BLOG: New Year’s Resolutions

It’s that time of year again. Most people have started a new diet, are hitting the gym more often, and giving up something or all of the above. The thing about resolutions though, is all you ever hear about them is how long they don’t last, so if your resolution makes it to February, give yourself a pat on the back.

Resolutions shouldn’t be a joke though. Resolutions can hold up the whole year, and some have the potential to hold up for a lifetime. Most people make their resolution something big that will change in their life, and that is exactly why they don’t work. Smaller steps need to be taken in order to make your resolution successful.

If your resolution is to eat healthier, that is awesome, but probably the one that fails the most. The first problem is that people call it a diet. If part of your resolution is to lose weight, that’s great, but diet is a terrible word. This resolution should be a lifestyle change that needs to be made one small step at a time. An example would be slowly cutting out sugars and cutting back on the carbs. When making the change to healthy eating, it is difficult to quit cold turkey (pun intended). If you quit eating everything you enjoy, there is a higher likelihood that you will binge on unhealthy foods and then feel overwhelming guilt and defeat. This is an important resolution for people to make and it should be approached in the right way.

Exercising usually accompanies the healthy eating resolution and is followed by gym regulars complaining about the abundance of newbies taking up the treadmills. I am very disappointed in those people.

Excuse my quick rant, but there are other options. Let the newbies use the treadmills because those are easier for beginners. The gym rats should try running on the track or better yet, running outside. Use this as a chance to change up your routine.

For the newbies, the gym is an intimidating place. Trust me, I know. Don’t let the gym rats discourage you, and keep it up. Make sure to start off slow though, because you don’t want any injuries. Classes are also a great place to start if you’re not really sure how to approach a new workout regime. Gym rats: instead of complaining, encourage them. Newbies can feel it when you judge them. This could be a big change for people with resolutions, so don’t make it any harder on them than it already is.

There are plenty of other resolutions out there that people come up with and if you want them to last, they should be approached in the same manner. Remember, slow and steady wins the race, and it’s a long race.