IT’S January 1, you’re hung over and two kilos heavier after the Christmas splurge, but you’re still full of determination to make a fresh start in 2009.
You say to yourself: “I will go to the gym three times a week. I will quit smoking, gorging on chocolate, guzzling champagne, vegging out in front of the TV, and dating unsuitable men”.
Fast-forward to January 5 and, if you’re anything like me, you’re hitting the sales instead of the treadmill. You’re reaching for the fags/Cadbury/bottle/little black book/snooze button and, oh goody, there’s a Seinfeld marathon on the box. So how do we overcome temptation and stick to our New Year’s resolutions?
Well, I Googled New Year’s resolutions and discovered 28,000,000 results in a mere 0.8 seconds.
And what I found was page after page of American advice on losing weight, the third most popular resolution worldwide - according to About.com - after getting fit and spending more quality time with family and friends.
As most of the entries were sponsored by weight-loss companies, I figured the advice was skewed towards failure, because let’s face it, that’s how they make their millions: from people with little or no resolve or willpower.
There are heaps of quit smoking ones too, the fourth most popular NY resolution. Surprisingly - or perhaps not as the world credit crunch begins to bite - there was a raft of entries on how to succeed in business or improve your personal finances.
After trawling through some of the more interesting internet offerings, I’ve put together the following top 10 tips for making and sticking to New Year’s resolutions.
1. Keep it real. Don’t say “I’m not going to eat anything unhealthy ever again,” or “I’m giving up drinking for good”. How likely is that? Instead, make your wishes realistic. Try “I will give up eating chips,” or “I won’t drink on school nights”.
2. Going for goal. Put some time limits on your resolution.
Say “I will study Mandarin for three months,” or “I will not eat chocolate until Easter”.
This gives you the comfort that, should you not like what you’re doing, the end is in sight.
3. Respect yourself, If you complete your intended goal, give yourself a treat. If you can trust yourself not to fall off the diet wagon, then have a cream cake. If not, then splash out on a new top to show off your svelte new self!
4. One is the magic number. Not three. If you’re serious about keeping a resolution, stick to just one. It’s far more likely you’ll succeed if you’re concentrating all your energies on changing one aspect of your life. Once you’ve cracked one thing, you can move on to the next.
5. Put pen to paper. Write down your aims and put the list somewhere you’ll see it daily, such as on the fridge or your dressing-table mirror.
6. Dont worry, be happy. Sticking to your promises needn’t be dull. If you’ve vowed to lose weight, go salsa dancing with friends to help burn those calories. Or if you’re determined to make progress in your career, take part in the social activities arranged at the office.
7. Lead us not into temptation. There’s no point hanging out in a bar if you’re trying to stay teetotal. Likewise, don’t go window shopping if you’ve vowed to get that credit card bill down. Keep out of harm’s way and chances are you won’t weaken.
8. Mark it off. Keep a diary to record your progress. If it was good enough for Bridget, its good enough for you! It will keep your spirits up to know that you’re inching ever closer to the end.
9. If at first you don’t succeed . . . If you succumb and eat a packet of Tim Tams, don’t beat yourself up. Work out why you failed (boredom, unhappiness, etc) and start again with even more determination than before.
10. Finally, to err is human. And all that. You’re not superhuman and are allowed some vices - just keep them under control. It’s that simple. You have just five days of debauchery left, so get out there and enjoy yourself while you’re throwing caution to the wind, and knuckle down later, when you’re being good.
Piece of (rice) cake!
SUSAN MASTERS is the News Editor.
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