Photo by Mike Foley

The hardest time of year, denying your cookie craving to keep your New Years resolution alive.

New Year’s resolutions are probably one of the most short-lived moments in anyone’s life. The simple promise of reading more or cutting down on sugar never seems to survive past January. Even with decades of empty promises behind us, we still can’t figure out why most people can’t keep them.

The real superhumans in this world don’t go flying around fighting crime in tight spandex, they are the people who can honestly say they are still committed to their resolution mid-February. So why is something as easy as cutting down on Chips Ahoy so difficult?

The interesting thing about resolutions is that they can start at any time, but for some reason, they don’t. Nobody goes around gloating about how they plan to start exercising more come July 15 and yet, it is a perfectly feasible thing to do. 

The thing that makes New Year’s day the time above all to add jogging to your daily routine is the power that the phrase “New Year” holds. It is literally impossible to find a person who hasn’t said “New year, new me” at some point in their life.  

Many people need to have an outside reason or perhaps even an excuse to reinvent themselves. Changing yourself is a hard thing to do, so it’s very tempting to use an excuse such as waiting until the New Year as your motivation. 

Interestingly enough, it’s the challenging tasks that seem to last the longest. So having fewer cookies for breakfast probably won’t make it to February, but going to the gym might last a little longer. 

The easier the task, the easier it is to slip up. And sneaking those extra snacks one day of the week then turns into two days, then three and before you know it, your 2021 resolution is right back to square one. It’s a vicious cycle.

If you take a minute to think about it, the act of using the New Year to motivate us into reinventing ourselves might bring up the fact that we’re not really able to do the hard work of changing. 

A possible strategy to use when bringing your resolutions to life is to start by taking baby steps. Sometimes it’s best to walk before you learn how to run. Ease into your daily commitment of exercise, take it slow.

Building a routine is a slow process and it’s common to have people jump into the new year with both feet in the water. You may find it easier to both keep and adjust to your new daily modifications by starting one day a week. Before you know it, you’re now at the gym every day.

For more about New Years resolutions, check out page 5 in the latest Lancer Spirit magazine!!