Even though we are a people that love to set resolutions at the beginning of a new year, the sad reality is that the majority of us will fail to achieve them. How many swear they’re going to lose weight for the umpteenth year in a row? Or say that this is the year they will “get healthy” only to stop going to the gym after one month?

Unfortunately, after a few years of this, setting resolutions can become something to avoid. After all, why would you consistently set yourself up for failure? Why not just live in the moment and see where the year takes you?

But what if I told you there was a better way? What if you could set yourself up with a better chance of success? The trick is, you’ve just got to be SMART about it.

Back in October, Jen wrote a great post about setting SMART goals for her marathon. You should read her post for more background (and for a great example of analyzing a goal to see if it meets the criteria), but basically, goals that are SMART are;

S – specific: this is the who, what, when, where, and how of your goal.

M – measurable: you’ve got to be able to measure your goal in some way. Otherwise how will you know if you’ve reached it?

A - attainable: if you really want to set yourself up for success, the goal should be something you can feasibly attain (i.e. winning the lottery so you can quit that job you hate is probably not a good goal).

R - realistic: something that you are willing and able to work toward. This doesn’t mean you can’t set the bar high — sometimes just fully believing something can be accomplished can make it realistic.

T – timely: your goal(s) should have a specific time-line; a date by which you want to achieve them. This will motivate you to get started.

Transforming Your Resolutions Into SMART Goals

To make your health and fitness resolutions SMART, you just have to do a little crafting. For example, let’s take a common resolution: “to get healthy”

1.) Make it specific. This is actually why I prefer the term “goals” to resolution. A resolution implies you are deciding something; a goal implies a specific action you want to take.

Obviously as it stands right now, “get healthy” is not very specfic. There are many ways to get healthy — from stopping smoking, to eating more produce, to getting more exercise. But even saying something like “eating more fruits and veggies” or “exercising more” isn’t specific enough. To really be SMART about it, you need to define exactly what you want to do.

Specific goal: Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, at least 3 days a week. Even better: “do at least 30 minutes of moderately intense cardio a day, five days of the week” (this is the recommended guideline for healthy adults under the age of 65).

2.) Make it measurable. How are you going to track your progress? Making it concrete will not only help you stay on track, but it can also give you motivation along the way as you reach mini milestones.

The specific goal above is clearly measurable. Success can be measured based on how often you exercise each week. But you don’t even have to be that prescriptive. The examples below are both specific and measurable:

Set a new 5K/10K/marathon PR (personal record)

Build up to being able to run for an hour

Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day

3.) Make sure it’s attainable. Now I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t set the bar high or shoot for the stars. But sometimes when we set grand goals that we really aren’t in a place to achieve, we’re actually setting ourselves up for failure and discouragement. I think this is why so many people give up on their resolutions after a few months. On January 1st they may be fired up to change and proudly declare: “I’m going to the gym every day!” only to find that life gets in the way and doing that is pretty near impossible. Instead, it’s much better to start small. Or to create intermediate goals and celebrate small victories along the way.

For example, an attainable goal for me is to “train for and complete theNational Marathon in March.” An unattainable goal would be to run every single day, or to win that marathon (as amazing as that would be!!).

4.) Make it realistic. If you aren’t a runner (or just hate running), running a marathon probably is not a realistic goal for you at the moment. That doesn’t mean you can never do one, but if you want to make sure that your goal is something you can achieve in the next year, you have to look at where you are now, and start from there. Similarly, it has to be a goal you’re willing to put in the work for. For example, committing to doing yoga 5+ days a week is not a realistic goal for me. I love running too much to cut back on it enough to pursue something else — even if that something could be really good for me.

Sometimes making something realistic might mean adding in the phrase: “I will do my best.” We can’t expect ourselves to be perfect. I’m very committed to my goal of running a speedy spring marathon, but I still slipped and failed to get in my training runs over the holidays.

Realistic Goal: “I will try my best to limit desserts, aiming to eat no more than 3 desserts per week.” (vs. vowing to never eat dessert again — which isn’t realistic for me, anyway).

5.) Set a time-frame! This is probably one of the most important pieces. Without any sort of deadline, we don’t have any real motivation to make a change. I am pretty much the Queen of Procrastination. If I don’t give myself a specific date to start and a specific date to end, I will most likely put it off. Especially if the change is hard or the task is unpleasant.

Telling yourself you’re going to start exercising or you’re going to build up to run for an hour isn’t enough. When do you want to achieve this by? Next year? In two months? Having a goal will keep you motivated, and will also help you keep track of your progress.

Timely Goal: Starting next week, I am going to do some form of cardio for at least 30 minutes, at least 3 days each week. I will to commit to this schedule for the next 3 months.

Setting SMART goals doesn’t mean you’ll never experience failure or setbacks. But itdoes give you something concrete to work toward and can increase your chances of being successful in 2011.

When you sit down to look at your goals for 2011, are they SMART? Or do they need a little tweaking?

