Make This Your Year

By Jessie Knadler, Prevention magazine



You can eat better, find energy and lose the weight you want. No matter what your goal, our expert tested strategies will get you there.

We know all about New Year's resolutions.

They're shiny with possibility before midnight—but come the cold light of day, they've stopped giving you that giddy feeling. Maybe you hang on to them for another week or two, but eventually they get lost in the momentum of your life. Again.

We understand. But we also know that you can make those important changes stick. A classic study on resolutions found that 60 percent of people who set a New Year's goal give up on it within three months. But that means 40 percent succeed. The difference between the ones who reach their goals and those who fall short? Successful changers seek out or stumble onto the right strategies. Losing weight, for instance, is tough, but researchers have learned that regular weigh-ins increase the chances of success by more than 80%. And when you're trying to get yourself up off the couch, having a plan B (like using an exercise DVD when rain dampens your enthusiasm for a brisk walk) makes you 20 percent more likely to become a habitual exerciser.

We surveyed top researchers in psychology, weight loss, exercise and more to identify the most common resolutions, along with the roadblocks that most often get in the way. Then we gave our experts a challenge: How can you jump over, sneak under, or crash right through the barriers? To get on the fast track to your goals, read on.

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