Start Low and Go Slow
Despite the cold Ohio winters, Dr. Pfister still tries to stay active outdoors (here with son, Trenton) at the turn of the New Year.
We’re nearly two weeks into the new year. So how are you doing on your New Year’s resolutions?
Did you keep them for the first week?
Discoverhappyhabits.com did a statistical study on our making and keeping resolutions and found that, after one week, 75% were still kept. But after two weeks, this number drops to 71%… after one month 64%… and after six months only 46% of people were still able to keep them.
So I asked another question — how many people see their resolutions to completion?
Forbes says 8%, Sundried 10%, and a definitive study by the University of Scranton showed only 8% keeping their resolutions by year’s end. This is a low number but, given the diversity of these three studies, the separation of findings of only 2% is definitely statistically significant! So whether it is lack of discipline, too busy of a lifestyle, or just not being focused, we humans have a difficult time with New Year’s resolutions as a whole.
Let’s take a closer look at this process called “making resolutions” and see if we can skew the odds more in our favor…
Webster’s Dictionary defines resolution as “a firm decision to do or not to do something.” Cambridge Dictionary defines resolution as “the act of solving a problem or finding a way to improve a difficult situation.” And finally, Techopedia defines resolution as “a measure used to describe the sharpness and clarity of an image or picture.”
No wonder we have such a difficult time keeping our resolutions! There are so many varied definitions of the word itself!
In reality, I don’t think the definition has much to do with our failure. Internally, we know what a resolution is. I feel we need a better definition of why we are making a particular resolution.
The answer to why is definitely going to vary with age groups and gender. A study done by insideoutmastery.com showed that 59% of young people (18-34) made resolutions, making them the largest demographic group in which to do so. I was surprised to find that those of us over 55 are three times less likely to make a resolution than younger individuals!
Age was not a factor in resolution topics. Across the board, the top three most popular resolutions had to do with health-related topics. Exercising was number one and eating better number two, both of which lead to the most popular resolution of all time… but currently at number three… losing weight! Heck, I have had family members and patients since as far back as I can remember always throwing out the loss of weight as their New Year’s resolution. I’ll bet cavemen and women made some sort of an accord to eat less mastodon in their coming New Year!
I was very surprised that the younger, under 34, demographic didn’t make resolutions about completing education goals, attaining desired jobs, getting married, or buying a house a high priority; rather, they focused on their own well-being. Watching my boys and their friends heading off to the gym several times a week — along with pizza and ice-cream being banned from our house — the younger generation is definitely into healthier lifestyles.
Considering the high failure rate of the fad-diets of my generation, the answer to being successful with any resolution has to do with the why and not the how of the resolution. An individual’s ability to navigate — and then maintain — a lifestyle change is key, especially when it has to do with one’s health.
Let’s take a quick look at the underlying psychology that goes into changing a lifestyle…
Amy Morin, licensed clinical psychotherapist, writing for Psychology Today, said there are five stages we go through to actually create a change in our lives. Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, Maintenance. Let’s briefly look at each…
Precontemplation — We all start with Precontemplation. Do we really want to make this change?
Contemplation — We then move to Contemplation. Ok, if we do it, what are the pros and cons that I would benefit from?
Preparation — Deciding the change in question would benefit our life and we’ve committed to do it, we begin the Preparation phase to get ready for our change.
Action — Once into the process, we have moved into the Action phase, where we begin to reap the benefits of the change.
Maintenance — Assuming we’ve “stuck it out” and find positive value in our change, we move to the final and, I feel, most important phase — the Maintenance phase.
Reaching the Maintenance phase through the dedication of the Action phase, we now have to develop habits that make our new lifestyle change part of our daily routine. In the orthodontic world, this is the retention phase, i.e., “I must wear my retainer to keep my teeth in position in order that function and my great smile are maintained indefinitely.”
When we look at the psychological steps that all of us must go through to successfully create a change in our lifestyle, can we really assume that on a single day of the year, January 1st, we will all be prepared to start the process of change?!
I don’t think so. And there lies the Achilles heel of our New Year’s resolutions.
A wise sage once said, “Success is the meeting of preparation with opportunity.” A New Year’s Eve party with a few beverages in the tank may not be the best opportunity for a successful contemplation of a lifestyle resolution!
So don’t be bummed out and feel like a failure if by now you’ve quit the Action phase of your resolution. Or maybe you never got out of the Precontemplation phase once your headache subsided.
We are human. We love challenges and setting goals, but the successful completion of these goals has always been tough. In order to stack the odds in our favor and actually get to the Maintenance phase, we need to be realistic about our goals.
Try setting goals that can be done with a partner (misery loves company). Statistics show moral and physical support from another person truly increases the odds of success.
My old weight lifting coach in high school always said to reduce the chances of injury and increase the odds of success, “Start low and go slow.”
I have found that this simple saying — whether you are discussing exercise, weight loss, books read, money invested, whatever the goal — has been pretty helpful in my life.
Remember, the most difficult step in any lifestyle change you may be contemplating is the first step! Listen to Nike… and Just Do It!
On behalf of my Family and Staff, I’d like to wish you all a healthy and prosperous New Year. And, taking it a step further, may each of you reach your Maintenance phase!
Happy New Year,
Dr. Pfister