How to tackle your New Year’s resolution to stay active
Miriam Havel used to be very active. She played basketball, volleyball, and track and field. However, when the coronavirus outbreak hit, she stopped all activities. But this year, she made her New Year’s resolution to get back into the sport.
“I have had sports injuries in the past, so I want to manage my stress and gain strength,” the psychology student said. “So it’s important for me to strengthen my strength to prevent further injuries and manage some of the pain.”
As part of her resolution, Havel went to the gym and enrolled in weekly yoga and Pilates classes.
“[Working out again] It was really good. Considering everything else, it’s definitely an adjustment in terms of building that into the schedule and being consistent,” Hubbell said. “It’s okay for now, but it will become more difficult as the midterms and finals get closer and the course becomes more demanding.”
Many Concordia students started going to the gym in January. Campus Recreation Manager Michelle Dodds said Le Gym’s subscription numbers have spiked not only this month but also in September 2023, as both are the start of the school year. .
“Not only are membership sales increasing, but the general population going to gyms is also increasing,” she says.
Dodds added that this pattern is emerging every year. Crowds typically decrease as the semester progresses, she noted. One study shows that people are most likely to give up on a resolution within the first month.
Professor Simon Bacon, from the Department of Applied Health, Kinesiology and Physiology, said the unusual timing of the new year was contributing to the collective failure.
“The new year is often the worst time to try to change your behavior,” Bacon says. He added that there is cultural pressure to adjust habits in the new year. “What does it take to change behavior?”
To answer that question, Bacon said it’s important to have an inner goal and motivation to be successful. “If it’s not something special to you, it’s going to be very difficult to maintain that behavioral change,” he said. For Havel, for example, that drive comes from injury prevention.
Bacon added that breaking down overarching goals into simple, realistic steps and self-monitoring to establish a baseline for physical activity and diet can also help with long-term success.
Above all, Bacon explained, any level of physical activity is better than none.
“Think about changes you can incorporate into your daily life,” he said. “Any small change is a great starting point and can be a springboard for bigger changes in the future.”
Despite all these conditions, failure is still a possibility and Bacon said it is part of the process.
“No one changes their behavior and executes it perfectly,” he said. “You have to learn to have that level of forgiveness and not completely reverse the way he’s done it 15 times before. Success is something you have to hang on to.”
This article was originally published in Volume 44, Issue 9, published January 30, 2024.
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