The trendy thing to do this time of year is to derisively dismiss resolutions. Cool, knowledgeable folks say things like, “If you’re really going to make a change, you’d do it and not have to wait until a January 1.” As my dad would say, though, that is baloney sauce. And, yes, he would use that spelling of baloney, too.

 The very arbitrariness of the date for the “new year” makes symbolic of a fresh beginning. The calendar starting over is the perfect time for any change you want to attempt. Who cares if your resolutions in the past have been forgotten by February? Who cares if your resolution this year is the same as last year? Begin your new year full of hope. You can commit to any change you want.

I’ve given this advice before, but I’ll repeat it. Make your new goal specific. Have a plan. Share it with others who will ask you how it is going. Post it on Facebook if you really want a lot of people to ask you about. Find someone to join you on your quest.

Last week, two women were shopping in Gazelle. They shared that their goal was to complete a local triathalon this year. That is a great resolution. First of all, it is very specific. They have a specific race they are targeting. They know that they must start training now in order to be ready by race day. They didn’t just say a tri; that would allow them to put off training until they were searching for December 31 races. Second, they are training together. They won’t skip workouts because their partner will be waiting. They can hold each other accountable. Finally, it is realistic. They are not targeting the Kona IronMan. They are shooting for a beginner- friendly race.

Model your resolution on this model, and you can be successful. I’d love to see your resolutions in the comment section. Even better, share your resolution with us at Gazelle. We’d love to help you be successful.