Making a New Year’s resolution can be traced to Roman times with promises made to the Roman god Janus, for whom the month of January is named. Many similar resolution traditions continue around the world today.
Let’s look at some ways to use this tradition to improve your life.
Common goals include improving health with regular exercise, healthy eating and the ever-popular, “let’s lose some weight.” Today, more Americans make New Year’s resolutions than ever before, and estimates show 40% of adult Americans set a New Year’s goal related to their health.
But how successful are they?
According to a 2007 survey of over 3,000 people conducted by British psychologist Richard Wiseman, 88% of those who set New Year’s resolutions fail. Some don’t remember their original intention. Others set goals so unrealistic they cannot be achieved. And still others don’t know if they’ve achieved their goal because they didn’t keep track of their progress.
Here are some simple guidelines to ensure you have success with your New Year’s resolutions this year:
STAY GROUNDED | Set achievable goals that are measurable, including a date for completion. Ask yourself, “Can I realistically make this happen?”
PLAN | Determine an action plan to see your goals materialize. What do you need to do to “get’er done” by your deadline?
DOCUMENT | Write down your goals and action plan. Share your plan with one or two friends. These friends will bring accountability, helping to keep you on track.
RECORD | Monitor daily progress of your activity against your plan. Share these results with your friends for accountability.
EXAMPLE
Mary’s goal is to lose 10 pounds by March 31 while toning her body.
Mary’s action plan is to exercise for 30 minutes, five times a week and to decrease her calories by 35%. Mary likes what she eats so she plans to simply reduce her serving size by 35%. Mary believes this plan will enable her to lose one pound per week which will easily get her to her 10 pound weight loss goal before the end of March.
As a back up plan, Mary determines if she misses an exercise day, she will eliminate her sweet tea for that day and the following day. Mary believes this corrective action will keep her on track for her goal completion. If, at the end of January, Mary has not seen results of a 4-pound weight loss, she plans to drop her sugary drinks from her diet in total.
Sounds like a great plan, wouldn’t you agree?
It’s not too late to make your own plan. Today is the best day to start.
Jennifer E. Closshey, Ph.D., is a doctor of integrative holistic health based out of Plant City. She teaches restorative yoga classes at the Plant City Family YMCA on Thursdays.