New Year’s Resolution Do-Over
February 20, 2009
So it came to pass that at this critical, no-turning-back, the-year-is-two-months-gone point at the end of February, that we find ourselves on the scales or staring at our closet with nothing to wear (that fits) and wondering how we are still where we are?
I think about New Year’s resolutions at this time of year, eight weeks out, and my head hurts. Have we all embarked on futile missions? Is it too soon to say we’ve failed yet one more friggin’ time? Are we still not doing the things we said we wanted to do?
For the past several years I feel like we’ve paid lip service to needing to lose weight/get in shape/get our act together goals, then we’ve marched right into those restaurants that super-size everything or those eateries that serve their entrées on plates the size of man-hole covers and disconnected the part of our brain that made those goals.
If this all sounds a bit too close for comfort, here are a few tips. Maybe now that eight weeks have passed, you will really do these things. They are simple and take very little time.
First, put your goals in writing. On the fridge. On the bathroom mirror. Be as detailed as possible. Be sure they are posted somewhere so that they are in your face. Be your own nudge.
Next, 90% of successful dieters who kept weight off for five years or more all had one thing in common. They wrote it down. Sorry Guys, I know this sounds oh-so-metrosexual but you must journal. Consider yourselves the evolved man. The man who will be different from your father (and weigh less than him as a benefit).Journaling will take some getting used to. You don’t have to do it in public. Keep it under lock and key if needed. Do it on your blackberry, if that feels more discreet and macho.But if you can cultivate this one little habit, you will be successful. It’ll take a few minutes, but if you bite it, you write it. This keeps you accountable.
Also, my ingenious friends over at The Pump know a thing or two about getting to goals. They are offering a free “DO OVER” 30 Day Challenge. But it started 2 days ago so jump in quick (before the year passes you by) and enroll. You;ve got nothing to lose but your belly roll. Did I mention it is free?
This year The Pump will help reignite your resolutions with the launch of www.resolutiondoover.com.
On February 17, 2009 The Pump launches their 30 day Resolution Do-Over Challenge for all New Year’s resolution drop outs. The Pump has created an online social networking forum where people can publicly promote their goals and enter a thirty day challenge. The idea is to put it out there and make it happen. The site will connect the network with a panel of health and fitness experts to answer questions and help people with their challenges.
Participants will post their goal and why they want it and get comments from friends and the expert panel. The ultimate goal is to have fun! The most entertaining entries will be voted on to win $1,000 and a month’s worth of The Pump’s food, plus a year’s gym membership.
Why 30 days? The only way to turn a goal into a habit is through deliberate repetition. Recent research suggests that it takes 30 days to reprogram the neural pathways in your brain that lead to habitual, permanent change.
The end.
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