Brian White | Fitness

When you make a New Year’s resolution, what you are really saying is that you want to make a change in your lifestyle. At one point or another, each one of us has attempted to make a change. I would venture to guess that you realize making a worthwhile change is difficult.

Your entire life is just a series of habits. Most are unconscious, but some are a direct result of effort and persistence. The quality of your life is 100 percent dependent on the things you do, day in and day out.

If you are not aware of your current habits, it will be difficult to focus your energy into creating new ones. You can create extremely strong new habits and eliminate old ones by focusing and creating the proper strategy.

Here are several hacks to help you get there:

Use the 21-day method. Studies show that the if you want to create the memory traces or patterns in the brain that form the foundation of a habit you need to do it for 21 straight days, without missing a day. I have used this method in my fitness programs for years and the most common feedback I get after 21 days is that it feels weird not to do the newly engrained habit. Twenty-one days is realistic, actionable and will build all the momentum you need to make this habit a regular (and easy) part of your life.

Choose only one habit at a time. There is no need to complicate your effort. Stay laser focused on one habit in 21 days. The only exception is you can piggyback habits that complement each other. If your goal is to exercise every day, you could also decide to have a green smoothie each morning before you exercise.

Use visual cues. Give yourself reminders everywhere. Put notes in places where you will be when it’s time for this habit: a yellow sticky note on your bathroom mirror, a note on your scale or a picture inside the snack cabinet. Whatever it takes.

Start with an easy habit. If you have a track record of unsuccessful resolutions, you may need to build some momentum and show yourself that you can achieve goals when they are properly structured. After you finish the easy “test-run” habit, you’ll be firing on all cylinders to conquer your next habit.

Do it the same every day. Make sure you perform your new habit at the same time and same place every single day. If your new habit is part of a currently established daily routine, do it then. The process must be followed.

Find like-minded people. Creating big lifestyle changes is not easy, there will be times you need support. Ask for help before you need it. Find a support group of like-minded people. Whether it’s a boot camp, yoga class or an online support group, at some point you will need someone to keep you on track.

Figure out your why. To achieve anything worthwhile, there always has to be a why. Why do you want this so bad? To impress your friends? Doctor’s orders? While that can be motivating, research proves the more you want it for yourself, the more likely you will stick to it.

Break it down to make it achievable. If your goal is to lose 40 pounds break it down into actionable habits. Set a 21-day habit to walk eight miles every day or a 21-day habit to eat only grilled chicken and lightly steamed vegetables after noon each day. Losing 40 pounds is a goal, but a better strategy is to figure out the habits you need to create to make that happen.

Track your progress. In business there is a saying, “You can’t manage what you can’t measure.” The same goes for health and weight-loss habits. If your habit can’t be measured, then you won’t be able to manage it. You need to know on a day-to-day basis that you are on track. Get a calendar and cross each day off as you do it.

Be grateful. Focus on all the positive things that are happening as you work on your new habit. Be grateful that your blood pressure is lower, that you need a smaller belt or that your back hurts less, and take note of all the ways this habit will help you.

Have a trigger. This is vital because it is something that will train your brain to get ready to do the new habit. If daily exercise is your 21-day habit, then a good trigger would be putting on your running sneakers right when you get out of bed. No matter how motivated you are feeling about the habit that day, accomplish the trigger and you’ll move on to the habit easier.

Do not make excuses. Don’t let yourself off the hook during the first 21 days. Quitting is not an option and you have to be serious about the habit you are choosing.

Go small. If you have a history of being unsuccessful with killing old habits or creating new ones, maybe you can go small. If you have been struggling to build a habit of exercise, maybe you cut your workouts down to 30 minutes: 15 minutes of cardio and 15 minutes of weights. This short timeframe will build persistence to create the habit, and get the success mindset going so you can expand on this habit when you are ready.

Remove temptation. It makes sense to set yourself up for success, right? Then it would make sense to restructure your environment, rather than rely on willpower at every instance. If your goal is not drinking, than do not go to the bar with your friends. If your goal is food-based, throw out all food in your house that does not coincide with accomplishing your goal.

Think progress, not perfection. You are not omnipotent. You are human, and you will give into your old bad habits at some point (not during the 21 days, though). Don’t consider yourself a failure; just chalk it up to a setback. All massive changes will have a setback. Move on and get right back on the habit train.

Habit first, quality second. Your entire focus should be on completing the habit each day. Do not worry about the quality as you can improve the habit later. The first priority is always to establish the habit, not to see that it is perfect.

Don’t let your brain use progress as an excuse for self-indulgence. For some people, simply acknowledging success will trigger failure. So if you make great progress on forming your new habit, you are very likely to give yourself a splurge just once. But as soon as you do, it’s like opening the floodgates of self-defeating behaviors.

There is no reason 2013 can’t be your year. Focus on the daily action-plan; do not worry about yesterday or tomorrow. The only thing you can control is the present. I hope this list has inspired, motivated and shown you that with a few secret hacks, you can achieve all of your goals this year.

—Hundreds of people have lost weight using programs designed by Brian White Fitness. They offer one-on-one training, outdoor boot-camps and have many corporate fitness and education programs. One of their biggest events of the year, the 21-day boot-camp challenge begins Jan. 5. If you want in on the challenge, or would like to find out more information on how they can help you make 2013 your healthiest year yet, visit youshouldbedoingit.com.