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SECTION C • SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 2017
spotlight on
NEW YEAR, NEW YOU
Psychology of keeping a resolution
A New Year’s resolution is a quest for positive change with a built-in start date. We create goals with the hope of improving our lives. We vow to start, stop, quit, begin, finish, do more, and do less or whatever else we believe will fulfill us. Nowadays, New Year’s resolutions are better known for our lack of follow through rather than success. Why are resolutions so difficult to maintain? Guest Perhaps, the even Columnist bigger question is: why is it so hard to change? From a psychological perspective, change is a process that requires a cognitive shift. Prochaska Cassin defi ned five Cole-Straub stages of change: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. In each stage there is a decisional balance that involves weighing the pros and cons of change. In pre-contemplation, we are not actively considering making a change. We may receive feedback about needing to change but are not receptive to it. Your doctor recommends diet and exercise but you have trouble with the idea of tofu and treadmills. In this stage, you likely underestimate the pros and overestimate the cons. You imagine the effort it takes to go to the gym versus the appeal of binge watching your favorite new show. In contemplation, we become more aware of the pros and begin to anticipate change within six months. You visualize exercise giving you more energy and fitting into your old pair of jeans. In preparation, the pros outweigh the cons and a plan of action is put into place. You purchase a gym membership and start working with a nutritionist. Action is just as it sounds — you are active in making a change. In maintenance, you carry that change out for over six months. Healthy eating and exercise are part of your everyday routine. In addition, you still believe that the pros outweigh the cons. You reason that turning down chocolate cake is better than 45 extra minutes of cardio. Many of us who embark upon resolutions have not properly weighed the pros and cons and likely fall into one of the earlier stages of change. Other key factors include motivation and self-efficacy. When goals feel unattainable it is difficult to stay motivated. Therefore, we are more likely to stay motivated if we make realistic goals (goals we are likely to achieve). For example, setting a goal of walking one mile on the treadmill your first trip to the gym versus five. Achieving goals is intrinsically motivating or simply put, makes us feel good about ourselves. Setting realistic goals can also improve our self-efficacy, our belief in our ability to change. Finding ways to stay motivated and maintaining belief in ourselves are crucial for change. Change is less likely to occur if someone is asking us to change or we are changing for someone else. It would seem that our decision to change has to come from our own true intention. In sum, change is a complex and often challenging process. However, many, including myself, still believe that change is in fact possible if you truly want it. Cassin Cole-Straub, Psy.D. is a psychologist at Gwinnett Psychology. She specializes in empowering children and families to adopt positive changes that will further enrich their lives
Inner peace, strong heart.
WORKING FROM HOME
How to get in shape this year without the gym BY CAILIN O’BRIEN
cailin.obrien@gwinnettdailypost.com
The New Year tends to bring out everyone’s inner gym rat — at least temporarily. “This is the most crowded I’ve ever seen this parking lot,” Yuri MartinezKandler said standing outside the Gold’s Gym he attends in Lawerenceville on Monday. “By February, this will be empty.” Maybe that’s because the gym isn’t for everybody — and Becky Thompson, a personal trainer and physical therapist at Gwinnett Medical Center, said it doesn’t have to be. Thompson said consistent and well-constructed home workouts can be as effective as a session at the gym. “It depends on what motivates you,” she said. Experts generally agree staying motivated is the key to maintaining any workout routine. Gyms often offer incentives, classes or personal training sessions to help patrons work toward their goals. But a home workout routine may require a bit more self-motivation. That can get tricky, but Thompson knows one major trick of the trade that can help. “The most important thing is to set goals,” she said. “Goals are like a road map of where you’re going.” Thompson said the pros follow two rules for setting weight-loss and workout goals that will keep them motivated — make it achievable and make it clear. A goal to lose some weight is too vague to achieve and a goal to lose 50 pounds in a week just isn’t plausible. Both are good ways to lose motivation, Thompson said. Instead, she advised setting a clear and obtainable goal such as losing 10 pounds over the course of a few weeks.
At left, personal trainer Becky Thompson performs a squat, a move she recommends adding to a strength training routine. Thompson’s favorite exercise is the plank. She’s pictured performing a plank variation at bottom. (Courtesy: Gwinnett Medical Center)
“Then, devise action steps on how you’re going to achieve those clear goals,” Thompson said. Those action steps could vary per person, but she said there’s a general framework she advises home workout pros to stick to. That framework begins with cardio, or exercise that works the lungs and the heart. “A minimum of three times a week, they need to be walking or biking — anything that keeps your heart rate up for 30 minutes or more,” Thompson said. “Make
If you want peace of mind, take care of your body. Knowing you are doing everything you can to take care of your heart will help you feel healthier and may even extend your life. That will make you breathe a lot easier. If you’re feeling stressed, talk to one of our heart professionals at 404-851-6550.
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sure the intensity is high enough to get the results you want.” Home cardio can be completed on an at-home workout bike or treadmill. It can also be a run around the block or a bike ride to a nearby park or store. Thompson said it just needs to get the blood pumping.
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See WORKOUT, Page 3C
A Lifetime of Care