Realistic goals are best for New Year's resolutions, expert says

If you can set attainable goals for yourself in 2014, you're much more likely to stick with those New Year's resolutions.

Luis Manzo, executive director of student wellness and assessment at St. John's University in New York, says that planning unattainable goals will set most people up for failure.

"There is no sense in making a resolution to wake up every morning at 5 a.m. and run five miles if you know you are not a morning person and you have never run more than a mile in your life," Manzo said in a press release. "Such a goal will just demoralize you when you are unable to stick to it."

Four ways to stick to your resolutions

Manzo suggested a few ways you can stay on course with your New Year's resolutions:

1. Write down your goals and tell others about them. This will help make you more accountable toward achieving them.
2. Put your goals in your calendar and give yourself deadlines, like exercising a certain amount every week or finishing a project by a particular date. Factor in the time you need to accomplish these things.
3. Make your goals part of your routine, so that your everyday life supports the accomplishment of what you want. For example, if you want to lose weight, start cooking at home most nights or taking a walk every day on your lunch break.
4. Get support from family and friends. If you surround yourself with people who are rooting for you, Manzo says, you're more likely to reach your goals.

Source: Medicine Net