Gym rats may want to take their workouts elsewhere this month if a Twitter round-up of New Year’s resolutions is any indication.
“Work out” tops “be happy” in Twitter’s ranking of New Year’s resolutions that have been shared most by users.
According to Twitter, the top 10 resolutions based on a ranking of English-language keywords used after Dec. 25 are:
- Work out
- Be happy
- Lose weight
- Stop smoking
- Unplug
- Be the best (at…)
- Stop drinking
- Love myself
- Work harder
- Don’t f--k it up
The self-improvement resolutions, such as goals to exercise more and lose weight, top most lists each year because “they are also the most commonly broken ones,” says University of Waterloo psychologist Anne Wilson.
The key to sticking with a health-related resolution, Wilson said Thursday, is to choose one that is important to you, and take the time to think about why it’s important.
“So if you’re just losing wait because you feel you should, or because you want to fit into that next pair of jeans, then it’s not necessarily going to sustain you,” Wilson told CTV News Channel.
But wanting to adopt a healthier lifestyle, or have more energy to enjoy spending time with children or grandchildren, “that kind of big picture may really help you to succeed,” she said.
Small steps
Looking at the big picture, however, doesn’t mean having to set a big goal, such as losing 50 pounds and expecting to change your life, according to Wilson.
After setting the larger goal, the best plan of attack is to focus on daily or weekly accomplishments that will ultimately lead to success.
Take stock of what you’ve done each week to realize your goal, and then look ahead to the next week’s goals to keep on the right path.
“The more we can do that, the more we start turning it into a lifestyle change that we’re making right now, rather than thinking about working toward some lofty goal out there in the future,” Wilson said.
Set limits
One other key to setting successful resolutions is to not set too many at one time.
“If you try to change everything in your life all at once, chances are you’re going to end up falling down on one or another,” Wilson said.
Racking up resolution failures could, in the end, kill the entire effort, she said.
“We only have so much willpower.”
