Skip to main content
University of Nebraska Omaha logo University of Nebraska Omaha
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY

Students Faculty Staff Community
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY
Students Faculty Staff Community
  • About
    About UNO
    • Leadership
    • Mission and Strategic Plan
    • Accreditation
    • Our City: Omaha
    • Facts & Figures
    • News
    • Events
    • Organizational Units
    • Campus Safety
    • Buildings and Maps
    Get Started
    • Apply
    • Campus Visit
    • Contact Us
    Front view of UNO's ASH building
    Get Started Today

    Apply Now
  • Academics
    Majors and Programs
    • Undergraduate Programs
    • Master's Programs
    • Doctoral Programs
    • International Programs
    • Online Programs
    • Class Search
    Colleges
    • College of Arts and Sciences
    • College of Business Administration
    • College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media
    • College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences
    • College of Information Science & Technology
    • College of Public Affairs and Community Service
    • Graduate Studies
    Resources
    • Catalogs
    • Academic Calendar
    • Library
    • Advising
    • Academic Affairs
    • Registrar
    • Academic Support
    • Request Transcript
    Top view glance of calendar showing August 2024
    Deadlines Are Approaching

    View year-at-a-glance calendars that include term start and end dates, and school holidays.

    Academic Calendar
  • Cost & Aid Backback to Main menu
    • Undergraduate Tuition
    • Graduate Tuition
    • Financial Support
    • Cost of Attendance
    • Undergraduate Scholarships
    • All Scholarship Information
    • Military and Veterans Benefits
    • Consumer Information
  • Admissions
    Get Started
    • Apply
    • Complete Your FAFSA
    • Schedule a Campus Visit
    • Request Info
    Admitted Students
    • Orientation
    • Enrollment Deposit
    • Transcripts
    • UNO 101
    • New Student & Family Events
    Cost & Aid
    • Undergraduate Tuition
    • Graduate Tuition
    • Financial Aid
    • Cost of Attendance
    • Scholarships
    • Military and Veterans Benefits
    • Consumer Information
    Admissions
    • Undergraduate Admissions
    • Transfer Students
    • Graduate Admissions
    Students walking together on campus for a tour
    Visit UNO's Campus

    Schedule a Tour
  • Student Life
    Campus Life
    • Event Calendar
    • Athletics
    • Campus Dining
    • Student Housing
    • Campus Recreation
    • Milo Bail Student Center
    • Parking and Transportation
    • Campus Safety
    Involvement and Leadership
    • Student Organizations
    • Student Government
    • Career Services and Internships
    • Spirit and Tradition
    • Student Leadership, Involvement, and Inclusion
    Support
    • Academic Support
    • Maverick Advising Center
    • Accessibility
    • Durango's Advancement & Support Hub (DASH)
    • Student Service
    • Student Safety
    Resources
    • Health Services
    • Military-Connected Resources
    • Student Conduct and Community Standards
    • Division of Student Life and Wellbeing
    Students participating in a beading craft activity
    Get Involved on Campus

    See Events Calendar
  • Engagement
    Students
    • Student Service and Leadership Collaborative
    • Find Volunteer Opportunities
    • Maverick Food Pantry
    • Voter Information
    • Internship Opportunities
    • Career Services
    • Student Resources
    • Become an Engaged Scholar
    Faculty and Staff
    • Faculty Senate
    • Center for Faculty Excellence
    • Staff Advisory Council
    • Faculty Resources
    • Engaged Research
    • Service Learning Academy
    • Community-Based Learning Courses
    Community
    • Campus Resources
    • Service Learning Academy
    • Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center
    • Promote Volunteer Opportunities
    • Promote Internship Opportunities
    • Rent Office Space
    • Senior Passport Program
    • Community Engagement Partnership Initiative
    Office of Engagement
    • Connect to Campus
    • Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center
    • Service Learning Academy
    • Rent Office Space
    • Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center
    • Partner With Us
    • Senior Passport Program
    • Nebraska Business Development Center
    • Community Partners on Campus
    Student volunteering with a food bank
    Connect with Us

