27 Dec New Year’s Resolution fitness ideas for 2012

This week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day is the time when countless people set a New Year’s Resolution for themselves.
Statistics show that as many as two-thirds of us make a New Year’s Resolution, but unfortunately only around 5 percent actually carry them out all year.
Among the most common resolutions are taking steps to improve one’s health. There are steps you can to take to greatly improve your odds of carrying out your resolution.
It all starts with picking a smart goal, or goals, for the New Year. And explicitly writing them out.
To help people focus on what resolutions might be important them, or perhaps spark some new ideas, here are seven possible New Year’s Resolution goals you might consider for 2012:
1. Eat better – By eating better, I mean establish an all-around healthier diet that you’ll be able to maintain long term. Avoid crash diets or fad diets.
2. Lose weight – Take weight off the smart way by eating right and exercising, and, as mentioned above, avoid so-called “quick fixes.”
3. Get fit – Begin an exercise program or improve the one you’re on.
Experts say at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise at least three times a week will greatly improve your health.
4. Drink less alcohol – Limiting alcohol intake or cutting it out altogether is a major health improvement. This may take people getting professional help to accomplish. Some people obviously should avoid alcohol all together. Avoid alcohol before bedtime in order to get better quality sleep.
5. Quit smoking – Same as drinking less alcohol – will greatly improve your health, but could take outside help to do. Your doctor may be able to help you find the right plan for you.
6. See your doctor – If you haven’t been to see your family doctor in a while, pay him or her a visit. Regular exams can keep little problems from becoming big health issues.
Ask your doc about any changes you plan to make for your New Year’s Resolution(s).
7. Set up a home gym (or add to your current setup) – What better way to make sure you’ll exercise than by setting up a home gym, or improving an existing one? Write down what your fitness goals are, what equipment you’ll need and talk to one of the highly trained sales associates at At Home Fitness.
At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com