Every holiday season I do the same thing, I tell myself that I am going to be good and eat healthy and try to stay on track with my exercise schedule. However, first chance I get I sleep in, which in a weird way seems to throw off my whole schedule. This and not going to work brings out the more relaxed attitude. With that, my somewhat weekly regime of eating healthy and exercising 3 times a week goes down the tubes.

This year I managed to pack 5 days worth of eating into only 2 days, and of course mainly from the sweet food category I might add. Many people can relate, you know you shouldn’t but then your eyes take over and those cream puffs, that slice of cheese cake or those decorated sugar cookies with sprinkles just don’t look that bad and sinister anymore. I kept telling myself, “Oh I will just have a bit,” but deep down you know you will have a bit several times a day and when you take 5 days into account, a bit really becomes a heaping pile of calories.

Those 5 days seem to do so much damage. Yeah its only 5 days, but getting back into a healthy routine just seems so much more difficult now. The hurdle is not a hurdle anymore but a tall brick wall. I don’t do New Years resolutions because I guess I have looked at the whole ritual negatively. To me I always thought it was rubbish that nobody stuck to it and as a result would later feel bad. Well this year I have decided to do it and be motivated enough to stick with it and not just give it lip service.

I’m not an expert but I really think that if you want to succeed you really have to mean it and want it. I think deep down we all know if we are going to succeed at it because it’s a matter of caring, staying motivated and putting the time into whatever you want to really succeed.

My New Years resolution is to get back on track eating healthy and regularly exercising. My motivational factor is a nice wedding dress that I need to fit into for my July wedding. How do I plan to do it, well in the grocery store, I plan to shop in the outside aisles of the store, the meat section and the fruits/vegetables section and try to stay away from the middle section that usually has more of the foods you should be staying away from. In regards to the exercise, well how more convenient can it get, my building has a gym literally down the hall from my suite. So I plan to visit it 3 times a week and go swimming once a week with an exercise buddy so we can help each other stay motivated. Hopefully I stay on track, but I have a positive attitude and I think that goes a long way in helping.

So what is your New Year’s resolution and how do you plan on achieving it and staying motivated?

- Hanna