Every year statistics reveal that by February 1st, millions of Canadians have fallen back into the same habits they set out to eliminate one month earlier with their New Year’s resolutions.

It is important to look at how we can make our health and wellness goals for 2005 realistic and optimistic in order to take our health to a new level. While there are many aspects of health and wellness, I will focus on three: physical, nutritional and emotional.

When setting physical goals such as fitness or weight loss it is imperative to be specific and realistic. For example, it is unrealistic for a working mother with four children to say she is going to work out six days a week for one hour if she hasn’t already been exercising. We have to take reasonable steps to improve our chances of reaching our goals.

We should also use specifics about the duration and frequency of our new goals. If a person is unhappy with their weight, it is not enough to say, "I want to lose weight in 2005." That statement needs to be quantified with more details of how that process is going to happen, how much weight and by what deadline.

Positive daily affirmations such as, "I am getting stronger and leaner every day" can be used to engage the mind in order to have the body act as if it has already happened.

Specific goals such as, "I will lose 10 pounds by the end of March by increasing my cardiovascular workouts to 4x/week and by doing resistance training 2x/week." Writing these goals down and reading them every day will increase the chances of achieving them.

To ensure realistic fitness goals, find an activity (or even better, a combination of activities) that suits you. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Sign up for a series of classes like Yoga, Pilates, spinning, or swimming so you have expert help and to ensure you are doing things correctly.

It’s also important to create a plan that can be incorporated at different times of the year. Do you have an activity to do when it’s -20C outside? Are there any pieces of inexpensive equipment that you can purchase that are multipurpose i.e. a stability ball and a few dumbbells for resistance training?

Try to keep this portion of your goals simple. If you are looking for a simple strategy try this. Commit to exercising 175-200 minutes each week. This is something you can track and you get to make the rules. If you love being outside you can walk, run or bike for 30 minutes, 3x/week. You can start a new class like yoga that might be one hour 2x/week and you are done!

If you like the gym, a combination of 30 minutes of resistance training and 30 minutes of cardio 3x/week will meet your quota. It’s an easy formula, give it a try.

Keeping it simple is important when it comes to setting nutritional goals. Again, you will have to pick goals that are realistic and fit where you are right now. If this is your first time reading a health and wellness publication and your first attempt at eating better, you have to be reasonable and realistic.

Start with the big things: decrease and then eliminate processed foods that contain trans fats. Also, decrease the amount of white "stuff" in your diet (white flour, white sugar and salt).

If you are doing this already, great! Are you taking an omega-3 supplement? Do you have a high quality multivitamin and/or a greens/antioxidant supplement? Are you drinking enough clean water? Have you replaced your coffee with green tea? Are you eating 5-10 fruits and vegetables and trying to buy organic when possible? Did you know most "greens" supplements contain up to six servings of fruits and vegetables and come in different flavors?

If you are already doing these things, you may need to look at something more specific and personalized to further suit your needs. A visit to a naturopath or nutritional consultant may be a wise investment for 2005. There is a lot of information out there, so start with the basics mentioned above and seek professional advice when you have questions.