Planning New Year's Resolutions: From Commitment to Completion

The countdown has already begun to the end of 2017, and with it comes planning for New Year’s resolutions for 2018.

Hit the gym. Learn a new language. Spend more time with family. Modern New Year’s resolutions often focus on health and happiness, but the concept of setting goals for the new year has been a common human practice for millennia.

“The start of the calendar year represents a new beginning and the opportunity to start fresh,” explains Carey Ryan, Ph.D., professor of psychology at UNO. “Our entire society recognizes it as such and so it is something that is also shared with, and validated by, others.”

Some of the most popular resolutions across the country focus on physical fitness; however, many people who make those commitments find they have trouble sticking with it.

“People often have too high of expectations of themselves,” says Danae Dinkel, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Health and Kinesiology. “If you’re going from nothing to all of a sudden saying ‘I’m going to be more physically active’ or ‘I’m going to go to the gym every day’ – that’s a hard switch to make if you haven’t allotted time for that.”

Skyler Brooke, assistant director of Strength, Conditioning and Fitness at UNO’s Wellness Center, agrees.

“Instead of saying ‘I need to lose 20 pounds this year,’ people should be saying 'Here are some actions that I can do right now that are going to point me towards that goal.'"

According to a 2015 article from U.S. News and World Report, studies have shown that more than 80 percent of people fail to achieve their New Year’s resolutions each year, most of them giving up by February. But don't give up hope. There are ways to avoid being part of that statistic.

“One of the challenges is that when you do try and hit it hard, you end up either being super sore or injuring yourself, which sets you back even if you do have the motivation to keep going,” Dinkel says. “It doesn’t have to be extremely high intensity for it to be beneficial to your health. That’s also another misperception is that ‘I have to be sweaty’ or ‘I have to be in gym clothes,’ where instead there are numerous health benefits to just walking.”

“You want to focus on things that you can actually do, versus just the outcome, because if you’re doing those actions consistently, that outcome will be more likely to happen,” Brooke adds. “Make it a part of your schedule.”

Ryan says obstacles and past failures shouldn’t discourage people from making the effort.

“I think it is always a good idea to take stock and consider what one might do differently and, hopefully, better. Having positive shared experiences is also generally a good thing; it builds community.”

Mavericks can find support sticking with their resolutions through “Commit to Fit,” an initiative launched by UNO Campus Recreation several years ago to help Mavericks reach personal health and fitness goals.

“Last year we had about 1,000 students, faculty and staff who filled out a ‘Commit to Fit’ goal,” Brooke says. “We help them take that, put it on paper and put an action to that goal.”

During the first week of classes, Monday, Jan. 8 through Friday, Jan. 12, Campus Recreation staff will travel across campus to provide support for everyone’s 2018 goals.

A full schedule is available online.

“You show up at our table and fill out your goal, then we give you a takeaway message that includes your goal, your action and the time you’d like to reach that goal by,” Brooke says. “We also make sure people are reminded of their commitment by having them sign a banner that says ‘I Committed to Fit,’ which we then display in the Health and Kinesiology Building.”

Even if you don’t have a New Year’s resolution this year, Ryan says that’s okay. The important thing is to make sure you have support.

“There are people in the helping professions (clinical and counseling psychologists and social workers) who can help people make changes. Sometimes we need someone with the expertise to help us navigate life's challenges.”

Dinkel agrees, adding that sometimes it can even come down to being a good friend or colleague to someone who wants to make a change.

“A lot of times when people are trying to change their health behaviors, people will try and jump on or attack them if they don’t agree with them or wouldn’t make the same choice. It’s important to just be as supportive as possible.”