Press Release

New Year’s Resolutions: Making them Stick

Most of take a moment to reflect on our life choices at the beginning of a new year. These reflections are often then transferred to a resolution for the coming year but many of us find it difficult to make the changes stick. The Union County Health Department offers these tips on setting and sticking to your healthy choices resolutions.

The first step to changing your current habits is to set a realistic goal with a plan to accomplish the goal within a set time period. Resolutions to loose weight, get into shape, and to stop smoking are excellent choices to lower your risks of heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

If your resolution is to lose weight, determine a realistic amount of weight that you want to loose each month, consult a dietician, and create a plan for how you will reach your goal weight. Included in a weight loss plan should be ways to increase your activity. Exercise is a punishment nor does it have to be miserable while you do it, so find an enjoyable activity to add to your daily routine like walking, biking, swimming, skating or bowling. Choosing activities that you enjoy and that are easily accessible will increase your chances of long- term success.

Consult your doctor if it has been a while since you have exercised regularly or if you have a chronic medical condition. Don’t push yourself too hard during your initial activities. Running 5 miles a day for someone who is not already an active runner is not a realistic goal. Many times this drive to reach to an instant level of fitness can lead to injuries or quitting soon after starting. A realistic goal for someone who has been inactive is 20-40 minutes of exercise, three to five times per week. Varying the activity and setting up a plan for year-round exercise options. If you enjoy outdoor activities during the warmer months, consider an indoor class or indoor activities for cold days.

Trying to quit smoking? First you should know that when you quit for good, your risk of smoking-related diseases will be as low as non-smokers and each time you have tried to quit will boost your chances that this time you will succeed.

Try to quit with a buddy and develop strategies to cope with the physical and psychological cravings. Making changes in your daily routine can also help you avoid your usual cues to smoke. Do you associate smoking with your morning coffee, driving to/from work, after meals?

Sticking to your resolutions is easy when you set realistic goals and a game plan. On average it takes 21 days to change a habit or create a new habit so give yourself time sometime to establish new routines. Slip-ups should be expected but they are not excuses for giving up on your goal.