll go to the gym next year
• I'll eat less when I start going to the gym next year

It's kind of funny how New Years resolutions often slowly decay until all we have left is the husk of our original goals. So what's wrong with this picture? To begin with, why are you waiting for New Year to make and keep resolutions? Why do you need some big "life-changing" event to help you start doing the right thing? Sure, it's convenient, but that convenience is actually what stops you from doing it in the long run. If you have a goal, just set it, and don't use New Year as an excuse. January is also a pretty bad time of year to start doing new things. In many parts of the world, January is filled with freezing cold and lots of snow. Why would you start running at this time of year? It takes anywhere from 18 to 254 days for an activity to become a habit[1]. If you feel too cold to run one day, there goes your New Year's resolution. It's better to form resolutions during the spring, summer, or autumn months when you can actually keep up with them. You'll find that most of your resolutions fail simply because of the simple psychological effect of procrastination. The goal is to have  "New Year" resolution, but Day 1 of the New Year finds most people recovering from way too much drinking or partying. "I'll do it tomorrow" becomes your motto for the year, and you end up failing.

Don't be Stupid: Don't Make Resolutions This Year

What does this statement mean? To put it simply: don't treat your goals for the year like a New Year's resolution. Don't start them on the New Year, but set a date that you're going to start and ACTUALLY START THE DAMN THING!

Don't let your goals start at New Years, as you'll probably treat them like all of the other New Year's resolutions that you failed at. Start at a time when you actually have a chance for success. Break your routine of the last 20 to 50-some years of your life, and make a resolution you can keep - just don't make it at New Year. Let the New Year come without any change in your lifestyle, and use your days of vacation to look at the ways you can actually make realistic changes this year. When you get back to work, see how your work life gets in the way of the goals, as well as how you can shift your work and life to fit your new goals. Once you know how things work, that's when it's time to make resolutions - but for God's sake make them realistic and achievable. No, losing 50 pounds before Easter weekend isn't going to happen, and you're going to have a hard time spending two hours at the gym each day. Make a goal that you can actually reach, and you'll start the year out right. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="614"] Source: iheartvegetables.com[/caption] If your goal is to get in shape, check out the workout videos we have here. With just 5 to 15 minutes a day, it's easy. If your goal is to diet and eat healthier, use our Nutrition Guide to help you. It makes it simple enough for even dummies (not like you) to understand it. Make 2014 a year in which you actually succeed at your goals, but for God's sake, don't make stupid New Year's resolutions!  

[1] http://www.spring.org.uk/2009/09/how-long-to-form-a-habit.php