Published to Newsletter on Jan 06, 2021
Reed Vawter, MS, RDN, CSOWM, LD
Health Education Consultant
Employee Wellness
Typical New Year's resolutions are destined to fail. And some evidence suggests that most will be abandoned by January 19. This year let's try something different to help us succeed – let's resolve to not do things.
One common problem with resolutions is that there is often only one way to succeed, but many ways to fail. So, if we switch things around and instead identify the thing we don't want to do, we'll have only one way to fail and many ways to succeed!
Here are some things you might want to resolve not to do this year.
Resolve to NOT Go on a Diet
Diets are a poor way to get healthier. They are restrictive, short-term-focused, and just not fun. So, let's skip it this year! Instead, there are lots of ways to make long-term eating changes that promote health. Start small – find healthy snacks you enjoy, discover a tasty recipe that you'll eat regularly, or simply have a piece of fruit with breakfast. Every time you do one of these small things, you are succeeding! Now that's easy! (Need some structured help? Check out our LifeSteps Weight Management Program starting in a few weeks.)
Resolve to NOT Do Exercise that Isn't Fun
The surest way to fail at your exercise program is to pick an activity you don't enjoy. If you hate the gym, don't go. If running makes you unhappy, don't do it. All movement counts as exercise, and there are a million ways to move. Find what makes your body happy and do that. And yes, it's okay if you change your mind along the way.
Resolve to NOT Sit at Your Desk All Day
I think many of us have noticed that it's easy to get stuck to our chair when working from home. So, let's try to limit our sitting to only 7½ hours during the workday. What can you do with the other 30 minutes? It doesn't matter! Every option other than sitting counts as a success for this resolution. You get two 15-minute breaks, after all, so let's put them to good use.
Resolve to NOT Worry About Things You Cannot Control
As human beings, we're pretty much wired to worry. But we spend a lot of our time worrying about things that we don't control, things that will never happen, or things that just plain don't matter very much. Why waste all that energy? Instead, let's spend our time worrying about trying to fit in all the fun activities we can do. Then, even daydreaming is absolutely nailing your resolution.
These are just a few ideas, and I'm sure you have some of your own. But even if you can't come up with the perfect resolution, it's no big deal. Just resolve to not get too caught up in resolutions in the first place!
Tags: EmployeeWellness, Nutrition, Wellness
