Rescue Those Healthy Resolutions

How long did your New Year’s resolution last this time? The average one lasts two to four months, some experts say. Others scoff that the resolve is even briefer, noting that the second Friday of January is officially known as Quitters’ Day—the day most people have already ditched or even forgotten their resolutions.

Regardless of who’s right, many are quitters of resolutions, and most are probably feeling like failures. But it may not be you. It may be how you tackle the process of change.

Whether you want to eat better, move more, stress less or manage your money better, here’s how to get going and keep going.

Stages of Change: Simplify

You’ve no doubt heard of the four stages of change- thinking about it, preparing, taking action, maintaining the new routine.

Simplify, says Karen Midyet, PsyD, a psychologist in Fort Collins, CO, who offers life and retirement coaching for people who are age 50 plus. “I look at two stages—planning with specific goal setting and following through.”  This approach worked for a recent client, a retired CEO, who sought her help recently when he fell off the exercise wagon he had begun with gusto.

He had resolved to do an hour a day—and it quickly dwindled. Midyet advised him to set the goal with the realization that time available varies from day to day—if 20 minutes was it, rather than an hour, put in the 20 minutes. Instead of booing the 20 minutes that wasn’t an hour, applaud it, she says. “It’s giving people permission to not be perfect and to start to feel some agency in being able to do something that’s positive for themselves.”

Enlist Technology and a Real-Life Team

Use Google, Alexa, your smart watch, your phone calendar and everything else at your disposal, Midyet says. Be specific: “Siri, set the alarm for 8 a.m. and say it’s time to go for a walk.”  Siri comes through as a personal trainer.

Use those phone apps to track your exercise time and effort—and to plan them. Midyet draws up a weekly plan of exercise. If you don’t get the whole plan done, you probably did more than you would have it you hadn’t planned.

To find a nutrition expert, check the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics here.

To find a therapist, check out the American Psychological Association therapist finder here.

To find a health coach or trainer, one option is the American Council on Exercise.

Tap into the wealth of free online classes, including these from Senior Planet.

Lean on Friends—and Give Back

One of Midyet’s clients needed to lose weight and knew she needed to cook better to make more healthy meals. “It’s hard to do all that cooking and stay on track,” Midyet says. So this woman teamed up wither her sister. They cook together, sometimes, then one might take a day and do all the cooking while her sister runs an errand or other favor for the cook.

Then what?

There’s two more things you need to add to your toolkit.

Patience:  Forget the myth that a new habit develops quickly. Australian researchers evaluated 20 studies that looked at the time required to develop health-related habits. They found that while habits can start forming within about two months, the time needed varies widely from person to person. One study found a range of 4 to 335 days.

Chill out:   “You can’t change everything all at once,” Midyet says. “Pick one or two things.” Then start planning so you’ll follow through.

YOUR TURN

Did you sail through Quitter’s Day still keeping your resolution? Tell us about your new healthy habit, and share how you stay on track in the comments.

 

 

Kathleen Doheny is a Los Angeles-based independent journalist, specializing in health, behavior, fitness and lifestyle stories. Besides writing for Senior Planet, she reports for WebMD, Medscape, MedCentral and other sites.  She is a mom, mother-in-law and proud and happy Mimi who likes to hike, jog and shop.

 

Photo of Kathy Doheny: Shaun Newton

 

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