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Resolution Blues?
RESOLUTION BLUES? With the coming of a new year there comes a promise to improveoneself. Shortly thereafter, there comes the guilt of fallingshort on these promises. It happens to everyone. One personwants to quit smoking, another to lose weight, another to starta fitness regime, another to stress less over work or spend moretime with family, drink less, exercise more, on and on. The keyto success in making positive change to one’s life is to setoneself up for success by setting realistic goals and thenfollowing through with an action plan. Too often the goal islofty, but the plan is weak. Sweeping changes are difficult toimplement and likely short lived. Although it sounds boring, oneof the keys to lasting self improvement is moderation.Having worked with many clients over the years, I’ve beenwitness to many failed attempts at improving one’s healththrough an overzealous fitness and diet regime. Many people setthemselves up for disappointment by trying to accomplish toomuch in too short a period. The novelty of their plan loses itsluster soon after the New Year’s confetti is cleaned up and theclient has fallen back into old habits. Following is a list offive guidelines one can follow in setting up a ‘doable’ goal inorder to improve one’s fitness level. It doesn’t matter ifyou’re starting your goal today or modifying a goal set at thestart of the New Year, (perhaps after too much bubbly).1. Find something you love.If you enjoy solitude, perhaps a walking program would be ofinterest to you. If you’re a ‘people person’, perhaps the energyof a fitness class is what you need. You must enjoy the actualactivity you’re about to undertake in order for you to keep atit. Knowing that exercise has many health benefits is not enoughto keep you at it if you really don’t enjoy it. There are plentyof options to getting fit; it’s not a ‘one size fits all’approach. 2. Carve out some time and schedule your fitness activity.It seems obvious, but fitness will not just happen. It needs tobe scheduled just like you would schedule anything else. Also,the time commitment need not be enormous. Too often clientsthink they need to find an hour a day to devote to a fitnessregime. This is far too much time, especially in the beginning.Who has an extra hour a day? One can improve one’s fitness levelwith as little as 20 minutes three times a week. As your fitnesslevel improves and this 20 minute time block is engrained inyour schedule, it’s much easier to find more time to devote tothe pursuit.3. Get a training partner.Sometimes being accountable to someone else helps people adhereto their program. It makes training more fun and often clientscan feed off of the energy of each other to get them throughtheir workout.4. Hire a personal trainer.It seems like an unnecessary expense, but hiring someone to setup a program can have a priceless payoff. Sore or strainedmuscles can result from improper technique and be the end oftraining while injuries heal. This can be avoided if a traineris consulted to ensure exercises are done properly. Furthermore,a personal trainer can help develop a reasonable program withindividual health concerns in mind in the first place. 5. Go easy on yourself.This is not a prescription to slack off. In fact, isn’t the goalto improve oneself and not let oneself get away withslovenliness? However, if one undertakes too much too soon, it’stoo easy to just throw in the towel. Setting moderate goals overa long period of time is the key. Trying to quit smoking, dietand start exercising all at once is too much. Making smallerlifestyle changes that are easier to implement is the way tolasting self improvement. Although the above guidelines may seem like common sense, it’ssurprising how they escape the grasp of many people as they setoff on their self improvement path in early January. If you areone of the overzealous resolution makers and breaker, considerthis information. Get back on the bandwagon, but modify yourplan. Let 2006 be the year that you make lasting changes to yourlife to make it the best year yet.Shawna Kaminski
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