Many people who make New Year resolutions end up failing to do them in as little as a few days from the time it was made. Whether its deciding to eat less fatty food or building a healthier lifestyle, many people end up frustrating themselves by failing.
College students are no exception. With students gaining 10 pounds throughout their stay in college, one can only imagine how many resolutions to stop eating pizza and frozen yogurt were broken. What gives?
Resolving not to eat any food item anymore isn't the best solution, Dr. Roberta Anding from the Baylor College of Medicine told the Huffington Post in an email. Having an "all-or-nothing" resolution simply sets one up for failure.
Resolutions represent a firm decision to door not to do something. They are usually broken because they prove to be overly ambitious and too difficult for a person to do. And when the person making the resolution fails once, he or she becomes too discouraged and end up giving up. Dr. Anding, a registered dietician and nutrition professor, says "resetting" is the key.
A "reset" is an opportunity to "set again," meaning that if a person fails to meet his desired standard, he can reset it to a more flexible and realistic goal that is attainable, yet brings gradual change.
For example, those who would want to stop eating red meat in 2017 can "reset" by lowering their intake to, say, one burger or one serving of steak a week instead of the usual every-lunch-burger routine. Those who want to be more physically fit in 2017, on the other hand, can add increments of 5 minutes per daily run over a period of time, instead of running for a straight 2 hours from nothing at all.
Resetting is best done every day, Dr. Anding says. If you've succeeded in eating less fat today, you can reset by lowering your intake even more. And because resets can be done daily, the success is gradually attained - until you achieve that which a normal all-or-nothing resolution simply cannot.
Dr. Anding adds that the best goals for the new year revolve around becoming a healthier person. College students, take note of this and decide to avoid receiving your bachelor's degree in added fat.
