Kimberly Garrison: Resolve to be healthy in 2013

YO PHILLY, it's that time again - New Year's resolution time. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know the drill, right? You resolve to get healthy and fit, but despite your best intentions fall off the wagon by Jan. 31, correct?

Well, you're not alone. About 80 percent of people give up on their New Year's resolutions within the first month. When it comes to diet and exercise programs, about 99.5 percent of people fall off the wagon.

Right now, 66 percent of Americans are overweight/obese, and I bet nearly all of them resolved that 2013 would be the year they get healthy and fit. They probably did the same thing in 2012.

The problem is, most people fall for quick-fix solutions that are doomed to fail.

My motto is: Small steps lead to big success.

Inch by inch, it's a cinch, baby! But by the yard, it's hard. Stop setting yourself up for failure with unrealistic expectations of quick and easy weight loss and unearned fitness. Stop starving yourself on crazy low-calorie diets. Stop with the marathon workouts. Don't be lured by surgical weight-loss procedures that often do more harm than good.

And for God's sake, stop taking weight-loss prescription drugs that will only thin your pocketbook, possibly damage your heart and most likely lead you right back to rebound weight gain.

Yes, you can be the healthy and fit person you want to be - you, and only you, are in charge of your health and fitness destiny! Here are three practical tips to get you into the driver's seat:

First, take inventory.

Sit down with yourself and take a personal inventory of your life, health and fitness. Take a pen and paper and write down your values, goals and motivations.

I also recommend creating a vision board. Cut pictures out of magazines of the things you love and want to manifest in your life, then paste them on construction paper like a collage.

I believe having a visual record and a handwritten plan activates the laws of expectation and set the stage for the future. You're consciously positioning yourself for success!

Take it one step at a time.

Take small, manageable steps to reach your goals. Most people fail to realize their goals because their goals exceed their reach.

Don't try to lose 60 pounds in six weeks. Skip the unrealistic and downright dangerous weight-loss schemes. Instead, opt for realistic and sustainable practices, such as losing a half-pound to 1 pound a week, instead of 10.

If you love pizza, and can't bear to give it up, no problem! Just start to change your habits by eating half of what you customarily would eat. Starting thinking quality over quantity.

Make personal fitness your No. 1 daily priority.

Schedule your workouts like any other important meeting. I believe that working out first thing in the morning is the absolute best strategy. Get it done before other priorities or procrastination get in the way. Make the gym your personal sanctuary for fitness, stress reduction and renewal.

This year, jump into your life and resolve to get hooked on happiness, health and a fit new you!