One of the biggest traditions for New Years Day in the U.S. is the idea of kicking new habits, or kicking out old ones. You know, New Years resolutions. They’re pretty popular, and most of them fail. In my entire life, I’ve only met a few people whose resolutions stuck for more than a few months. I know one person whose resolution has stuck for 3 now, but it was actually a relatively small lifestyle change that they made. (They decided as of January 1st, 2007, to stop drinking pop. See, not that big of a chance.)
Hundreds of thousands of Americans, maybe even millions, will set the same goal for 2010: lose weight. While they is an innocent goal to set for most, it’s the wrong way to go about improving your health.
A lot of people spend so much time thinking of the end product that sometimes the means is lost in the mix. It’s important to think of “how” and “why” and “when.” Also, so many resolutions are such big goals, like quitting smoking or losing 20 lbs., that people get discouraged. Some goals are meant to be taken in steps, not rushed at on a single day. I’m guilty of it. One year, my resolution was lose some weight. I figured out towards the end that the weight shouldn’t have been my focus. While losing weight is great for your health (if it’s done in a beneficial manner), sometimes so much stress is put on weight that you end up complicating your possibilities of actually reaching a goal.
Instead, try making your resolution something like, “Take better care of myself,” “Eat better,” or “Lower my cholesterol ____ points.”
The first one is my resolution for the year. The difference is, I’m not rushing it all at once on January 1st. I’ve already started phasing some of my guilty pleasures (Dr. Pepper) out of my diet. I’m drinking twice as much water as I used to drink on average. Overall, I’m just treating my body better. If I lose weight as a side-effect of that…great!
So, ask yourself, is a resolution a good option for you?
The idea of instant gratification has become a major problem in American society. If you can’t achieve results NOW, then it’s not worth it. Improving your health generally takes some work, though. While there are plenty of things (like Nutrim) to help you along, you still have to put in effort. So, at the start of 2010, take a different approach.
Instead of making a resolution, make a plan. Don’t just say you want to lose weight of work out every day. Don’t be unrealistic, but also challenge yourself. It has to be a carefully balanced change, one that would improve your life without discouraging you or stressing you out. Anyone can start the year of right. Not everyone can finish it that way, though. Don’t become just another failed resolution statistic. Good luck, and best of wishes as you continue 2010.