Happy 2012 from Adelphi’s Center for Health Innovation!
The beginning of the year often finds us focused on making new year’s resolutions, which are often be health-related. The top resolutions usually include some variation on improving our fitness and workout habits, losing weight, and quitting smoking. But most resolutions don’t make it past the end of January, which leaves us feeling as if we have missed our big window into making meaningful changes.
But why do resolutions fail? In many cases, it’s fundamentally misunderstanding why we don’t succeed combined with setting unrealistic expectations.
A December 2011 article in the Wall Street Journal reported that “in a survey of 1,134 adults released last month by the American Psychological Association, willpower was the top reason people cited for failing to make positive changes.” But is it really a lack of willpower that has people reaching for their cigarettes and skipping the gym?
Relying on willpower may not be the answer, as “willpower springs from a part of the brain, in the prefrontal cortex, that is easily overloaded and exhausted. What works far better, researchers say, is training other parts of the brain responsible for linking positive emotions to new habits and conditioning yourself to new behaviors.” Researchers recommend visualization and “linking your new habits to other pleasant changes” as more successful strategies.
Understanding what will help you succeed is only half the battle. In many cases, the very nature of the goals we set don’t do us any favors. Dr. Jonathan Jackson, the director of Adelphi’s Center for Psychological Services recently shared his thoughts on the pitfalls of resolutions with the 101.9 FM News audience.
Jackson believes that a resolution “should not be to reverse something, it should be to do things differently.” Many people incorrectly view the new year as a time when we are a blank slate, with a chance to do things over again. But Jackson says “it’s unrealistic to think that you’re ever a blank slate,” and he recommends taking “small steps,” where you can easily see progress and feel a “sense of closure and a sense of triumph” that you have achieved.
If you’re looking to take some small steps this year, Adelphi and the Center for Health Innovation can help put you on the path to a healthy and satisfying 2012.
- Want to get fit? Visit our Center for Recreation and Sports to sign up for our Adult Fitness Program
- Want to enrich your mind? Attend a spring event at the AUPAC
- Want to help your community? Stop by our Hauppauge Center during January and donate a coat or warm clothing to our Warm Drive
However you choose to take a small step, the Center for Health Innovation looks forward to being a partner on your path towards increased health and wellness.
