Each December, most people give into temptation and don’t make the best health decisions, but it’s OK, because in the new year, everything will change and they will start with a clean slate. Well, that idea sounds nice, but the reality is most will have failed to keep up with their New Year’s resolutions by the end of January.
For tips on keeping resolutions, The Rider interviewed James Whittenberg, an assistant professor of counseling whose areas of expertise include positive psychology; Laura Zelda-Villarreal, a registered and licensed dietitian nutritionist and lecturer in the Health and Biomedical Sciences department; and Omar Garza, the head trainer and owner of PÜR Fitness in Brownsville.
Where to start
It is not uncommon for most New Year’s resolutions to include improving health or happiness.
These resolutions may feel overwhelming at times and most of them fail because they are not the right ones.
What makes a bad resolution?
People can make a bad resolution when it is created based on expectations of others, when it is too vague or unrealistic.
Whittenberg said a New Year’s resolution should be SMART.
“In our field, in counseling, when we work with clients, we ask them to establish SMART goals,” he said. “This can be helpful for anybody. The S [in SMART goals] stands for specific, so you have a very specific goal that you take into consideration. The M is for measurable; you want to be able to measure them in some way. A is attainable. You want to set them initially where you can actually achieve them in small steps and then progress as you go through the process.
“R is for realistic. Some people set unrealistic expectations and that can hamper meeting their goals as well. T is for time oriented. It’s important that when you set these goals that you set a time that you’re going to do this, whatever the goal is that you’re going to meet, whether it’s losing weight or exercising more.”
Whittenberg said it is important to create time frames for short-term, intermediate and long-term goals.
Aside from making SMART goals and time frames, people should also surround themselves with positive influences.
“As you begin to slip just a little bit, a person can become discouraged, feel overwhelmed, and that help can come from a close friend or a family member, but also consider counseling,” he said. “There’s a very big difference between counseling and psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is for more severe mental illnesses. Counseling is, basically, for someone who kind of feels stuck, and we as counselors help them become unstuck.”
The assistant professor said it can be helpful to have someone to vent with, especially if it is a professional who can help show people the connection between the mind and body. Counselors can help people adjust goals they have in their life so they are more attainable.
Whittenberg also said it is important to have self-care.
“In positive psychology, sometimes it’s referred to ‘finding your flow,’” he said. “You have to have some kind of activity, whether it’s sports, playing an instrument, playing video games, playing fetch with your dog, planting flowers, going to the beach, whatever it is, for self-care so that you can enjoy flow and that kind of helps recharge your batteries, so you can get ahead and move forward and get back on track with your goals.”
Eating healthier
Villarreal told The Rider she has seen an increase in people interested in eating healthier during January more than any other month. However, she also has seen people giving up within the first four to six weeks.
“[People] try to bite off more than they can chew so quickly,” she said. “They forget to do the baby steps. … You want to dive in, like, everything. Both feet. Let’s do it. Nobody even tests the temperature of the water or dip their toe or anything.”
Villarreal said most want to see results instantly, which causes them to follow an unhealthy diet. However, she said any diet that promises big results in a short amount of time is not a healthy one. People need to take their time and look into investing in more complex eating plans.
A good diet is one that is inclusive to all macronutrients, which are energy-providing chemical substances consumed by organisms in large quantities. The three macronutrients in nutrition are carbohydrates, lipids and proteins.
Villarreal said people should stay away from diets that recommend avoiding a macronutrient, such as a ketogenic or the Atkins Diet.
A healthy eating plan is one that gives the body the nutrients it needs every day while maintaining a person’s daily calorie goal for weight loss. Such diets can also lower the risk for heart disease and other health conditions.
A healthy diet includes:
–an emphasis on vegetables, fruits, whole grains and fat-free or low-fat dairy products
–lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts
–limitations on saturated and trans fats, sodium and added sugars
–controlled-portion sizes
Villarreal said she encourages people to take a look at what they’re doing now because, sometimes, the changes they need to make to their diet are not as drastic as they sound.
The term diet is what a person consumes; however, according to Villarreal, society has defined the term “diet” to refer to something negative.
“It is not the word ‘die’ with a cross at the end,” she said. “When somebody says they’re on a diet, the preferred terminology to use is that they are healthy eating or they are making better choices.”
For people who do not know where to start when it comes to eating healthier, Villarreal recommends they visit choosemyplate.gov.
“It’s free,” she said. “Basically, you go in there and you can create a profile based on your height, weight, age, sex and it actually gives you how many calories you should be consuming and it gives you very good, easy-to-see tools of what grains are, what vegetables are. It’s very educational.”
