New Years Resolutions Do Not Work

       It comes as no surprise that people use the start of a new year to improve some aspect of their lives. It is also no surprise that after about two months of blood, sweat, and some hard earned tears the vast majority of people will give up on their resolutions. They will use a number of excuses such as: it's just too hard, my schedule is too busy, my kids have soccer practice, or the easiest excuse, I simply cannot afford a gym membership. While these may be valid excuses, they are not the real reason why new years resolutions fail. The real reason why new years resolutions fail is because people fail to use proven behavior change techniques as a method of changing a negative behavior. Most people stop eating sweets and fast food cold turkey, and then overexert themselves on an elliptical for two hours a day until they are exhausted and frustrated.
        Many people have never been shown the proper way to alter their behavior, and that is one of the reasons why I started this blog. Not only is it my goal to provide the best fitness advice to my readers, but it is also a passion of mine to instruct all of my students, clients, and readers on how they can improve their lives using methods that will not fail. A successful behavior change plan includes:
            1.) A goal and a (reasonable) time frame in which you are supposed to reach this goal
            2.) Two weeks of negative practice in which you have some means of recording and tracking
            3.) Identification of one's antecedents based upon the negative practice records
            4.) Reinforcement/Punishment strategy
            5.) A contract manager
            6.) A clear and explicit self-contract with the client's/participants signature
            7.) A recording method to be used during the project
         Some of these facets may be unknown by most people, which is why for the next couple of weeks I am going to explain these facets in detail. If you have any questions on anything mentioned in this post feel free to respond in a comment. I hope that this information will be useful to all of my readers as they strive to better their lives in 2012.