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Did You Make New Year's Resolutions? Here's How to Have a Little More Resolve to Keep Them

lafayetteymca.org

A Syracuse organization has some tips on how to follow through on New Year’s Resolutions.  The path to your better future might benefit from some Science and Sensibility.

We’ve all heard that most people fall flat on trying to keep their New Year’s Resolutions for long…well the YMCA has some statistics to back that up.  A 2014 study by the Y-USA found more than 70 % miss their goals…and about 40 % give up on resolutions in a matter of weeks.  Maybe the problem is trying to bite off too much change.

“If you try to change your whole life in one day or one month, that’s not going to work for you.  But making a small change becomes less of a thing you’re trying to tackle and just part of your everyday life.  That makes it easier to accomplish.”

Stephanie Noble is Marketing Director at YMCA of Greater Syracuse.  They see a bump in memberships of people with great intentions. 

“You find people who are raring to go in January, they don’t see an immediate change, and then they get frustrated.”

They have a list of tips to make the good vibes stick

1.    Start small. Break those big resolutions into small, achievable goals. Instead of cutting chocolate out of your diet for good, vow to only have it a few times a week. Or trade your two sodas a day for one soda and a glass of water.

2.    Take it one step at a time. Trying to change too many habits at once can easily lead to frustration. Instead of a New Year’s resolution, make a new month resolution. Focus on that one change for the month, and add another (small) change when the new month rolls around. 

3.    Choose a facility that focuses on a holistic approach to health. When it comes to adding healthy behaviors, like increasing physical activity, it’s important to find a facility that keeps you motivated. Before committing to a membership, take a tour of local gyms to find the best fit for you. Your facility should not be just a gym, but a community organization that offers more health, more hope and more opportunity.

4.    Talk it out. It’s easier to stick to your resolutions if you have a partner or friend working toward similar goals. Team up with someone to set your 2017 goals and help each other establish a game plan dedicated to achieving them. Set specific check-ins to help each other out of slumps and to cheer each other during the high points. 

Joining a group class or running program gives you people to share the experience…Noble notes they can encourage you and you can encourage them

“You know somebody might be training for a race, somebody might be trying to lose a few pounds, somebody might be just trying to come back from an injury.  We see here people working together.  They’re not only meeting their health goals, but they’re making friendships.  And that’s healthy for your mind as well as your body.”

Also don’t focus on all the work or what you’re depriving yourself of.  She says make it positive.

“How is it better for me; how is it better for my family; how does it help me I my workplace? And seeing how those changes can make other parts of your life better as well.  I think that’s the way you want to look at it.  If you’re beating yourself up every day about something, it’s not fun.  You don’t want to keep doing it.”

Conversations about those goals…as well as a journal to track incremental progress can also help you join the less-than-a-quarter of people in the Y survey who follow through on New Year’s resolutions likely to fail.

Chris Bolt, Ed.D. has proudly been covering the Central New York community and mentoring students for more than 30 years. His career in public media started as a student volunteer, then as a reporter/producer. He has been the news director for WAER since 1995. Dedicated to keeping local news coverage alive, Chris also has a passion for education, having trained, mentored and provided a platform for growth to more than a thousand students. Career highlights include having work appear on NPR, CBS, ABC and other news networks, winning numerous local and state journalism awards.