Now we have survived the apocalyptic prediction of the world ending and managed to make it into another year, it’s that time again to make those New Year’s resolutions.

A New Year’s resolution is a commitment that a person makes to one or more personal goals, projects, or the reforming of a habit.

The most common resolution is to lose fat and gain health.

It is a boom time for health clubs across the world. Personal training is in huge demand and membership sales skyrocket until about March when all these new faces slowly disappear.

In fact, only 8% of people actually succeed in achieving their resolutions!

So what is the other 92% doing?

Do they just lack willpower or motivation?

The underlying problem is that far too many people make resolutions that are just not congruent to their value system.

We need to be realistic and examine whether our values align with our dreams.

A common example is the guy who wants that beach body for the summer yet still smokes too much and drinks alcohol too often.

No number of gym sessions will create that beach body if health is not truly valued.

Or the lady who wants to drop a few dress sizes yet goes to bed late every night and gets very little sleep.

No diet will fix that.

Again, health is not a top priority and is another resolution just set up for the pain of failure.

Setting any resolution because you feel it is needed or obligated is inappropriate and ineffective.

The stress of underachieving will just have a detrimental effect on the body and you are probably better off not making a resolution at all if deep down you know you cannot keep it.

There are two types of members who go to a gym.

Those who are motivated by their own self-love and highly value their health and those who visit a gym because they feel they have to and are just torturing themselves.

If you feel like you cannot improve your performance from your last workout then you are too tired to be working out anyway.

Life is all about balance and this implies to working out and working in.

Everybody in a gym ‘works out’ and expends energy and breaks down the body but very rarely do you find gym users ‘working in’ and performing energizing exercises like Tai Chi, Yoga and meditation to cultivate energy and help us repair the body.

‘No pain, No gain’ does not exist and leads to a diseased mindset.

We are literally working ourselves to death in a hectic world.

We only get stronger with rest and adequate sleep.

So make a structured plan for your realistic resolution and set yourself a short-term and long-term plan.

Establish a support system with family and friends so you are accountable and motivated.

Most of all, follow the guidelines below to achieve true vitality and ensure you really do value your health.

• Get to bed by 10.30pm every night. We need 8 hours of quality sleep to function.

• Drink at least 3 litres of water every day. Most of us are chronically dehydrated!

• Reduce refined carbohydrate. Anything that has been whitened – Bread, Pasta, Rice.

• Cut back on processed foods. If it was not alive 10,000 years ago do not eat it.

• Schedule ‘Me’ time. Activities by yourself that you really enjoy like reading or walking.

• Avoid ‘Energy Vampires’. Whose people those drain you of positivity. You know who they are!