To practice discipline, plan indulgences.

This is the time of year when many of us are in an albeit short period of restriction.  We may put ourselves on a fast or a highly restrictive diet, we may resolve to write down every penny we spend, and we'll all hit the gym 3 days a week -- for about ten days.  Yes, as we approach the end of the first full week of the year, many of us have probably already fallen off the resolution wagon.

But what if there was a way you could hang on for dear life to those resolutions that seemed so do-able back in 2013?

I say in order to live a life of discipline -- which I do highly recommend -- one must practice the discipline of planned indulgences.

Planned indulgences are those times when you will -- in a controlled, enjoyable way -- hop off the wagon for a short period of time, completely prepared with a scheduled plan for jumping back on when you're done.

For example, back in early December, I started a health and weight-loss plan.  It's definitely a disciplined plan, and it is highly effective.  I've lost 13 pounds so far, even with 2 full days and 1 meal of planned indulgence. 

Because I knew Christmas and New Years were coming, I gave myself permission to go "off program" on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day -- two huge eating days in my family -- and for one meal on New Years Eve.  It gave me something to look forward to.  It wasn't a "reward", mind you.  It was simply a time that I would allow myself to relax and enjoy a little.

But I knew that I'd had such great results "on program" that, with that little indulgence, I knew I didn't want to blow it all.  And that made is so much easier to jump right back into my routine after being satisfied by those planned treats.

And because they were planned, I didn't go crazy.  Because I wasn't rebelling against my own self-imposed limits.  I gave myself permission to get healthy and be fit by going on-program, and I gave myself permission to relax for a short period of time.  Habits accumulate, and one or two days does not constitute a habit.  So I could enjoy it, guilt free.

So what have you decided to restrict, and when will you schedule your first planned indulgence?

Kerry Connelly is a Life and Health Coach in West Orange, NJ.  She is the Founder and Managing Director of She*s ELEVATED, Inc., whose mission is to elevate women to their higher purpose through visionary coaching.  For more information about Kerry and She*s ELEVATED, visit our website at www.sheselevated.com.