At this time every year, people flood their local Targets for planners with “New Year, New Me” on the cover. Healthy snacks and gym gear seem to sold out everywhere. Why? Because it’s the New Year of course! Everyone wants to believe that the upcoming new year will be different than the year before. But for some reason no one ever seems to be able to hang onto those resolutions because here’s the thing: resolutions don’t work.

The kinds of resolutions I’m talking about are the “I’m going to lose ten pounds” or “I’m going to go to the gym everyday”. The ones that sound unrealistic and have no game plan. Although the intent is good, the execution is flawed.

But that’s not the case for everyone. There are some people who can really focus on a new goal at the start of the new year and have it work for them. However, for most people that plan simply does not work. The pressure of changing your entire life starting on the first of the month is a lot of pressure that most cannot live up to.

Resolutions need to be thought of as a lifestyle change, not just a temporary fix to a long term problem. Most people who want to lose weight don’t want to lose it just to gain it back. In order to keep it off, there has to be consistent work. The language regarding resolutions can be detrimental to them being successful. If the resolution sounds like an order or a nag, you are less likely to want to adhere. Worded as a friendly suggestion, it could be just what you need to get your new year started the right way

In order to make resolutions feasible it has to be about progress. If eating healthier is the goal, slowly cut out some of those bad snacks or dedicate two days a week to eating clean. If the goal is working out more, try ten-minute workouts at the end of the day or taking a fun gym class with friends once a week. Changing your life isn’t going to happen at the stroke of midnight, it’s going to take time.

Resolutions simply aren’t for everyone, but with some adjustments they could be. 2018 is just around the corner, so make your list to make sure next year is as great as it can be!