While running, jumping and pumping iron are what many consider when making a New Year’s resolution, the physical is only one part of the plan.

Having a plan is what Joanne Victoria, a life coach with Silverdale-based Gemma & Bixley, says is a key component in any New Year’s resolution.

“People who are anxious right out of the gate, looking to do something really quick and fast, I tell them to make a small plan,” she said. “Get it down into digestible bites. Nothing is going to happen over night. The only thing that can happen over night is to calm down and create a plan.”

Included within that plan, Victoria said, should be multiple aspects of a person’s life, not just one corner.

“You can’t section off one part of your life and ignore the rest,” Victoria said.

Victoria noted that a good plan is one that observes “the big picture.”

“You have your physical health, your personal life, your business health and your family. All that has to fit in with the program that you create for yourself,” she said.

Victoria suggests, for example, that relationships with friends and family don’t fall away in the pursuit of a goal.

“I don’t think there should be sacrifice,” Victoria added. “You have to stand back and look at the big picture.”

Part of this big picture includes bringing family and friends on board with your plan — whether it’s eating better, losing weight, or getting healthy in general.

“If you have one person supporting you, that is better than no person supporting you,” Victoria said.

Having a “mini team” for support is beneficial for achieving goals, she said.

Another tip Victoria gives for staying on track is keeping a journal.

“Once you make the decision, it’s important to chronicle the decision making process toward achieving your goal,” she said.

“It’s important because what happens is that some people will start this at the beginning of the year, and it will peter out and they feel that they have accomplished nothing. The journal will say that they did this, this and this.”

Victoria notes that she personally doesn’t believe in New Year’s resolutions.

“I believe in daily resolutions,” she said.

In other words, keep it simple and manageable.

“You have to break it down,” she said. “That’s how it will work the best. Take it one day at a time and every day will have a success.”

More information about Victoria, life coaching, and Gemma & Bixley can be found at www.gemmabixley.com.

Victoria’s tips

-Make a plan, incorporate the “big picture.”

-Bring your friends and family into your goal; build a “mini team.”

-Keep a journal, chronicle the process.