A quick Google search will return results about the likes of Statista, SAS, FiveThirtyEight and a host of other data aggregators that all confirm what we already know: the majority of people resolve to get healthier in some way in the new year. Often this is separated into subcategories of: exercising more, starting a diet and finding some other hobby or self-improving habit.
I have my own misgivings about New Year’s resolutions, in particular are especially dangerous. Far too often, well- intentioned individuals stagnate or take steps back on the way to truly improving our physical selves. There are, however, a few key steps to take that can drastically improve renewed approaches to wellness in this new year.
In a recent Forbes article, five different exercise or wellness-related resolution were listed as some of the worst moonshots to attempt in this new year. The New York Times goes deeper, creating a parallel between too-difficult goals & the unacceptable concept of delayed and not instant gratification. This brings us of the first key: set medium-term goals with that same delayed gratification. Yes, we are conditioned to receive the fruits
of our labor as quickly as Amazon will send them, but I believe we’ve reached a point in the wellness boom that most will understand; a cut physique or cleaner body comes with time. Short-term gratification often comes in smaller, unforeseen manners anyway, like finishing that first difficult workout or properly cooking a new favorite dish.
As a baseline, getting through January, perhaps the grayest and most uninspiring month of the year, can be a great place to start. Toward the end of the month, many resolution seekers will fade out of the squat racks and produce aisles and it’s not totally out of the question that people could make other improvement-minded friends along the way. This also brings us to the second important stipulation. Combining resolutions with old friends can often cause more harm than good. Of course, this isn’t to say everyone’s friends areflakes, but their influence can bring you down just as easily as it can inspire. In reality, no two people have the exact same idea of what self-improvement looks like, making it illogical for them to pursue a shared goal that might be undercutting what could be achieved separately.
Alternatively, the benefits of coordinating with friends could be reached without these drawbacks by a more laissez-faire approach to collective goal settingFor those that are experienced fitness enthusiasts, there lies more danger in making too-drastic changes to routines and testing new boundaries. Personally, I’ve spent the last week and a half trying to get into running and DIY-fitness, participating in a voluntary removal from the cozy confines of the UI’s campus and Rec Center. Somehow, I failed to foresee the plain fact that running is hard, & perhaps especially, for athletic people who simply avoided running like the plague in favor of weights and intervals. Jumping in too far and too soon brought more suffering than expected, in large part because I simply ignored my body’s natural response to new physical activity.
I didn’t give myself time to adjust. I simply resumed what I considered to be an appropriate level of exertion in exercises I had rarely if ever practiced, left my body unhappy and more attracted to bed than the road outside for too long. Taking a gradual approach to new routines, especially after spending months or years faithfully dedicated to fitness in another way is still of utmost importance.
Every passing day brings further opportunity to get better, to leave doubt behind and bring confidence and results further into the new year. With a little foresight, the transitions to better versions of ourselves can come without failed resolutions.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker