Olympic level help in keeping New Year's resolutions
Jan. 1 marked the start of New Year's resolution season across Barrington, a time when those self-promises signal the beneficial little changes we plan to make in our lives.
While we all have the best intentions, only 46 percent of Barrington resolution hopefuls will make it past six weeks, according to Statisticbrain.com. The website also indicates that losing weight is the No. 1 resolution, with staying fit and healthy coming in at No. 5. USA Weightlifting, the national governing body overseeing the sport to the U.S. Olympic Committee, knows a little about sticking to goals and the organization is offering some professional motivational tips for Barrington residents.
1. Write your resolution down and put it in a visible place. “Dreams become goals once you write them down,” declares Michael Massik, the CEO of USA Weightlifting. “There are plenty of people out there that dream of being an Olympian – the ones that actually make it are the ones that develop a plan and then follow through with execution.”
2. Partner with someone. You're more likely to stay motivated when someone else is involved. It's a lot easier to quit on yourself than it is to quit on a partnership.
3. Allow yourself one opportunity to fall off the resolution wagon and then get back on, but set up a reminder process. Use your smartphone, a calendar or even give the kids permission to harass you…whatever it takes. “Add up the amount of time you were able to stick with it the first time and double it – that's your new goal,” suggests Massik. “Every time you accomplish the incremental goals, keep doubling it.”
“These tips are spot on,” says Dr. Sue Walsh, an associate professor of human performance at Concordia University Chicago. “When trying to act on a healthier behavior, people progresses through a series of stages from preparation to maintenance.”
Walsh explains that these stages are part of a behavioral change model called Transtheoretical Stages of Change, adding, “The suggestions from USA Weightlifting would actually help resolution makers view behavior change as a process, rather than a singular event, and that is one of the best ways to have long-term success in a healthy way of living.”
Armed with these few but powerful techniques used by Olympic experts, Barrington residents can head into 2014 confident that they will not be part of the disappointed group who can't make it past mid-February.
USA Weightlifting is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit and the national governing body overseeing the sport of Olympic weightlifting in the United States. USAW is a member of the United States Olympic Committee, responsible for conducting Olympic weightlifting programs throughout the country, and a member of the International Weightlifting Federation.