Make year-round lifestyle changes instead of resolutions

By Dana Benson

Making resolutions when the New Year rings in is easy; keeping them is much harder. Maybe that's because resolutions carry with them a lot of pressure. Expectations for an entire year ride on the shoulders of New Year's resolutions.

Instead of making once-a-year resolutions, subtle lifestyle changes might be easier to implement.

Simple changes

One way to do that, says one Baylor College of Medicine expert, is to make simple changes to your eating habits.

"Why not adopt a lifetime plan to eat more healthy," advises Dr. Rebecca Reeves, assistant professor of medicine at BCM.

This doesn't have to involve a major new eating plan. Changes can be as simple as switching to bread, pasta and cereal products that contain whole grain and reducing portion sizes. Also make it a practice to fill up at least half your plate with vegetables and eat more fruit. Start reading labels on products, paying special attention to sugars and sodium and making sure the foods you select do not contain too much of these.

Reeves also suggests becoming more physically active, but it doesn't have to start out with a new gym membership. Start slowly, like with a walk around the block.

Find a friend

One way to make lifestyle changes that can last all year – and beyond – is to pair up with a buddy.

"It can be very effective, as seen in programs such as Weight Watchers and Alcoholics Anonymous," said Dr. Richard Pesikoff, clinical professor of psychiatry in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at BCM.

Most important is choosing the right friend, someone who is committed both to you and to the change you want to achieve in your life, like quitting smoking or exercising more.

You should look for a partner with the same goal as you and who has the ability to meet short-, mid- and long-term commitments, he said. You'll need someone who doesn't want to let you down, and vice versa.

"You're making a change because it's the right thing to do, but sometimes you need that added foot in the back," Pesikoff said. "A friend can provide that, and there's extra motivation because you don't want to let your friend down. It doesn't feel good when you leave someone out in the cold, waiting for you to show up at the gym."

If you set the right goal and find the right partner, it's possible to turn your once-a-year resolution into a new way of life.