Keeping New Year’s Resolutions

Newswise — People often make New Year's resolutions that are abandoned by February. For success, turn New Year's goals into specific behaviors, said UAB clinical psychologist Joshua Klapow, Ph.D. "Saying that you're going to exercise doesn't tell you which exercise, for how long and how frequently. Be specific. A plan to walk five minutes a day and increase the time by one minute each week is specific. Second, resolutions need to be things you can actually do. You're more likely to repeat behaviors in which you're successful. Set short- and long-term target goals and make the short-term goals easy to reach. Track your progress by getting a calendar and marking every time you perform your new habit. Three days without performing your new habit means you're slipping."