Every year, we all decide on a New Year’s resolution that will make our lives better. Then we struggle for the next 12 months to accomplish our goal or we simply forget about it. “New Year’s resolutions are quite prevalent in January but usually non-existent after the Super Bowl,” said John Ruiz, assistant professor at One of the most popular New Year’s resolutions is to live a healthier lifestyle. “This is where problems begin,” said Ruiz. “People tend to make this their goal, but it is unclear how they will do it or what it even means.” Ruiz said that the key to accomplish a New Year’s resolution is to be specific and realistic. “Choose a specific behavior to work on and have realistic expectations about your abilities. For example, if your overall goal is to be healthier, a specific New Year’s resolution might be to start walking for exercise. However, before you say, ‘I’ll walk five miles everyday’ be realistic. Are you in good enough shape to walk five miles? Does your lifestyle including work, marriage, etc, allow you time to walk everyday? A more realistic goal might be to walk one mile a day, three days a week for a month until you get in shape. Being specific and realistic gives you a New Year’s resolution that you can do,” he said. Once you make a New Year’s resolution, Ruiz recommends these six tips for success: – Find your motivation: Remember why you made the goal in the first place and it will keep you going on the tough days. – Have a plan: Be clear about what it will take to reach your goal. For example, if you are going to start walking a mile, map out a course so that you know how far to go. Also, give yourself the necessary resources to accomplish your goal. If you are going to start walking but all you own are fancy dress shoes, go out a buy some sneakers. – Anticipate challenges: There are always going to be challenges that make your goals more difficult. For example, if you are dieting and you go to a Super Bowl party where there are lots of tasty, cheesy foods or yummy deserts. The key is to anticipate those challenges and have a plan for how you will deal with them. Be realistic and allow yourself a couple of goodies. If you are walking and it snows outside, stay inside and walk in place for a short time, or go to a grocery store or mall where you can walk around for a short time. – Reward small goals: Be good to yourself. Too often we focus on what we need to do instead of what we have done. Rewarding yourself gives you a chance to build your self esteem and keep your momentum. – Don’t buy into “all or nothing” thinking: The number one problem. Everyone has a weak moment. Successful people get back up and keep going. Keep things in perspective if you are successful for a whole week and have one slip-up, it doesn’t take away from the previous seven days of success. – Finally, find support: Surround yourself with others who believe in you and your goal. This helps maintain motivation and gets you through the tough times. Ruiz can be reached at ruizjx@wsu.edu, or 509.335.8035 (office).
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