Four Free Ways to Make Your Resolutions Stick

Sticking to New Year’s resolutions isn’t easy, but you’re not alone. Check out these easy-to-use, motivating, and absolutely free tools to help your 2012 promises stay strong.

1. If you’re quitting. Alabama Quit Now offers free counseling, a personalized quit plan, and four weeks of free nicotine patches (once you enroll in counseling) for smokers who want to quit for good.

2. If you’re stepping. If your resolution is to get more exercise, walking is a great place to start. The American Heart Association MyStart online walking plan makes it easy too, with its online tracker, which helps you log distance and time, and its community, helpful tips, and walking path finder. You will also find diet and lifestyle inspiration and information.

3. If you’re eating right. Healthy changes to your diet can go a long way, but we know they can be hard to make. UAB EatRight is a program that gives you the tools you need to adopt healthy eating habits once and for all. UAB EatRight’s recipes are great resources for inspiration and motivation.

4. If you’re losing. Scale Back Alabama is a 10-week weight-loss competition that begins January 21, 2012. Participants compete in teams of four, and every team that completes the 10-week contest with each team member losing at least 10 pounds (an average of one pound per week), will be entered into a drawing to win great prizes.

Last year, approximately 33,000 Alabamians lost a total of 143,309 pounds. “This is a perfect time to think about establishing good habits that will make you healthier,” says Lauren Whitt, Ph.D., UAB Employee Wellness coordinator. “Scale Back Alabama is a great starting point to help you reach your goals in a fun, healthy way.”

Source: UAB