My New Year's Resolutions
Stephen V. Rapposelli, PT, OCS
I woke up on New Year’s Day with a bunch of resolutions,
mostly devoted to improving my health. To help me lose some
weight, I decided that I would go running every day in 2007.
Yes, I should have known better. Yes, I missed my first day
of running on January 3rd. How have your resolutions been
holding up lately? Perhaps you, too, have seen your best intentions
get priority right after your job, spouse, kids, pets, and
neighbors and church. Here are my tips to make your new year’s
resolutions stick better. Now is the time to re-group and
make better resolutions for February.
Tip #1
Tell yourself the resolution is for one month only, or one
week only. Remember me running EVERY DAY in 2007?
That is just ridiculous! Once you have done it for a short
period of time, only do it for another month only, or another
week only. If you build little blocks of success, they start
adding up.
Tip # 2
Only try to do 2 new resolutions. Everyone comes
up with a huge list, only to get overwhelmed. You can only
do so much at a time, and you are setting yourself up for
unnecessary guilt by doing too many things.
Tip #3
Learn from past mistakes. I resolved to drink 8 glasses
of water a day. Have you ever tried to do that, wondering
by 3pm if you had drank 3 or was that 4 glasses? At that point,
you just forget it, right? One of our therapists brought in
a plastic bottle that looked like a small water cooler-exactly
64 oz. Now, as long as I drink that one bottle, I know that
I drank my water for the day—no thinking needed!
Tip #4
Make it public. Everyone in our practice knows that
I am trying to drink this water, just by seeing that darn
bottle. It has now become a running joke, even with the patients.
Others have joined in, making it a real team effort. Even
if only one other person knows your resolution, it will make
it easier to keep going.
Tip #5
Think of a reward, and think of it fast! Don’t wait
for reaching a far off goal before rewarding yourself, but
get little rewards along the way. If you want to lose 30 pounds,
buy something for yourself as a reward after 5 or 10 pounds.
Tip #6
Do not be afraid to start over. If you fail at your
original resolution, re-group and make an easier goal in the
same category. For example, if you can’t give up cheeseburgers
and fries all together, give them up during the week. Can’t
run every day in 2007? Run 3 times a week.
Tip #7
If your resolution involves any kind of exercise, and you
are over 40 years old, or it has been a long time since you
exercised, please see you doctor first. This is a
requirement at our fitness center, and you would be surprised
at how many times this has uncovered a treatable problem.
Last Tip
Combine your resolutions if you can. Since I have
been drinking 64 oz. of water a day, I have been running every
day!
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