Here are five tips to keep your New Year's resolutions in 2004. Check out www.how-to-keep-your-new-years-resolution.com for more ideas.
1. Set reasonable goals that can be realistically achieved.
2. Identify motivation for these goals, and why it is important to keep them. Write them down and keep the list in a visible place
3. Mark events and goals on a calendar, and be accountable to set dates.
4. Find friends with similar goals and work together to keep these resolutions.
5. Seek advice from professionals, who can help plan the best way to achieve goals and keep resolutions.
-Megan Slack
After 365 debaucherous days of boundless self-indulgence and habitual misbehaviors, depraved citizens of the world awake on Jan. 1 with an arsenal of New Year's resolutions, fully intent on improving, transforming and reinventing their lives. After all, what better time to embark on a personal renaissance than at the turn of the calendar?
But in the time it takes for one's hangover to dissipate, the notion of maintaining these lofty resolutions seems disgustingly unappealing - and equally unlikely. Oh, well. It looks like those love handles are here to stay for another year.
Unless, of course, you have a plan. Read ahead to discover three common resolutions and advice from the experts who can help you achieve them.
1. Drink less. Quit smoking.
This resolution is a perennial favorite among the college-aged crowd. But with every new semester come countless opportunities for the social use (or abuse) of alcohol and cigarettes, according to Kathy Haldeman, health educator for AU.
"These habits are challenging to break because they are social," Haldeman said. "If the people we spend time with are drinking or smoking, [these behaviors] become interwoven into the act of socializing."
To live a healthier lifestyle, students must spend less time with their drinking buddies and pursue friendships with similarly minded people, Haldeman said.
"It'd be good to find someone with the same objectives," she said. "If we have friends who do things other than going to bars or smoking when they're socializing, it will be easier for us to [stick to our resolution]."
Think there is little more to life than a pint of Rolling Rock? Haldeman suggested going to a movie or bowling alley, or taking dance lessons. There are also real solutions for the avid smoker, she said.
"Some people simply stop smoking, but it helps to have certain techniques when things get tough," Haldeman said.
Many smokers visit AU's Well Center, which provides advice on how to quit, Haldeman said. Also, Sibley Memorial Hospital offers free smoking cessation programs in the evenings.
In the end, it all comes down to a little gumption and a lot of strategy, Haldeman said.
"Call up the American Cancer Society, visit the Well Center, and make a plan," she advised. "Those who succeed are prepared and ready."
2. Get in shape.
With the Jacobs Fitness Center located conveniently on campus, joining a gym is one less step a student has to take in the journey toward getting in shape. And if lack of time seems to pose another problem, health and fitness supervisor Christine Hanson has some advice for you: Wake up earlier.
"Everybody has time to work out," said Hanson, who works at the fitness center. "Get up at 6 a.m."
Though membership to the gym is included in one's tuition, Jacobs Fitness Center also offers various group exercise programs for an additional fee, Hanson said. The center's Web site listed such programs as cardio kickboxing, cycling, yoga, pilates and tai chi. Costs range between $50 and $65 for the semester and can be paid with cash, check or EagleBuck$.
Hanson advised beginners to schedule a session with a personal trainer, which costs $45 per hour.
"Our personal training programs are an excellent way for students to learn to use the equipment and to guide students in achieving their goals in different ways," Hanson said.
But don't expect to become Charles Atlas by the time midterms roll around. When it comes to starting a new workout regimen, reaching for the stars isn't the way to go, Hanson said.
"Gym attendance increases at the start of the semester, and then it tends to die off," she said. "It's because people are discouraged by their unreasonable goals. Your goals should be something that you can actually work towards and meet."
Haldeman offered a sobering statistic for aspiring gym bunnies: 50 percent of people who start an exercise program will eventually quit. But not all hope is lost, she said.
"To get in shape, decide which activities you like," Haldeman said. "For instance, I walk. It's something I can do and like to do. Starting a workout is very individual. You'll need to do something you like or, at the very least, tolerate."
Haldeman also advised to keep a record of when you go to the gym.
"By keeping a record of when you work out, you'll be holding yourself accountable," she said. "Plan ahead by entering an hour of exercise into your calendar, as if it's a class or a job."
"Remember to be kind to yourself," Haldeman added. "Realize you are going to be more successful if you start off with exercise gently."
3. Manage time wisely.
Oh, if only there were, say, 48 more hours in the day. Imagine the things one could accomplish! Sadly, the odds of a wholesale restructuring of time are against us. The best way to do more in less time is to maintain a balance between school, work and friends, said sophomore Kyle Taylor.
"It's all about balance," said Taylor, who is an RA in McDowell Hall as well as involved in Eagle Nights, Team Running Heads, the community service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega and AU in Motion. "Always put classes first, but try to get ahead when you know something big is coming up outside of academics. And remember to spend time with friends. It gives you a refresher and keeps you going."
Keeping busy with things aside from school work will teach you more than you could ever learn in a classroom, Taylor said. This should serve as motivation to pursue that resolution of "getting involved."
"Outside activities teach you about life and about people," Taylor said. "They teach you [to] be a good leader, how to be responsible and make something happen on your own."
"You can't always choose the classes you take," he added, "but you can decide what types of activities you want to participate in."
Of course, "maintaining a balance" is easier said than done, as is going to the gym or quitting smoking. But if February arrives and the memories of your New Year's resolutions are as distant as Thanksgiving dinner, don't stress, Haldeman advised.
"If you mess up a resolution, don't get angry," she said. "Just start over. Every day is a new day"
