<p>According to a recent survey, of the 40 percent of Americans who make New Year's resolutions, only 8 percent keep them longer than a few weeks. Photo courtesy of Pulse Fitness</p><p>If you're like most people, surveys show that right about now, you'll forget to remember the New Year's resolutions you made five weeks ago. One such study, done in December by researchers at the University of Scranton, found that 40 percent of Americans make New Year's resolutions, but only 8 percent keep them for longer than a few weeks. The good news? Those who do make it over this hump are more likely to stick with the goals for the entire year.Sticking with the food part</p><p>Joan Salge Blake (SAR'84), a Sargent College clinical associate professor of health sciences, says a big reason resolutions go by the wayside is because people become disheartened when they don't see immediate physical improvement. The solution, she says, is to lower your expectations, at least in the short run. She suggests breaking your big fitness goal ("become healthier" or "lose weight") into smaller, more manageable chunks. Instead of planning to run a marathon in three months, she says, set your sights on a doable 5K.</p><p>Want to lose weight? Salge Blake tells us to ignore diets that promise losses of five pounds a week. Instead, aim for a realistic loss of one pound or less each week.</p><p><a href="http://www.bu.edu/today/2013/about-those-new-years-resolutions/">Keep reading...</a></p>