RONKONKOMA, N.Y., Dec. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- At the start of the new year, Americans will make a wide variety of resolutions that range from losing weight to learning a foreign language. According to a recent study¹ in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, over 40% of Americans make New Year's resolutions each year, but only 8% actually achieve those goals. Balance Bar®, maker of one of America's original nutrition energy bars, is asking Americans to join them in taking The Balance Bar® Pledge, an anti-resolutions pledge that encourages people to skip the tradition of setting overly ambitious and sometimes unachievable goals and instead make one small step each month that supports their health, wellness and overall happiness.

This year, making small lifestyle changes, even one per month, can lead to a more balanced life in 2014. Balance Bar has teamed up with lifestyle expert Laurel House, known as The QuickieChick, to create a year's worth of 12 monthly realistic and achievable tips. These tips are available at Balance.com along with videos on Facebook featuring Laurel and her "balanced" advice.

"The idea behind the Balance Bar brand is to be your best you – and that involves setting yourself up for success," said Katia Facchetti, Chief Marketing Officer for Balance Bar. "The purpose of the anti-resolution campaign, and the whole spirit of Balance Bar, is to make small decisions that have positive impact every day that benefit the longer term. For a snack, do you choose a bag of chips or do you choose a nutritionally-sound Balance Bar? Not a life-changing decision, but a small one that can have benefits today and down the road."

Balance Bar has also launched a Facebook tab dedicated to The Balance Bar® Pledge and a microsite where fans can publicly declare their intentions to live their best 2014 and join the community of anti-resolutioners. They can enter to win a grand prize fitness resort vacation at New Life Hiking Spa in Killington, Vermont. Five lucky fans will also win a Balance Bar® 2014 calendar, which features each of Laurel's monthly tips, a case of Balance Bar® bars and Yurbuds sports headphones.

Balance Bar and Laurel will be hosting a live, one-hour Twitter chat on the topic on Thursday, January 9 at 2:00 PM ET. Yurbuds as well as popular bloggers from Mommy's Memorandum and Leslie Loves Veggies will also join the discussion. 

"I love the idea of focusing each month on a small, achievable step," says Laurel House. "For example, in May, I want you to surround yourself with motivating people. And in August, it's all about taking care of your body. On their own, these may seem small, but they add up and build on each other, giving you the best and most balanced life by next December!"

Balance Bar offers over 20 varieties of nutrition energy bars that will help you live your life to the fullest every day by sustaining your energy and keeping you fulfilled throughout the day. For more information about Balance Bar®, visit Balance.com, Facebook.com/BalanceBar,  Twitter.com/BalanceBar and Pinterest.com/BalanceBar.

1. University of Scranton, Journal of Clinical Psychology; December 2012

About Balance Bar 
Founded in 1992, Balance Bar®, one of America's original nutrition/energy bars, inspires consumers to lead active, well-rounded and balanced lives by providing great-tasting and convenient nutrition for lasting energy. Balance Bars are available in four unique product lines (Original, Gold, Dark and Bare) and all  flavors are based on the 40/30/30 nutrition model – a proven formula developed by scientists to help stabilize blood sugar levels that represents the caloric ratio the body needs to enjoy lasting balanced energy and satisfy hunger for longer; 40% of total calories from carbohydrates, 30% from quality protein and 30% from dietary fat. For more information, visit www.Balance.com. Follow Balance Bar® for tips and nutritional information on Facebook® (www.facebook.com/Balancebar), Twitter® (www.twitter.com/Balancebar) and Pinterest (Pinterest.com/BalanceBar).

SOURCE Balance Bar