By Ava Maneri
You know what everybody says: New Year, New Resolutions! And this year was no exception. As 2017 quickly came upon us, people were anxiously trying to prepare for their yearly resolutions. All of the talk about joining a gym, starting new diets, and earning better grades had everybody excited and motivated. However, many of these resolutions are quickly broken. The most popular resolutions that are not accomplished, according to the article Top 5 Commonly Broken New Year’s Resolutions by TIME magazine, are to get more sleep, eat healthier/diet, travel to new places, be less stressed, and exercise more. These, however, are just a few of the many that are often resolved, but not commonly achieved.
According to an online article written by Rebecca Lake, in 2012, 80% of the people who joined a gym in January quit within five months.This helps to reinforce that goals need to be more realistic. In order to truly be an active member in your gym, set goals that you know you can reach. Take classes that are fun and burn a lot of calories instead of aimlessly wandering through the dreaded machines. There are also cheap or free, fun online videos like PopSugar Fitness. Online options are great alternatives for those who like to work out alone and not spend a lot of money on a gym membership.
With exercise comes healthy eating. For teenagers who thoroughly enjoy fast food and late-night snacking, this is often difficult. To help break the bad habits, young people should try to make healthy options that are creative and fun. Facebook feeds are filled with food videos that quickly demonstrate how to prepare good-for-you dishes in just a few steps. The acai bowl rage is still very popular and offered at many local eateries such as Totally Twisted, Bagel Basket, and The Lite Choice. Instead of going out all the time, try experimenting at home with berries, granola, and acai fruit that comes packaged in the frozen section of every supermarket.
Two other resolutions that are next to impossible to keep are getting more sleep and reducing stress. With endless amounts of homework, tests, projects, and social drama, there is little time to relax and sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, “Most teens do not get enough sleep…one study found that only 15% reported sleeping 8 ½ hours on a school night.” The only way to make all of this easier is to focus on time-management. Homework and studying should be done immediately after school to avoid late-night procrastinating and panic. Cell phones should be “unplugged” and out of temptation’s reach. This sounds like a terrifying thought, but it is a much needed reprieve to unplug your mind and focus on your goal. From beeps, dings, and vibrations to the addiction of checking to see why your phone just lit up, the distractions are nearly impossible to escape.
The key to a successful resolution is to be realistic, disciplined, and open to new ideas. Hear me out when I say everything and anything is possible to achieve if you put your mind to it! If you haven’t made it through January of 2017 with your brand new resolutions and feel that there is no hope, don’t worry…there is always 2018!
Photo courtesy of health.com
