Happy New Year!

It's 2016.

By now, I'm sure you have some goals for the new year and you're all excited about them!

But how long will that excitement last?

Did you know that 92% of people who make New Year's resolutions do not keep them?

I have five things that I do in order to make sure I don't become a part of that statistic. If you want to be in the 8% that keep their resolutions and not the other 92% that don't, I recommend you do them too!

1. Break your resolutions into manageable chunks

A goal that is too large has a much higher rate of failure. You need to break your goal into manageable chunks. For most people, planning out 90 days ahead works well.

Say you've set a goal of losing 60 pounds this year (which is a pretty impressive goal, BTW). In order to make that goal achievable, set a goal to lose 15 pounds in 90 days. Why look at it like this? Doesn't it sound a lot more doable to lose 15 pounds than 60? To break it down even more, that's 5 pounds a month or just over one pound a week. All much more manageable than staring down a goal of losing 60 pounds! Four 90 day time blocks in a year, 15 pounds each 90 days and BOOM, this time next year, you've hit your goal!

2. Stack wins

This is a tip I learned from nutrition and habit expert, Josh Hillis. When developing new habits, which is what needs to happen in order to achieve any fitness or nutrition goals, you want to "stack your wins." What that means is celebrate the small stuff, and keep the snowball rolling down the hill. If in week one you cook three meals, give yourself a high-five and next week, try for four. If you make a nice substitution for a dessert, pat yourself on the back and keep the momentum going. Stack wins.

3. Get an accountability coach

When it comes to getting help on things that are challenging, people hire experts or coaches. Think about it, when you need your taxes done, you go to an accountant. When your car breaks, you hire a mechanic. A Olympian hires a coach. When your child is learning to play a new sport or a new instrument, they have coaches, teachers or experts helping them.

If you want to be successful long-term and truly change your life, you must hire a coach. Find a good training gym that gives you access to a coach every day. These folks will check in on you, motivate you, and hold you accountable to your goals.

4. Use social support

Find people who are going through the same struggles and trade tips, stories and experiences. They'll support you, and you'll support them. You can do this in a few ways. Join a gym that has a community atmosphere, one where people are genuinely interested in achieving their goals and supporting you in yours. Find a workout buddy that pushes you to get out of bed in the morning, keeps you honest in making smart choices, and goes to the gym with you.

Finally, use social media to your advantage. There are plenty of Facebook groups where you can share your goals and get support. Also consider letting your friends and family know what your goals are; update them when you make progress! By saying it out loud, you're keeping yourself honest and getting them onboard with your success. As much as that might not be comfortable, you won't want to let them down so you'll try that much harder.

5. Know your why

This one is probably the most important one of all. Why do you want to lose 60 pounds? If you spend some time thinking about it, it's really not for a physical reason alone. Sure, maybe you want to feel better about how you look. Well why? If you feel better about how you look, you'll have more energy and enthusiasm. Why do you need more energy? Maybe so you can do more activities with your kids. Why do you want to do more with the kids? Doing things with them makes you happy and makes memories that last forever. So the real reason you want to lose those 60 pounds is so you can feel better, be more energetic, do more with your kids, and live a happier life with your family. That makes your goal so much more meaningful than just seeing a different number on the scale or on the tag in the back of your jeans.

Everybody is excited and motivated at this time of year, and that's great. But remember that statistic. If you want to be a part of the 8%, you must do these five things.

If you're feeling overwhelmed and need some help, click here to schedule a free 60 minute Success Session with a Spurling coach to go over your goals and set up a plan for your success.