The statistics on New Year’s resolutions are dismal: up to 88 percent of best-intentioned resolution-makers will likely revert to their old behaviours by February. This does not bode well for those setting the goal of weight loss and better fitness. How can you buck the trend and achieve your wellness goals for 2012? To do so, you may need to shift your thinking. Here are some suggestions.

1. End the War with Your Body

Many view the process of weight loss as a battle, with our bodies as the enemy. We disapprove of the way our bodies look, berate ourselves for craving food, and become resentful when we lack energy. This war mentality can be draining, demoralizing and, ultimately, counterproductive.

Holistic medicine views the body as having its own innate wisdom. Any time it behaves against our wishes – piles on pounds, asks for more sleep, exhibits high blood sugar – it simply reflects a deeper truth of what’s going on with us on the physical, emotional, and even spiritual levels. Our job is to uncover this truth and bring ourselves in alignment with it through making necessary changes. Once we do, the unwanted manifestations will fall away.

What this means is that you want to learn to listen to your body. One person’s health food is another person’s poison. If your vegan diet leaves you struggling to stay warm and energized, then this may not be the right diet for you. If you use infusions of caffeine and extreme pep-talks to get yourself into the gym, you may be missing an important message – that your body needs to rest.

You want to adopt a nutrition and exercise plan that makes you feel better – more energized, in a better mood. If, after the initial period of adjustment, your new wellness plan leaves you feeling miserable, trust that signal. Rather than blaming yourself for a lack of willpower, do some investigating and adjust your program. It’s when you treat your body as a trusted friend and ally that you’ll be more likely to make lasting change in your life.

2. Add, Don’t Subtract

Most weight loss plans focus on what we need to cut out of our diets. But what you add to them may actually be as important as what you eliminate.

Studies show that, as a nation, we are deficient in a host of key micronutrients. And the problem of Americans being overfed and undernourished is not just the plight of the impoverished. If you’re one of the millions of Americans who regularly use antibiotics or oral contraceptives, you are likely to be short of vitamins A, B, C and E, as well as such critical minerals as magnesium and zinc. If you’re taking statins – a common cholesterol-lowering medication – you may be short on vitamins E and D.

Each of these nutrients participates in numerous metabolic processes. By losing them, we are undermining our bodies’ ability to function at optimal levels and open ourselves up to disease. For example, vitamin B as a group is a key building block of energy production as well as adrenal hormones. Its critical role in the health of our nervous system is reflected in its “feel-good-vitamin” moniker. And, importantly, it can help counter sugar cravings.

Vitamins A, C, and E work synergistically with selenium and magnesium to provide powerful defence against free radical damage. And don’t forget about essential fatty acids, in particular Omega 3s!

When selecting your supplements, look for ones that are high-potency, whole-food based, rather than entirely synthetic. Good brand names include Pioneer, New Chapter, and Garden of Life.

3. Rest More, Exercise Less

If you find yourself with the TOT (tired-all-the-time) syndrome, you may be someone who needs to slow down rather than speed things up at the gym. The chronically high levels of stress that are endemic in our society cause our adrenal glands to overwork. The more we ignore this issue, the closer we get to a burn-out, or what’s known in holistic medicine as adrenal exhaustion.

The irony of it is that the all-too-frequent combination of persistent stress, lack of sleep, and continuous infusions of caffeine so over-stimulate the production of stress hormones by our adrenals, that you may end up gaining weight even if you’re eating a super-healthy diet. Piling heavy-duty exercise on top of that may only accelerate that trend.

Getting enough rest may mean going to bed before 11 p.m., going for slow, mindful walks rather than shooting for half-marathons, and allowing yourself to linger in bed on the weekends. It may mean postponing new projects and cancelling non-essential commitments. It will definitely mean being gentle with yourself. And while initially this may seem like a sacrifice, you may be pleasantly surprised by the discoveries awaiting you in the slower lane.

By giving your body a chance to rest physically and, just as important, emotionally, you will support its natural repair mechanisms, creating a stronger foundation for long-term wellness. Once you’re back in balance, the pounds will likely come off as well, and with much less effort.

4. Feed Your Heart

All too often we forget how intimately our physical health is connected with our emotional well-being. The deprivation that we typically associate with weight reduction (cutting out our favourite foods that have given us comfort for so long, getting ourselves on a treadmill when we’d rather linger in a coffee shop over a novel) can be enough to sabotage our efforts.

As you begin to implement your new wellness program, ask yourself what you can offer yourself that will make your heart sing. What gives you a sense of joy and makes you feel rejuvenated and inspired? What makes you feel connected to yourself and to something larger than yourself?

No amount of ice cream will substitute for the love that we need. By reaching out for the people and activities that make you feel connected, you may feel less need to use foods for those purposes. The emotional cravings – those that result from emotional, rather than physical needs – may subside, helping you achieve your wellness goals and create a richer life in the process.

5. Reframe Weight Loss

There is a funny psychological trick that happens whenever we resolve to lose weight. As soon as we focus on it, we become resistant to it. One of the reasons could be that weight is an extremely emotional issue. So much emotional baggage can become activated at the very thought of trying to lose weight that our anxiety levels rise and we are immediately drawn to sabotage the whole thing.

One way to change this is to go around the issue altogether by zeroing in on a different, though related, and perhaps more meaningful goal that may lead to weight loss naturally and organically.

For example, you could focus on rebuilding your health and achieving optimal wellness. From holistic nutrition perspective, extra pounds can be a result of imbalances. These may include nutritional deficiencies, poor digestion and assimilation, sluggish liver, allergies, and adrenal exhaustion, among others. These imbalances may directly impact on your ability to lose weight.

For example, it is hard to eliminate sugar cravings when your colon or liver are sluggish. And to face the cravings without strategies that have been shown to reduce them is to increase the likelihood of failure. Ongoing inflammation can also cause your body to hold onto extra pounds. Correct those underlying concerns, and you’ll restore balance, strengthen your overall health – and, quite likely, see the pounds melt away in the process.

Getting support in this process is key. There is no one diet and no single exercise plan that works for everyone. You may want to enlist the support of an integrative health care practitioner with training in holistic nutrition. Choose someone who will spend time with you, asking you questions, getting a full picture of what’s going on in your life, and lead you through her or his thought process before offering a program that is customized to meet your unique needs.

Good luck with your 2012 wellness resolutions. We’re rooting for your success!

Izabella Tabarovsky is the Founder and President of Holistic Health in Washington DC