Ready to Get Back on Track?

Many of us get recharged at the beginning of the new year and are motivated to get healthier. But sometimes when you're looking back over years of resolutions unachieved, the thought of making another attempt can feel frustating and pointless. Don't let past failures get you down. Instead, focus on what may have held you back from attaining your goals and adjust your expectiations for yourself in the future. Were your resolutions unrealistic? Did you have a working plan in mind to make them possible?

• Set a realistic goal for changes to your diet or exercise routine and take into account your schedule, time commitments and current physical shape.
• It's easy to get too fixated on a number of pounds, whether it's an overall weight you want to achieve or an amount of weight you want to lose in a certain time period. Rather than getting hooked on a number, make a goal that measures the improvement of your overall health such as working up to walking 30 minutes daily without being out of breath or training to walk or run a 5K race.
• If you do choose set a weight goal, ask a doctor about how much weight you can lose healthfully in a set time period. Setting small weight goals along with the final one and rewarding yourself along the way is a good motivating tool.

• If your goal is to exercise more, look at your schedule and find a specific time that it will fit in.
• Find a workout buddy or someone to hold you accountable to sticking to the time you set. If need be, choose something to give up, such as an hour of television, to make it happen.
• People who haven't had success on their own can seek help from the Weight Loss Center or similar programs that monitor progress. At St. Francis, dieters get weekly help from doctors, dietitians and behavioral counselors.