Page 20
The INDEPENDENT, December 21, 2011
Learn the secrets to making those New Year resolutions stick
By the end of January, most
people who have made unreal-
istic New Year’s resolutions will
have burned out. But, if you
know the following secrets,
those good intentions can stick
forever. Good luck!
Make lifestyle changes be-
cause YOU want to. Make
changes for yourself, not your
husband, wife, mother or sister.
Make small changes and
chart your progress. The single
biggest mistake people make is
biting off more than they can
chew – quitting smoking, losing
50 pounds in two weeks and
exercising every day. It’s just
too much.
According to the American
Council on Science and Health,
stopping smoking is the single
most important change you can
make. Don’t worry about gain-
ing a pound or two – it’s noth-
ing compared to the health
benefits you’ll gain by quitting
smoking. If you want to lose
weight, focus on losing five
pounds at a time. Changing
lifestyle habits will get you to
where you want to be for the
long term, and that’s what
counts. It’s not about how
much you lose in two weeks,
but how much weight you keep
off for the rest of your life.
Keep a journal. It allows you
to track your progress so you
can give yourself credit for the
smallest accomplishments you
make – they all add up. Jour-
naling can also be used to doc-
ument your emotions and help
you see if there are patterns to
your eating habits. Do you eat
when you’re angry, bored,
nervous? If so, then find alter-
native activities to get to the
real problems.
Find a buddy. Exercisers are
more likely to stick to their
plans when they know some-
one is waiting for or depending
on them. If you prefer to exer-
cise by yourself but find bore-
dom is a problem, get a head-
set and listen to music. The key
to sticking with exercise is look-
ing at it as fun. Find activities
you enjoy, vary them and
schedule them into your calen-
dar as you would any important
appointment.
Practice positive self-talk.
So often, we don’t even realize
that we are giving ourselves
negative messages. Catch
yourself and turn those state-
ments around. Tell yourself that
you enjoy getting up a few min-
utes early to exercise and that
you feel great and look better
when you exercise. If you catch
yourself saying that your legs
are too fat, STOP right there
and find something positive to
say instead, such as, I have a
beautiful smile, I have attrac-
tive eyes, I look good in a par-
ticular color, etc. Assume you’ll
be successful, and you will be.
Source: Melinda Hemmelgarn,
M.S., R.D., University of Missouri
Extension
Just for Fun
Casey and Kyle by Will Robertson
I love every-
thing that’s
old; old
friends, old
Solve this Sudoku
times, old
manners,
old books,
old wines.
OLIVER
GOLDSMITH
Irish writer
A n s w e r t o De c e m b e r 7
Sudoku is on page 27
(1730-1774)