AVOID slipping back into bad habits in 2006 with our practical advice to help you see in the New Year in style—

THROUGH the champagne goggles most of us have donned by the time the clock chimes midnight on New Year’s Eve, giving up cigarettes no longer involves willpower, and taking up running is a walk in the park, so to speak.Unfortunately though, when the fog lifts and the hangovers are gone, the majority of hastily conceived, half-hearted promises to “never do X” or “give up Y for good” evaporate faster than you can say “mulled wine”, with the remainder going up in smoke well before February.

So what’s the secret to New Year resolution success?

Really meaning it and genuinely wanting to change deep down is a good place to start. After all, you’re the one in charge of the “make yourself a better person” boot camp, so you won’t get anywhere by just having grand plans without any real conviction.

Go for goals you’ve been chewing over for a while and choose a maximum of two, so you can really knuckle down and focus on them.

Any more than this will pile on the pressure, plus it’s unrealistic to think you’ll be able to tackle in one go every single aspect of your health, relationships and finances. So don’t set yourself up for a fall before you’ve even begun.

Remember that old habits die hard and as such it’s best to take things in stages, rather than shocking your system with the full whammy straight away.

For example, if you want to eat more healthily but have a weakness for chips and chocolate, don’t banish them altogether but limit yourself to one portion a week, as this will make you feel less deprived and hard done by.

Rewarding yourself for doing well is also a great way to spur yourself on, because it gives you something to look forward to, which is hugely motivating in itself.

Bear in mind that small changes can make a huge difference and do your best to incorporate easy new ways of doing things. With food, for example, you can greatly reduce your fat intake — and hopefully your waistline — by simply switching to semi-skimmed milk, going for low-fat spread in place of butter, opting for jacket potatoes or mash instead of chips and grilling or baking food wherever possible.

You can easily raise your fruit and veg intake too, by supping delicious smoothie-style drinks and grabbing a banana for elevensies instead of a sugary snack. Getting fresh organic produce delivered direct to your door will make it even harder to find excuses.

Similarly, leaving the car at home and walking or cycling to work will get you fitter, as too will taking the stairs more often instead of the lift and going for a stroll in your lunch break, rather than eating at your desk all the time.

Structuring your personal environment in the right way will make your goals even more manageable, while encouraging friends and family to be supportive and join in will make things easier too.

For example, lay out your jogging gear in advance of your run, get the kids to take home-made sandwiches to school to save cash, and invite mates over for healthy dinners instead of blowing loads of money in restaurants and bars — and throwing calorie caution to the wind.

Beating yourself up about moments of weakness is a definite no-no though, so keep things in perspective, see the bigger picture, always remain positive and don’t be too hard on yourself.

Switching from having a beer every night to only indulging at the weekend is, of course, obtainable if your willpower and commitment never desert you — but how many of us are lucky enough to have steely determination like this 100 per cent of the time?

If you do let things slide, don’t let it chip away at your confidence and resolve, or else you’ll soon be galloping towards adopting the “what the heck” attitude and totally giving up. Instead, simply accept you’ve messed up, try to figure out why and how best to stop it happening again, then get straight back in the saddle.

Above all, whatever your ambitions, you need to believe in your ability to change, be determined to make it happen and avoid wishful thinking that’s not backed up by any sort of master plan.

Making resolutions is the easy part, sticking to them is far harder, but the effort is well worth it and the sense of achievement is hugely satisfying.

So go ahead and harness the optimism and “new start” enthusiasm that’s in the air at this time of year — you might just surprise yourself.