Whether your goal is to lose weight, strengthen your muscles, get limber, or to make healthier choices, there will surely be a few bumps along the way. Let’s face it — being consistently persistent isn’t easy. Did you know most of our New Year’s resolutions fall off the radar before the end of January? With that in mind, here are a handful of tips and tricks to help you jump those hurdles and reach your goals in 2009.

1.    Walk more, drive less.
2.    Ditch the elevator and take the stairs instead.
3.    Don’t stand idle. If you can stand, you can move. While you’re reheating your morning cup of coffee do some jumping jacks, jog or march in place, or do simple stretches.
4.    Stand and squeeze. How many times have you been stuck in line at the grocery store? Try this simple exercise: squeeze your glutes. This is also a good time to practice good posture, so stand up straight (remember, shoulders back and down, like your sliding your shoulder blades into your back pockets.)
5.    Try some simple food swaps: switch from white bread to 100% whole grain or sprouted grain bread, or replace Idaho potatoes with sweet potatoes.
6.    Need some extra motivation? Train for a road race – you’ll be more likely to stay on task if you have a goal to reach.
7.    Learn a new sport.  If you are motivated by challenges, trying something new will help fuel your fire.
8.    Grab your best gal and go. Working out with friends is fun and you’ll help motivate each other too.
9.    Bring the kids along for the ride. Use a jogger, go for a bike ride or swim together.
10.    Eat more foods that come straight from the earth, rather than straight from the box
11.     Two times per week, go vegetarian.
12.    Don’t skimp on sleep. Studies show that regular, quality sleep is essential to maintaining a healthy weight. Shoot for 7-8 hours per night.
13.    Try replacing one starchy snack per day with a piece of fruit or a vegetable.
14.     Running out of recipe ideas? Visit Food Fit for recipes the match your specific needs (low-sugar, low-carb, vegetarian, etc.)
15.     Get it in writing. Keep a food diary to help you recognize problem eating patterns. Can’t remember what you ate? Take a picture of your meal before you dig in.
16.     Flip the hunger switch by tricking your body into feeling full faster – eat a small appetizer about 15 mins before your meal. This helps encourage the CCK level in your digestive system to spike at about the same time you sit down to eat your main meal, and you’ll feel full faster. A salad is an excellent appetizer (but ask for dressing on the side to keep calories in check.)
17.     Be patient. When you decide to make a change, change will happen.
18.     Build your day on top of breakfast. You’ve read the research – breakfast is tops if you want to lose weight, wake up your brain, and ramp up your metabolism, so don’t skip it.
19.     Watch what you say. Negative self-talk is counterproductive. Rather than looking in the mirror and noting all of the things wrong, try giving yourself a good dose of praise. It is okay to love yourself just the way you are!
20.     Count your blessings. A recent report in the American Journal of Health Promotion reported that people who were content with their lives were 1.5 times healthier than those who were dissatisfied.

Recent studies show that individuals who track their daily food intake while adhering to a weight management program lose more weight than those who don’t. With this in mind, I’ve compiled a list of websites that not only help you track your foods and calorie intake, but offer diet and nutrition advice as well. A few of them will also give you a personalized nutrition plan to follow.
Here are the ‘blue sky’ website picks for
Food Tracking and Personalized Diets

http://www.myfooddiary.com
http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/
http://www.thedailyplate.com
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
http://www.sparkpeople.com/