A "quitter's" guide to maintaining your over-achievable New Year's resolutions.

The new year commonly sparks motivation and inspiration in all of us to set new life-stimulating goals and endeavours. As if the clock suddenly resets, we find ourselves immersed in spasms of enthusiasm, a chance to better ourselves and gain positive momentum for the exciting year ahead. These resolutions range from becoming healthier, being more sociable, attaining a higher standard of work ethic, or simply showing up on time. However honourable and gallant these resolves are, with the purest of intentions, many experience difficulty sustaining their resolutions throughout the entire year, and typically fall short in achieving whatever it is that they desire. 

Credits to Health Magazine

This procrastination, or some would call it a lack of long-term commitment, could be due to the fact that most of us set resolutions too drastically different to our current lifestyle. Yes, change is great; it is inevitable and it’s what the world runs on, from Winston Churchill’s “We Take Our Stand for Freedom” speech to Steve Job’s iPhone. But when change creates too much disequilibrium in our lives, chances are, they will have not enough authority to be sustained.

The answer is baby steps. To implement change and achieve success, one must begin somewhere...

1. If it’s to: “Go to the gym often”— Switch it up to: “Exercise more frequently”

Wording is everything, and the word ‘gym’ might frighten some while ‘exercise’ can be a little more forgiving. If you’re someone who hardly steps foot into a gym, barely lifts anything heavier than 45 pounds, or shivers at the thought of running for more than 10 minutes, a gym resolution will probably have a tough time sustaining itself. Because of the physical aesthetic expectations of today’s society, the fad is to be “fit and strong.” Sadly, some of us still can’t conjure up any real motivation to get off our warm couches. Some people are just not gym-junkies and that may be a fact of life. But we all still want to look great, feel good, and generate the confidence we all deserve. Implementing the word ‘exercise’ into this tiresome and draining resolution may be the answer to your “gymaphobia”. Accomplishing “more exercise” can be done anywhere: at home, in your dorm room, out on the street, at a park, even the gym! Doing some form of exercise, regardless of the length and effort, sets you well on your way to already achieving and feeling good about this resolution.

2. If it’s to “Eat Clean”—switch it up to: “Eat healthier foods”

If your diet at the end of a gruesome work day consists of carbs, saturated fats and a crazy spike in your glycemic index, it’s going to be close to impossible to switch to whole grains, leafy greens, and water for the night. We all love to just Netflix and chill with fresh baked cookies and honey barbeque chips. Comfort eating is a common enemy among us all, but this monster can be defeated; not by stopping the cravings completely but at least limiting them. Sure, have your cookies and brownies. But don’t drink the Coke too. Taking these baby steps in improving your diet won’t fix the problem over night, but it should make you a tad bit healthier as well as more confident in yourself to reach your diet goals.

3. If it’s to: “Read more”—switch it up to: “Finish the reading”

Nowadays, a healthy interest in reading does not always have to be limited to long extravagant novels of Dickens and Tolstoy. Modern-day articles and posts on the internet are growing in popularity, as well as significance. The world is slowly changing, and the Internet is becoming our main source of reading. If your resolve is to read more, but hearty books seem like a marathon, pick up online reading as a baby step. According to Nielson Normal Group, the first 10 seconds of someone visiting a website will dictate whether or not they stay to digest the content. It’s the colours, the images, and the positioning of the substance that is most important. Make it your job to devour an entire webpage, article, or link to the end; without judging the aesthetics of the page. A sad fact is: reading has become an ancient art form replaced by picturesque sites and the bustling demands of social media. Go halfway and bring it back with a modern touch.

4. If it’s to: “Get more sleep”—switch it up to: “Wake up earlier”

Our sleep cycles are generally black and white, without a grey area. If we don’t break the cycle, the sustaining habit will most likely continue to persist. To get more sleep as a resolve, your lifestyle must mirror it. Whether you are a busy college undergraduate or a chronic night-lifer, waking up earlier to spend longer hours awake may be just the answer. The baby step is a change in your body clock. Make it harder and more tiresome to stay awake in the early hours of the morning by cutting away the unnecessary hours spent with our night lights blazing watching new releases and texting. Before you know it, your wish to get more sleep will come true.

To maintain New Year’s resolutions one must maintain the motivation and purpose of those resolutions. By changing the phrasing and being slightly more forgiving to yourself for reaching your goals, success will be right around the corner!