Planning on any New Year’s resolutions? The secret to making them stick is having a S.M.A.R.T. plan, which breaks big long-term goals into short-term opportunities to celebrate your own success. Here’s what S.M.A.R.T. stands for, and how to do it:

Specific: Make sure your long-term goal is specific. For example, don’t just say “I want to lose more weight.” Pin it down with a specific number, like “This year, I’ll lose 50 pounds.”

Measurable: Periodic, objective measurements show your progress toward that far-off ultimate goal, even if it still seems far away. For our weight loss example, let’s set you up with weigh-ins every two weeks to track your progress.

Attainable: Break your ultimate goal down into milepost goals that are really attainable, but still significant enough to move you along toward the big win. In this case, aim for losing one pound a week, and four pounds every four weeks.

Realistic: This is where you plot your overall strategy. Just how are you going to set yourself up to succeed with those short-term goals? In this case, burning 500 calories per day more than you take in adds up to losing about a pound a week. Brainstorm possible success strategies, and pick those that fit your lifestyle best. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Use an iPhone app to track calories in and calories out. If you’re old-school, a calorie-counting book and a calculator work, too.
• Take the dog for a brisk walk twice a day
• Eat out less (you’ll have more control over your meals, and save money, too!)
• Ride bikes to and from school with your kids, instead of putting them on the bus
• Keep lots of reduced-calorie, nutrient-rich snacks ready to hand

Time-sensitive: You’ve already done this, because your long-term, milepost and short-term goals are all tied to a specific time frame. Here’s a quick recap:

• Long-term goal: Lose 50 pounds in one year
• Milepost goals: Lose one pound every week, or four pounds every four weeks
• Short-term goal: Burn 500 calories more than you take in, every day.

Remember, you can use S.M.A.R.T. goals to help you achieve anything in life. Tell us about your 2012 Near Year’s resolutions in the comments!