New Year, New You!
Are you still working on your New Year Resolution? Or have you ditched your resolution and moved on?
This leap year 2024, please Forget New Year Resolutions: Set an Intention Instead!
This is why.
An intention is an idea that will drive your goals, vision and purpose. It needs to be positive, open and focused on moving forward. It is about saying that you intend to do or be something, but also that you will hold on to it throughout the year. Resolutions tend to be clearly defined, measurable and specific. They view things as ‘this’ or ‘that’ often judging behaviors to be either ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Resolutions offer little flexibility which can often set you up for failure. Compared to resolutions, intentions are soft, qualitative and compassionate.
How good are people with their New Year Resolutions?
Researchers have looked at success rates of peoples’ resolutions. According to researchers at the University of Scranton in the USA, 80% of people forget their resolutions by January 12, and only 8% manage to achieve their New Year’s resolutions by the end of the year. The first two weeks usually go along beautifully, but by February people are backsliding. And by the following December, most people are back where they started—often even further behind.
When you set an intention instead of a resolution, you stop thinking about wanting what you do not have, and start channeling your energy toward what you want to achieve.
Now, we’ve debunked the concept of making resolutions and replaced new year resolutions with new year intentions, what is your number one New year intention for 2024?
For 2024, the Forbes Health/OnePoll survey found some intentions to be more common than others. The most popular goals include:
- Improved fitness (48%)
- Improved finances (38%)
- Improved mental health (36%)
- Lose weight (34%)
- Improved diet (32%)
Prioritize regular physical activity
Physical Activity is one of the best things people can do to improve their health. It is vital. for healthy aging and can reduce the burden of chronic diseases and prevent early death. Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood and also improves low self-esteem and cognitive function.
Other health benefits of regular exercise include:
- Improved sleep
- Increased interest in sex
- Better endurance
- Stress relief
- Improvement in mood
- Increased energy and stamina
- Reduced tiredness that can
- increase mental alertness
- Weight reduction
- Reduced cholesterol and improved cardiovascular fitness
How effective is your exercise routine?
A way to understand and measure the intensity of aerobic activity is by understanding intensity and how physical activity affects heart rate and breathing.
Moderate Intensity Activity
The talk test is a simple way to measure relative intensity. In general, if you’re doing moderate-intensity activity, you can talk but not sing during the activity.
- Walking briskly (3 miles per hour or faster, but not race-walking)
- Water aerobics
- Bicycling slower than 10 miles per hour on primarily flat or level terrain without hills
- Ballroom dancing
- General gardening
Vigorous Intensity Activity
In general, if you’re doing vigorous-intensity activity, you will not be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath.
- Race walking, jogging, or running
- Swimming laps
- Tennis (singles)
- Aerobic dancing
- Bicycling 10 miles per hour or faster that may include hills
- Jumping rope
- Heavy gardening (continuous digging or hoeing)
- Hiking uphill or with a heavy backpack
Keep moving, Take Action
In the upcoming months, I encourage you to prioritize physical activity. Active people generally live longer and are at less risk for serious health problems like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and some cancers. For people with chronic diseases, physical activity can help manage these conditions and complications. Take daily steps towards your healthy goal or intention in 2024 whether increased physical fitness, a healthy weight or better finances. Generally, apps are the most popular tool used to maintain accountability. The most popular health and wellness tools used by people are:
Diet programs (46%)
Gym membership (43%)
Habit tracking app (40%)
Diet/calorie counter app (33%)
Meditation app (33%
Most importantly, please consult with your healthcare provider before you start any routine exercise regimen. Kudos to you for taking positive steps to increase your physical activity in 2024.
Remember, Health First, Wealth Next
Dr. Yel’Ora,
(Chinyelu Oraedu, M.D.)
Board certified in Internal Medicine
Lifestyle & Obesity Coach based in Connecticut, United States
Culled from CDC website, Forbes Health