One word describes what Americans want from their diet these days: Convenience. So stock the supermarket with compact “energy-on-the-go” food touted to fight fatigue, fuel muscle growth, or help you lose weight and it’s guaranteed to fly off the shelves. That’s why sales of energy bars have seen incredible growth over the last decade, with more than $700 million in sales, according to research inDietitian’s Edge.

Cut through the hype and flashy packaging, and you’re often left with a hefty (and expensive) dose of sugar, oil, and a mass of added vitamins and minerals. With little research to back up the bars claims, many are nothing more than protein-containing candy in disguise.  So do you really need any of this stuff?  Eat This, Not That! took a look at some of the biggest and boldest bars around to find the answer.

They May Not Have as much Protein as You Think

Some meal-replacement bars may not have as much protein as you think. You won’t find pig’s feet or cattle hide listed in the fine print, but that’s because they’re hidden behind names like gelatin, hydrolyzed collagen, or hydrolyzed gelatin. Both collagen and gelatin lack an essential amino acid required to make them a complete protein. That means the quality of the protein is inferior to products that lack gelatin or collagen.

Look for a bar that lists whey or casein protein—or a blend of both—as the first or second ingredient. These milk proteins contain all the essential amino acids your muscles need. Baylor University researchers found that when men with at least 6 weeks of weight training experience were given a whey-casein mixture before their workouts, they built 50 percent more lean muscle mass over 10 weeks than men who took only whey.

Could it Damage Your Manhood?

“All-natural protein” is often code for soy, which research shows may cause gynocomastia—the abnormal enlargement of the mammary glands in men. When you consume soy protein, you’re actually courting the Mr. Hyde side of two organic compounds: genistein and daidzein. Both act so similarly to estrogen that they’re known as phytoestrogens (plant produced estrogen). Eat enough of the stuff, and you open up the potential for hormonal havoc.

They are Often Glued Together with Sugar

Many allegedly healthy bars contain high fructose corn syrup, which quickly raises blood sugar and cancels out any of the potential benefits you might otherwise get from healthy ingredients like oats. Take Health Valley Low Fat Chocolate Chip Granola Bars, for example. The main ingredient is brown rice syrup—a euphemism for sugar. You’re better off snacking on good old-fashioned cheese and crackers to swap out sugar and calories for protein and fiber.

If you’re tied to the convenience of a bar, look for labels with no more than five ingredients. “The longer the list and the more unpronounceable the words are, the farther it is from real food,” says Jonny Bowden, Ph.D, CNS Board Certified Nutrition Specialist.

They Don’t Boost Energy

Food companies out to make a buck capitalize on “energy’s” double meaning. Most consumers expect an “energy bar” to make them feel energetic or like they could hammer out an extra set of reps at the gym. But to nutritionists, “energy” simply means calories. “Boosting energy is a completely bogus claim,” Bowden says  “It’s a weasel use of the word energy.” Unless you’re recovering from a grueling workout or running a marathon, opt for nutrient-packed snacks like this list of 8 perfect fitness foods.

They are Loaded with Sugar Substitutes

Reduced-sugar and sugar-free bars appeal to carb-conscious consumers because they have little impact on blood sugar—but not without a price.  Sugar alcohols like malitol and sorbitol can cause uncomfortable side effects such as gas, bloating, and diarrhea when taken in large doses—like you might get in an energy bar.  What’s more, “reduced sugar” does not necessarily mean reduced calorie—at least, not reduced enough to matter. Malitol, for example, has 75 percent the calories of sugar, and since it’s not as sweet as the real thing, more must be used to achieve the same taste.

Our Top Picks

Larabar Cherry
190 calories
8 g fat (0.5 g saturated fat)
4 g protein
21 g sugars
4 g fiber

Made from exactly 3 ingredients: dates, almonds, and cherries. Larabar is the closest thing to real food in the bar section of the gocery store.

Atkins Advantage Peanut Butter Granola Bar
200 calories
7 g fat (1 g saturated fat)
17 g protein
1 g sugar
6 g fiber

Great postworkout meal.

Pass These Bars

PowerBar Energize Berry Blast Smoothie
210 calories
3.5 g fat (0.5 g saturated fat)
6 g protein
24 g sugars
<1 g fiber

Besides the fact that it doesn’t contain a single gram of fiber, this bar lists evaporated cane juice (aka sugar) as its first ingredient.

Quaker Oatmeal to Go Apples & Cinnamon
220 calories
4 g fat (1 g saturated fat)
4 g protein
22 g sugar
5 g fiber

High-fructose corn syrup and margarine pollute this package.

Though running may not cure everything, it’s been linked to all sorts of health benefits, emotional perks, and even disease prevention.

Here, six reasons to hit the road or hop on the treadmill during your next lunch break.

1. It’s so easy

I’ve been wanting to find some research on this somewhat new concept of the toning shoes. Thanks to ACE, I found some actual research behind these shoes…not just research done from the manufacturers.

http://www.acefitness.org/certifiednewsarticle/720/will-toning-shoes-really-give-you-a-better-body/?utm_source=Health%2BeTips&utm_medium=email&utm_term=August%2B2010&utm_campaign=Consumer%2BOutreach&CMP=EMC-HET_0810

Jen Guiney