Students often have trouble keeping up with New Year’s resolutions. Among the most common is changing lifestyles and living healthier. | Jenna Frenzel/The Daily Cougar
The new year comes with a renewed outlook, and it’s the time of year that prompts students to reflect on the previous year and create new goals.
According to the University of Scranton, about 45 percent of Americans create New Year’s resolutions. Among the most popular ambitions is the desire to trim down. Losing weight is ranked the most popular resolution.
Another popular resolution is to acquire a better state of fitness and overall health by spending more time at the gym.
Exercise science junior Austin Potter and communication sophomore Cameron Oliver are recovering from recent injuries.
“I have become mentally and physically stronger from my incident,” Potter said. “In this New Year’s resolution, I have made goals to exercise differently to become stronger in certain aspects to prevent future injuries.”
The two athletes will be at the gym regularly to attain the physical goals that they have set for themselves.
“I’m going to be the best player I can be to contribute to the team through patience and perseverance,” Oliver said.
Personal trainer and fitness intern Evan Kinat offers the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center as a good source of options.
“For students who are interested in improving their fitness in 2014, there are several different packages of personal training, a variety of group fitness classes and a large selection of weight and cardio equipment,” Kinat said. “The most important thing to understand is that everyone is at a different point in their fitness journey. Don’t base your progress on other people’s successes or failures.”
Whether you aim to lose weight or to simply improve your health and fitness level, taking the time to create attainable goals and having a plan to see them through can set you on a path of success:
Destination identification:
Before any journey, it is important to identify a clear, achievable goal: where you are going, what steps you will take to get there, when you expect to reach your destination. Identify your objective clearly, and identify the steps you will need to take to achieve your objective in a timely manner.
Believe it to achieve it:
It is helpful to write a statement that you can read back to yourself in order to help you stay on track. Such a statement is also known as an affirmation. Write an affirmation and commit to reading it to yourself daily.
- In present tense, write a statement that depicts you achieving your goals.
- Use positive, motivating and comforting words and phrases.
- Post your affirmation in a place that you can see it every day. Take a photo of it and make it your phone’s background — this can be a reminder when a temptation arises or when a trip to the gym doesn’t sound quite as fun as lounging on the couch with a pint of ice cream.
As you reread your affirmation daily, make a point to visualize yourself being successful with your goal.
Prepare for success:
Take any steps necessary to ensure success. Examples of this include:
- Preparing meals once a week in order to have good options available at all times.
- Laying out gym clothes the night before.
- Scheduling gym trips in a planner (like a class or job at which you must be present).
Begin the climb with the end in mind:
Every day, remember the big picture.
Each morning, identify the steps you will take that day to bring you closer to your destination. Throughout the day, remind yourself of your ultimate goal and hold yourself accountable. Every evening, reflect on the day.
If you were successful, take a moment to pat yourself on the back and share your successes — no matter how big or how small — with someone you can trust. If you were unsuccessful, remember that nobody is perfect and that every plan has setbacks from time to time. Forgive yourself, stay focused and make plans for the following day.
