It's the beginning of a new year and everyone is making the same resolution: lose weight and be healthier. A lot of people won't accomplish this goal, but the problem lies more in the resolution itself and not a lack of determination. In the business world there is an acronym called SMART that explains how goals should be: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. Well folks, "losing weight" and "being healthier" isn't a very smart goal under that criteria. Here's another idea for you: make a resolution to sign up for, train for and participate in a Mud Run this year.

While Mud Runs come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes, the basic idea is that you run or walk through an obstacle course with mud pits, hay bales, tire piles, and maybe even a water slide along the way. Some of the original races boast that they are designed by the Navy Seals or British Forces, and use obstacles straight out of bootcamp like crawling under barbed wire. But some of the newer ones have friendlier themes (ie: foam and water balloons). Most mud runs are about 3 miles long, but there are longer one to aspire to if you find that you like it.

But before you assume that you can't do it, I have four things I want you to hear: 1) The race isn't tomorrow. 2) It's easy to go around obstacles you don't want to do (and you won't be alone). 3) A lot of people walk the entire course. 4) These races are not just for super-athletic people.

So now let's imagine the worst possible outcome of your goal. You may may spend a day walking a 5k mile course without trying the obstacles, but even so you will be entertained by all of the crazy and muddy participants around you. But the best outcome is totally worth that risk: you become super motivated to get in shape for the event and you go far beyond what you thought was possible in the race. And along the way you actually managed to lose some weight.

So how does training for an obstacle course help you so much on your weight loss journey? For starters, it is a pretty fun and unique thing to aspire towards. The events have names like "Renegade Playground" and "Gritty Goddess" so you inevitably feel tough, boast to your friends and dedicate yourself to being ready for it. But besides for having a goal that inspires you, training for a mud run involves working on your endurance and your strength. Oftentimes people who who are intently focused on losing weight spend way too much time focused only on low-intensity LONG cardio sessions. It takes a lot of sweat and tears to see results like that.

In addition to cardio activity, when you are training for an obstacle race you also have to work on developing your strength through anaerobic activity. The combination of aerobic and anaerobic activity is a powerful tool against fat, because not only do you burn calories through your workouts, you rev up your metabolism so that you burn calories while you rest too (muscle tissue burns calories even when you are at rest.)

I hope I have convinced you that a Mud Run just might be the gaol that you need to help you make good on the same old new years resolutions. Give it a try; you may just find that it is your ticket to getting the results that you want this year.