The site allows users to track their eating and physical activity. People should aim to have their meals resemble the MyPlate food guide, which is available on the website, as much as possible.
MyPlate illustrates the five food groups that are the building blocks for a healthy diet, which includes dairy, protein, vegetables, fruits and grains. The guide visually represents daily portions.
Villarreal said it is not expensive to maintain a healthy eating plan.
“When you take out the food across the week and you actually do the math to it, it’s affordable,” she said. “If you can’t afford fresh [fruits and vegetables, for example,] the next best thing would be frozen, not canned. … Take the time to plan what you’re going to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and any snacks.”
When it comes to cheat meals, Villarreal said people must remember that “it is a cheat meal, not a cheat day.”
She advises individuals to choose the cheat meal they want with time or pick the one item they can’t be without. However, she recommends that individuals try to make it as healthy as possible, but that does not mean they have to choose a fat-free pizza or anything of that sort.
“Try to balance it out,” Villarreal said. “Look at [MyPlate] and try to balance it.”
Getting in shape
Another resolution attached to improving health is exercising more.
Garza, who graduated from legacy institution UT Brownsville with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, told The Rider he also sees an increase in people interested in getting in shape during January.
“Start with what you have; what you have is plenty,” he said. “Focus on the process. The end result will come. Do not set your goals too high because you will set yourself up for failure.”
Getting in shape can have different meanings for everyone. For instance, an elderly person may want to get in shape to live freely on their own; another person might want to be in shape to play with their children; or there are people who want to get in shape to feel and look good.
Overall, getting in shape includes improving health.
Asked what workout routine he recommends for people starting out their resolution, Garza replied: “A total body exercise regimen in a circuit-based-type setting. Do what you can. Rest what you need to rest and you’ll progress from there.”
However, he advises people to learn what works for them because not all programs will show results. For instance, a workout regimen may work for one person, but not for the other.
Yet, it is important to incorporate different body movements in routines, such as push, pull, press, hinge, rotate and plank.
“Once you start moving, and you’re moving better, then you can start emphasizing other aspects in training, like your weights, bands, kettlebells and all these other pieces of equipment that make it fun,” Garza said.
He said finding a program that works for an individual will take a trial-and-error process.
People who are working out for the first time or have not done so in a while may experience delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
DOMS is the pain and stiffness felt in muscles several hours to days after unaccustomed or strenuous exercise. The soreness is felt most strongly 24 to 72 hours after the exercise.
To help deal with soreness, Garza said people should keep moving.
“The worst thing you can do is not work out or not do any physical activity due to soreness,” he said. “The soreness is a byproduct of the exercise you did. So, you need to move to help alleviate that soreness … or some type of stretching session.”
If going to a gym is not an option for individuals, Garza said there are other methods that can help someone get or stay in shape.
“There is so much you can do with technology,” he said. “I partake in something called GymGO, which [allows] people to train from the comfort of their home, their office, the park. It’s live video training. You [also have] YouTube. You have so many fitness professionals that have online programs. There’s books, there’s [free] apps.”
Getting back on track
Eventually, people will fail or slip up during their resolution attempt and that’s OK.
“We’re all human and it’s going to happen,” Whittenberg said. “We’re going to miss a day at the gym or skip that time that we play fetch with our dog or whatever it is that we do to help our self-care and our motivation for the day.”
What should a person do if they fail or slip up?
Don’t be afraid to start again and use the slip-up as an opportunity to learn from a mistake.
“When you feel like giving up, don’t,” Villarreal said. “Talk to yourself, try to encourage yourself, take a step back and reassess, ‘OK. Obviously, that was more than I can handle. What can I do?’ Try to make those gradual changes into your diet and physical activity every day and don’t give up.”
Garza told The Rider people should remember that New Year’s resolutions, such as getting in shape, are not a sprint, they’re a marathon of small sprints.
“You might deviate from the trail, but you’ll get back on and you do it again,” he said. “There’s no magic formula but hard work, dedication and time.”
Whittenberg said he encourages people to not be afraid to ask for help or shy away from counseling.
The UTRGV Counseling Center offers services to students that can help improve their mental and physical health. The center is located in Cortez Hall 237 on the Brownsville campus and in University Center 109 on the Edinburg campus.
To contact the UTRGV Counseling Center, call 882-3897 in Brownsville and 665-2574 in Edinburg or email counseling@utrgv.edu.
