Q&A: Keeping on track with New Year’s resolutions

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Every year, when the calendar flips to a new year, there’s a palpable excitement as people reflect and set resolutions for the coming year. But by the second week of the month? Some have started to abandon their goals. By the end of the month, even more have fallen off the bandwagon.

According to a survey from the Pew Research Center, nearly 80% of New Year’s resolutions revolve around health, exercise or diet.

“The unfortunate thing that happens with New Year’s resolutions is that exercise goals often get tied to weight loss and not for all the wonderful benefits that exercise brings in its own right. People who look at exercise as a means to an end get discouraged when the results don’t come immediately,” said Melissa Bopp, professor of kinesiology at Penn State. Bopp studies the factors that encourage and prevent people from being physically active.

In the Q&A below, she shared tips on how to set realistic goals and what to do to avoid backsliding on New Year’s resolutions.

Q: We’re in the thick of resolution season. As people reassess their goals or set new ones, how can we ensure that we’re setting realistic goals?

Bopp: Set a goal around a behavior like exercise, not “I want to lose weight.” You can control behaviors whereas there’s a lot of things that go into your weight status that you can’t control like hormones, underlying health conditions and medications.

Most people have probably heard the term SMART goals — specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-oriented. The A of attainable and the R of realistic go hand-in-hand and, especially with New Year’s resolutions, we often miss the boat on that. Say you want to run an eight-minute mile by the end of January but right now, you can barely walk a 15-minute mile. While the goal may be attainable, it’s not realistic. A goal to walk a 14-minute mile by the end of the month is attainable and realistic.

Goals can be stacked on top of each other too. My first week of January goal leads to my second week of January goal, which leads to my overarching goal for the month. Breaking goals up into smaller increments also helps you track your progress.

Q: As we head into a period where many people start to abandon their New Year’s resolutions, what advice do you have for them?

Bopp: We all fall off the bandwagon from time to time and for a million reasons. When they happen, be forgiving of yourself. I had an injury before the holidays and didn’t exercise, but it’s not a black-and-white thing. I wasn’t an exerciser one day and now I’m a non-exerciser.  I can restart when I am ready.

Think of these moments as relapses rather than failures. However, to keep from feeling like you’ve completely fallen off the bandwagon, especially as we head into February or when there’s a change in routine, you can practice “relapse prevention.” These are alternatives to your normal routine.

Recognize situations when there’s a risk of backsliding, such as when traveling or you have a busy week, and plan to adapt your routine during that time. For example, if you’re visiting family, go for a walk together instead of the gym or find some other way to move. You can get back to routine when you’re home.

You can also shift the type of physical activity you engage in based on your goals and motivation. During a stressful week, try yoga or other stress management-type exercises rather than an intense workout focused on improving cardiovascular fitness.

Q: That’s a great point because exercise doesn’t have to be just going to the gym. What are other opportunities or even things people might already do that might not look like the typical picture of exercise?

Bopp: There are a lot of things that are considered exercise. You can get in exercise through transportation. You can get exercise in through your occupation. You can exercise through leisure time activities. It doesn't have to be like a structured, formal exercise.

Q: What other factors can affect whether someone is physically active?

Bopp: Your environment matters, and we need to think about the barriers that might be present. For example, maybe my neighborhood at home is not very walkable, but my neighborhood near my office is really walkable. Instead of walking near home, maybe I get my walk in before or after work.

Self-regulation is a big part of your exercise behavior, like setting a schedule or using cues to remind you to exercise such as leaving your gym bag by the front door. It’s also how you deal with things beyond your control that influence whether you can be active.

Say my kid’s soccer practice gets moved or I now must go to my spouse’s work dinner. OK, then what I'm going to do is do laps around the field while my child is at practice or I'm going to sneak in a walk on my lunch break so that I can still meet my spouse for their work dinner.

Q: What else can help people stick with their goals?

Bopp: There are different kinds of support that people can use to help them achieve their goals. There’s tangible support, say you’re a kid and need your parents to drive you to soccer practice. There’s emotional support, which is your cheerleader or exercise buddy. There’s informational support, which could be an exercise professional or health care provider.

Take a little time to reflect to figure out what it is exactly you truly need. Are you fairly confident? Do you have all the information you need? Do you really just need that emotional support? Once you identify what kind of support you need, sticking with your goals becomes more manageable.  

Q: Do you have any tips or advice for people when they just don’t feel like exercising?

Bopp: Enjoyment is the biggest factor in whether or not you stick with exercise. Find a form of physical activity that brings you joy or try something new. It also helps to be flexible. Instead of just slogging away at the gym, have a “menu” of options you can choose from — a YouTube Zumba workout, a hike with friends or bike ride.