Setting a New Year’s Resolution can be a great motivator when it comes to getting in shape. As January 1st rolls around you are all hyped up and ready to spend the next 365 days getting fit by following those resolutions. The problem is that many resolutions are word incorrectly so by January 5th you have already gone back to your old ways.

Losing weight, eating healthier, and exercising more are three very common things that people pick when deciding on their New Year’s Resolutions. There is a very big problem with these resolutions though. They are not worded in a way as to provide the necessary motivation to follow through with them for the next year. Let’s use losing weight as an example. Losing weight is a great idea and it is something that a lot of Americans need to do. The problem is how do we know when we have been successful at achieving this goal? We could simply lose one pound and consider ourselves successful. If you are already a healthy weight then that is fine. What if you weigh 300 or more pounds and you are just starting out in a weight loss program? Is losing just one pound a success? In many ways it is, but in the grand scheme of things probably not.

In order for this to be a good goal or resolution it needs to be more specific. If you weigh 300 pounds then how much weight do you want to lose. Do you want to try to lose a pound per week on average? That means by the time you are preparing to set your resolution for the next year your weight would be 248 pounds or less. Now you have a set target to aim for. You know what you are working towards.

Eating healthier and exercising more are just like the losing weight resolution. How do we know we are eating healthier or that we are exercising more? We are exercising more than what, or eating healthier than whom? Those resolutions could be changed for the better simply by adding a few more words to the sentence. Let’s try!

Resolution #1: I will eat healthier by eating at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

Resolution #2: I will exercise at least 5 days per week for at least 30 minutes each of those days.

Each of those resolutions has very specific guidelines now. For resolution number one you are saying that you want to focus on eating healthier by increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables. You are going to do that by eating at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. In resolution number two you are saying that you want to exercise more by increasing your frequency to 5 days per week while exercising for at least 30 minutes in duration.

For a resolution or a goal for that matter to provide motivation to work towards it you must make it a smart resolution. Spend some time writing and revising if necessary so that you have a clear understanding of how or when you can deem yourself successful at achieving this goal.