How to keep your fitness resolutions on track

Editor's note: Cody Scharf is the owner of Thrive Spine and Sport, a chiropractic and soft tissue clinic in Cedar Rapids focusing on sport and overuse injuries. Scharf is a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic and certified by Integrative Diagnosis for diagnosis and treatment of soft tissue injuries.

How is your New Year's resolution coming along? Be honest with yourself.

If you are like 88 percent of Americans, chances are you already quit or failed to reach your goal.

Think about that. On average only 1 in 10 will actually accomplish the goal they set for themselves at the beginning of the year.

That's appalling.

So why is this? Where have you failed and what can you change to get back on track?

Most New Year's resolutions are doomed from the beginning. Most know what they want, but don't know how to get there. You want to lose 50 pounds, but you haven't planned out a diet or know how to exercise. These are crucial steps.

The key to accomplishing any goal is to have an appropriate, specific plan.

You are not going to lose 50 pounds or be able to run a marathon overnight. It takes time. It takes patience. It takes the right plan.

If your goal is to lose weight, you need to have a diet you are going to follow. Have goals throughout the year to hit. Know the calories you need to take in per day, specify your intake for protein, carbs and fat. Meal prep to avoid 'having” to eat out. The more specific you can get the better.

This probably goes along with the first component, but the second most important aspect of keeping your New Year's resolution is to surround yourself with a support group. If you don't know how to set up a good diet for you, talk with a diet coach or dietetic technician. If you are not sure how to exercise get in touch with a trainer. Don't know how to run a marathon? Talk with someone who has. Find friends, family, co-workers or other people in your community with similar goals.

Find people to hold you accountable for your goal and, in return, hold them accountable for theirs.

Another, often overlooked component that causes people to fail is not staying pain free. Mental pain is not something you frequently think about, but if you have set a goal to lose weight and it pains you to think about accomplishing your goal, or gives you anxiety just thinking about dieting, psychologists or mental health experts are a great place to start.

Physical pain still is the more common of the two 'pains,” though. If you have not exercised for a while, getting back into the gym can be a painful experience - literally. Most jump into exercise too fast. Overuse injuries are often the result. These need to be looked at by a musculoskeletal expert to get you the treatment you need to continue training without breaking down and quitting.

Obviously, accomplishing a New Year's resolution is not easy. Betting a specific plan in place, surrounding yourself with a support group and staying pain free won't guarantee success, but it certainly won't hurt your chances either.

l For more information, email Scharf at dr.cody@thrivespineandsport.com or visit www.thrivespineandsport.com