It is that time of year again! I know half of society believes in New Year’s Resolutions and the other half doesn’t. I am one of those who casually set goals for the year and sometimes I fulfill them! If I don’t accomplish my resolutions, I don’t beat myself up over it because things change and priorities get altered.
This year though, I have a resolution that I will stick to or else. I have, ahem, hit that age where I need to adopt a fitness routine that I stick with for the rest of my life. At the minimum, I want to walk for about an hour a day. It is easy, and I can watch a movie while I walk. I also want to work on my core, use arm weights, improve my eating habits, and drink more water.
None of this is rocket science. None of this is truly distasteful (well except floor exercises…I just don’t like them!). I know I may have days where I won’t have time to exercise, so if I try to do it every day, then the days where the wheels come off won’t cause me to feel too much guilt.
Since I am a visual person, I may have to put signs and posters around the house. Post-its on the bathroom mirror, a sign on the fridge, and workout clothes front and center in my closet may help me keep on track. It is now or never, and I don’t believe in never!
New Year’s Resolutions are thought to go back about 4,000 years to the Babylonians. They made promises to pagan gods to do such things as return borrowed items and pay anything they owed. They also celebrated the new year, which was mid-March.
For the new year, the Romans made sacrifices and promises of good behavior to the gods, which Julius Caeser moved to January 1 in about 46 B.C.
The promises made by the Babylonians and Romans were the precursors to our resolutions.
I tend to treat my NY resolutions more as guides and goals for the year. It is my overarching to-do list.
Some sources say that making New Year’s resolutions are actually good for a person since it allows them to identify improvements they want to make.
Several sources state that research (not sure who conducted the research nor when…so this could be misinformation) found that 45% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, but only 8% accomplish their resolutions. Most resolutions tend to deal with financial goals or fitness/health goals, so I guess I am part of the norm!