It's the conversation piece of January -- "What's your New Year's resolution?" By February, however, those pesky self-promises are often broken, if not forgotten altogether.
"Many women establish goals that are overly ambitious with the expectation of seeing results in a matter of weeks," said Dr. Roshini Raj, a Today Show medical contributor.
When these expectations ultimately fall flat, people tend to give up, rather than work on more attainable goals. For example, if a woman sets a goal of losing 50 pounds and she's only lost one pound in January, she's more likely to resign from the weight loss effort than adjust the goal and persevere.
WebMD survey data shows that the top 3 resolutions for 2013 were to exercise more, lose weight and to eat healthier. So the trend is clear, Americans care about their health, however, we don't always know what approach to take and let our busy lives get in the way.
Dr. Raj is working on a new empowerment campaign called "You Can Do it." The campaign includes five steps to becoming healthier this year:
1. Disconnect: Take 90 minutes of technology-free time each day.
2. See the doctor: Schedule an annual physical and check up.
3. Open up: Take care of your oral health and visit the dentist.
4. Bring the gym: Exercise every day, even if it means packing a jump rope when traveling.
5. Get some shut eye: Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Try lavender spray for relaxation.
Those New Year's resolutions can still be attained, even if you've gotten a little derailed. Maybe losing 75 pounds, or going to the gym five days a week were too lofty of goals. That doesn't mean they can't be adjusted. There's plenty of time to improve your health in 2013.
"Instead of making lofty, unreachable goals, I suggest making some small changes in your lifestyle that can go a long way when it comes to your health," Raj said.
Just take it in baby steps. Go for long walks. Skip the fast food and pack a healthy lunch. Put down the laptop and ride a bike with the kids.
As Dr. Raj said, "You can do it!"
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