ChickSpeak

Week one of 2010 is officially over. I’m pretty excited about this year, too. In 2009, I made two resolutions: to lose five pounds and get a serious adult job. Luckily for me, I kept both of them. So I’m feeling pretty confident about my resolutions in 2010.

There are four this year: lose another five pounds, save money, volunteer and write more. Considering I no longer have a gym to go to, live in one of the most expensive cities in the world and spend most of my time at work or commuting to and from work, these goals could be a little lofty.

The good thing is that I know I’m not alone in my struggle to keep my resolutions for another 51 weeks either. Eighty-five percent of women made New Year’s resolutions this year, according to a study done by Vital Juice, a daily e-mail publication focusing on nutrition, fitness, beauty and overall wellness. It looks like we have similar goals, too.

What sorts of things are women hoping to accomplish in 2010? Eighty-five percent say they plan to exercise more, 45 percent plan to diet more, 43 percent want to volunteer more, 70 percent will cut back on complaining, 42 percent hope to get more sleep and 29 percent will drink less alcohol.

To keep me in check this year, I think sharing my resolutions with all of you will do it. After all, telling thousands of people on the Internet sounds like pretty good motivation. Don’t you think so? However, most women said the best way to keep them in line is to make them pay for breaking their resolutions. Of those women, 43 percent said it would take them having to pay $100 or less.

“Most of us need reinforcement to stay committed to our goals, no matter what time of year it is,” Amanda Freeman, co-founder of Vital Juice said.  ”We encourage our subscribers to seek reinforcement whenever necessary, and believe daily reminders can be a powerful ‘resolution reinforcement tool’ in keeping goals as the year moves ahead.” 

Whether your resolution is something you know you’ll keep (like 21 percent of women picked), something you hope you can keep (like 78 percent of women chose) or something you tried before (like 80 percent of women wanted), we all have our work cut out for us.

So here are a few tips to keep us motivated for the rest of the year:

Edit your resolutions 

Redefine your resolutions to make them definite, yet doable goals. No one said you couldn’t revise your resolutions. Instead of just claiming you’ll lose weight, give yourself an actual weight that’s still attainable. I picked five pounds because it’s definitely doable and it’s enough to make me feel good. (Plus any extra pound is just an added bonus!) If you’re saving money, pick an amount you want to save each month or a total amount. However you redefine your goals, just make sure you give yourself goals you feel confident about.

Find your inspiration

Find out what motivates you and do it. If sharing your resolutions with your support system, make a group on Facebook or tweet about it on Twitter. According to ABC News, many people are turning to social media to help keep their goals be it weight lose, saving money or ditching bad habits.

Of course, if you think monetary motivation will work best, make a deal with a family member or friend to pay them if you break your resolution. Just make sure you pick someone who will still support you and not try to deter you from your goals. I suggest going with your mom or best friend. Those crazy people tend to support you no matter what.

Practice self-control 

Don’t forget about the most important: your self-control. According to research completed at McMaster University and published in Psychology and Health, your will power is like a muscle. It’s just like working out other muscles. If you strain your muscles too much, you’ll get tired fast. However, the more you work them, the stronger and better they get. So even if you slip up on your resolutions a few times during the year, keep going. The more effort you put into your resolutions, the easier it will get!

Good luck with all your New Year’s resolutions! I have faith that we will all keep our resolutions. And don’t forget, you can always share your resolutions, worries or triumphs with us in our ChickSpeak forums, too!

Cassandra Zink is an alumna of the University of North Carolina at chapel Hill and an editorial assistant at a national women’s magazine. She’s currently living in New York City and wants you to know that dreams do come true as long as you keep the faith and keep working hard.

Find the photo here.