    Contact the Office of Engagement
  • Research
    Student
    • Research and Creative Activity Fair
    • Graduate Research (GRACA)
    • Student Conference Travel Fund
    • Undergraduate Scholarly Experience (FUSE) Fund
    Faculty
    • Grant Databases
    • External Funding
    • Awards and Committees
    • Office of Sponsored Programs
    Research at UNO
    • Office of Research and Creative Activity
    • Research News
    • Centers and Institutes
    Students giving presentations on research projects
    UNO Pushes Innovation Forward

    Read UNO Research News
  • Athletics
    Men's Teams
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Golf
    • Hockey
    • Soccer
    • Swimming & Diving
    • Tennis
    Women's Teams
    • Basketball
    • Cross Country
    • Golf
    • Soccer
    • Softball
    • Swimming & Diving
    • Tennis
    • Track & Field
    • Volleyball
    Game Day Resources
    • Purchase Tickets
    • Team Schedules
    • Buy Maverick Gear
    Baxter Arena
    • Calendar
    • Tickets
    • Directions & Parking
    • Clear Bag Policy
    • Public Skating
    Hockey player walking out on the ice arena
    Cheer on our Mavericks!

    Buy Tickets
  • Alumni Backback to Main menu
    • Alumni
    • Transcripts
    • Thompson Center
  1. UNO
  2. News
  3. 2017
  4. 12
  5. Planning New Year's Resolutions: From Commitment to Completion

Planning New Year's Resolutions: From Commitment to Completion

  • published: 2017/12/21
  • search keywords:
  • wellness
  • campus rec
  • h&k
  • psychology
UNO student Joe Haggerty competes at one of UNO's racquetball courts

UNO's Health and Kinesiology Building provides space, equipment and support to complete your 2018 New Year's resolutions

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.”

“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.'"

 Skyler Brooke - Assistant Director of Strength, Conditioning and Fitness

“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.”

  • News Sections:
  • UNO News Center
  • Maverick Daily
  • The Bullseye
  • Campus Events

News Sections

  • News Center
  • Maverick Daily
  • The Bullseye
  • Campus Events

Featured Stories

  • UNO Hosts Ceremonial Groundbreaking for $17.1 Million Biomechanics Addition
  • UNO Mourns the Passing of Chancellor Emeritus John E. Christensen, Ph.D.
  • UNO Celebrated Over 2,000 New Graduates at May 2025 Commencement
  • Terence “Bud” Crawford’s Commencement Knockout at UNO

Contact Us

If you have a story idea, news tip, or other question, please email the UNO News team at unonews@unomaha.edu.

About the Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications (MarComm)

Next Steps

  • Visit UNO
  • Request Information
  • Apply for Admission
  • The UNO Advantage
  • Our City (Omaha)

Just For You

  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Work at UNO
  • Faculty and Staff
  • A-Z List

Popular Services and Resources

  • my.unomaha.edu
  • Academic Calendar
  • Campus Buildings & Maps
  • Library
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Course Catalogs
  • Internships & Career Development
  • The Maverick Store
  • MavCARD Services
  • Military-Connected Resource Center
  • Speech Center
  • Writing Center
  • Human Resources
  • Center for Faculty Excellence

Affiliates

  • University of Nebraska System
  • NU Foundation
  • Buffett Early Childhood Institute
  • Daugherty Water for Food Institute
  • National Strategic Research Institute
  • Peter Kiewit Institute
  • Rural Prosperity Nebraska
  1. University Policies
  2. Privacy Statement
  3. Accessibility
  1. 402.554.2800

University of Nebraska Omaha
University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68182
  • ©  
  • Emergency Information Alert
  • MavsReport

Social Media


Omaha Skyline

Our Campus. Otherwise Known as Omaha.

The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its education programs or activities, including admissions and employment. The University prohibits any form of retaliation taken against anyone for reporting discrimination, harassment, or retaliation for otherwise engaging in protected activity. Read the full statement.