Fifty-seven percent of PHPOLL responders said they will give healthy gifts this holiday season. Perhaps those gifts can be used to keep the recipients' New Year's resolutions on track. On January 1, close to half of all American adults will set a New Year's resolution. The routine is the same year after year: we set the resolutions and start off strong and committed, feeling sure that this year will be different from every other year. But, unfortunately, come February, most of us will have abandoned our goals altogether.   

 

This does not mean we should abandon the act of setting New Year's resolutions. In fact, with over 65 percent of adult Georgians considered overweight or obese and close to 17 percent of Georgians smoking, resolutions can be a great way to jumpstart a new outlook on health.  

 

Before setting a resolution, it is important to understand why they tend to fail year after year. Often, it is because we set resolutions that are vague and tough to attain. Instead, people hoping to keep their resolutions, whether they are to lose weight, quit smoking, reduce stress or something else, should follow six guidelines to success.