As 2011 begins, you may be thinking about resolutions if you're among the more than 40 percent of Americans who make them in January. Annual resolutions should address specifics on the road to long term goals, Cooper Wellness experts say. Envision what you want your life to look like and where you would like to be in two years, five years or more.
Cooper Wellness offers two-day and six-day stay-overs, focused on exercise, nutrition and health for life at its facilities and on-site lodge in Dallas.
The way to reach large goals is to take small steps and stick with resolutions. “But if you break a resolution, you can adopt a new one that's similar and within your long-term objectives,” says Todd Whitthorne, executive director at Cooper Wellness. “That way, you won't feel discouraged and just give up on your resolution.” The main thing is to keep heading toward your bigger targets.
Susie Kania, exercise physiologist at Cooper Wellness, offers an example of how a resolution can be tweaked. “Maybe you decided to run around a track four days a week, but after a couple of weeks you were bored stiff by the monotony of it,” she says. “You alter your resolution and decide to jog or walk in a park or your neighborhood instead. You remain on the road to your goal of becoming more physically fit.”
Try to approach last year's, failed resolutions in a fresh way, Cooper Wellness experts advise. Last year, you may have decided to go to a gym several times a week but procrastinated and seldom did it. This year, you might resolve to exercise or do yoga in your bedroom or den.
The best-kept resolutions are often very small actions. Maybe you want to cut calories, especially from sweets. “Instead of making a resolution to avoid all desserts, you decide to stop eating cookies on the couch at night,” says Kathleen Duran-Thal, registered dietitian and nutrition director at Cooper Wellness. “This small approach should be relatively simple to stick with and could yield lasting changes.”
Try to think in terms of adding to your life, not taking away from it, Cooper Wellness experts say. Instead of deciding to stop having burgers, fries and pizza for lunch, resolve to start eating a big salad with lots of vegetables before having the burger or pizza. The salad will help fill you up, and you’ll eat less of the higher calorie burgers, fries and pizza. Subconsciously, people feel less deprived when they focus on adding something good to their lives.
For someone trying to get into shape, resolving to mix up a normal, workout routine is often effective. Decide to go to the gym on Saturday and take try a dance or spin class during the week, Kania says.
If you resolve to start working out in a gym for the first time, the facility can be intimidating on your initial visit, Kania says. “A trainer can explain the machines, weights and rooms, and make you comfortable. They can also design an exercise program that's right for you and your age and health.”
People resolving to work out at a specific time of day have a higher rate of sticking with their programs, researchers have found. “For those with stressful, fatiguing work days, early morning can be best for exercise,” says Dr. Riva Rahl, medical director at Cooper Wellness. “For individuals with rheumatoid arthritis, who sometimes feel stiff in the morning, exercising later in the day may be better.”
Workout resolutions should always take physical ailments into account. Water exercise is one of the best forms of activity for people with arthritis or other musculoskeletal conditions, Rahl says. If you don’t have access to a gym with a pool, check with colleges, high schools and hotels for any hours for public use.
Sharing your New Year's resolution with friends or carrying it out on a buddy system is often effective, especially for women, researchers have found. Moral support from friends and family can ease the challenge of changing long-standing, physical habits.
Once you set your resolutions and goals, keep them in mind daily. Write them down on a post-it note and place it on your computer, refrigerator or cabinet door. Keep them listed in your date book or day planner. As you stick with your resolutions, you might reward yourself with check marks or a small purchase, like a music CD or personal item, for reinforcement.
Whitthorne says, “obviously, change doesn’t occur overnight. But as you gradually work toward what's important, lasting change can happen. This is a concept we teach at Cooper Wellness.”
For more information on the Cooper Wellness and their 6-day and 2-day wellness programs go to www.cooperwellness.com or call 972-386-4777.
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