New Year, New You: 8 Weeks to Your Best Life in 2007

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” -- Helen Keller

THERE'S SOMETHING HOPEFUL and heartening about a New Year.

It’s an opportunity to slough off past indulgences, offenses and omissions, and look ahead with a gleam in our eyes and a fire in our bellies. The New Year is a clean slate.

Unfortunately, New Year’s resolutions have lost much of their gravitas -- at least with respect to fitness. We set them, we break them. We don’t think much of it. Some of us have broken the promise to ourselves so many times that we no longer pursue our resolutions with the firm determination they require … and deserve.

The New Year presents a fresh opportunity to live our best lives. We ought to seize that opportunity -- and pursue it with great conviction. After all, there is a lot on the line: This is your life. Right here, right now. And this year you can live your best life.

Over the next 8 weeks, I’m going to cover the “eight pillars of success” when it comes to health and fitness goals. They are, in order: Commitment, Guidance, Time, Motivation, Health, Support, Environment and Enjoyment. Each week, I’ll also present “Action items” that, when taken together, will form a foundation for success all year long.

First, some ground rules:

Believe

No matter how many times you’ve failed in the past, this is a new year. And, in a literal sense: this is a new you. Believing in yourself is the key to success. There’s even research to substantiate this. In a study sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, two groups of sedentary women were given a fitness test. Regardless of how they had actually performed on the test, one group was told they had scored in the highest fifth, while another group was told they’d scored in the bottom fifth. When the women subsequently worked out, the ones who’d been told they’d scored well reported feeling better and more energetic about the exercise than the women who were told they’d done poorly. Clearly, if you believe you can succeed in achieving your goals in 2007, you more than likely will.

On the other hand, if you lack confidence, reaching your goals can become a challenge—if not downright impossible. And if you’re like a lot of people attempting to achieve a higher level of fitness in the New Year, self-doubt can creep in at the most inopportune moments. Even if you’re bursting with buoyancy right now, it’s important to plan for times when that might not be the case—whether it’s in the face of adversity or simply manifests as a slight twinge of uncertainty about how to proceed. As Helen Keller once said, “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” Whether that sunny disposition eludes you or not, it’s always a good idea to have some self-assuredness exercises and strategies in your exercise arsenal.

Seek support

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “you’re your own worst critic” -- and if you’ve heard it a lot in reference to yourself, well, nothing is going to be more valuable to your fitness success than other people who can knock some sense into you. Even if you don’t have a tendency to come down a little too hard on yourself, having a support system in place is crucial for not just staying on your game but kicking serious butt. You simply can’t afford not to surround yourself with people who will cheer you on when you feel like giving up (and that will happen often!), who will point out how far you’ve come when you’re not sure you’re doing enough, and who will tell you that you can do it when you lack belief in yourself.

According to sports psychologist Dariusz Nowicki, who works with Olympic athletes, people are 47 percent more motivated to exercise consistently when they involve their family and friends than when they go solo. “Studies have shown time and again that when people know others are watching them, they perform very differently than when they know they are alone,” adds Nowicki in his book Gold Medal Mental Workout. He suggests that you tell everyone you know that you’re going to accomplish your New Year’s resolutions -- to create accountability that will drive you even further. “The more involved those around you become in your event, the higher your motivation becomes to do the daily workouts,” he says. And the mere act of telling others you’re going to do something might just make you believe it’s completely doable!

Be uncompromising

We tend to put ourselves last in life. Think about it for a moment: if your health is your most precious personal asset, why is it that we’re so willing to nix workouts in favor of doing things for others – such as cleaning the house or putting in extra time at work? Exercise often gets relegated to the end of our “daily to-do lists.” This year needs to be your year -- to take the time you need, and deserve, to look and feel fabulously fit. And, anyone who cares about you will support that position wholeheartedly.

You only need to invest 4-8 hours a week into physical activity; that’s roughly 3-6% of your total available hours each week. Making time for exercise is like “paying yourself” first each month, by allocating a percentage of your earnings to savings. It’s difficult at first, but you soon learn that the investment is well worth it.

In 2007, be unyielding -- even a little stubborn -- when it comes to making and taking time for your fitness. When you have a workout to do, treat it like a serious business appointment, or time with your kids. Don’t let anyone, or anything, get in your way. Life can wait. Your health may not.

Never give in

In a 1941 speech to the Harrow School, after months of an unremitting Nazi air attack, Winston Churchill uttered words that would echo through the ages: “Never Give In, Never, Never, Never.” It was Churchill’s moxie and resolve -- and his willingness to back it all up with every fiber of his 5 foot, 6 inch frame -- that helped the Allies secure victory in World War II.

When it comes to commitment, we can learn much from Churchill. Granted, comparing working out to war seems a little absurd, but the underlying message is not: Commitment is commitment. What is the depth of yours? Achieving your New Year’s resolutions comes down to a mindset: if you are firmly committed, you’ll never give in. Regardless of how many workouts you miss, or how long you come off your diet -- on any given day, you can get right back on track. In fact, that ability is the hallmark of every successful person in every area of life. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: "A hero is no braver than an ordinary [person], but [she] is braver five minutes longer."

To Do This Week: “Commitment Workouts.” Each time you exercise this week, spend some time reflecting on how important (and tenuous) your health is, and how you must do everything you can to achieve your resolutions this year. Solidify that commitment. Deeply.

When you commit to living your best life -- I mean, authentically and unwaveringly -- nothing will get in your way. And, the life you've often imagined will come to you.

Next up: The Plan. Stay tuned.