Keeping your resolve
Posted on: January 8, 2015; Updated on: January 8, 2015
By Page Ivey, pivey@mailbox.sc.edu, 803-777-3085
The New Year brings new resolve to be better, do better, lose a few pounds and add some healthy eating and exercise habits.
Sadly, for most of us, that resolve dissolves rather quickly under the stress of returning to work and school and our old routines and old habits.
That is where Campus Wellness and other healthy programs come in to help faculty, staff and students stick with their goals and plans for the new year.
Tina Marie Devlin, associate director at Campus Wellness for faculty and staff, says her department caters the start of healthy programs to the first of the year to catch people when they want to set some goals and change some habits.
One of Campus Wellness’ more popular programs, the Heart Beat Pedometer Challenge, has been expanded to eight weeks from four because participants asked for a longer program and because the longer term helps solidify new habits.
Other programs include Choose to Lose, which helps participants modify eating and exercise habits and which has an online component.
“In case someone can’t do it in person, they can go online and get some healthy tips and support,” Devlin says.
Support is key.
“People have a lot of success in support programs because they have accountability,” Devlin says. “There is someone checking in with them. You are in there with people who are on the same journey as you are.”
Devlin offered a few other tips:
Set small achievable goals
“Don’t start off trying to making five changes at once. Start off making one change that’s a small step but is something that you can stick with and achieve over time.”
There is no quick fix
“If whatever you’re doing creates a very quick change, you are going to be quicker to revert back to old habits. A healthy change needs to take time, you need to have patience and it’s something that will hopefully be sustained and create positive behavior changes if it’s slow and steady.”
Don’t be discouraged when you stumble
“If you fall off the wagon, that’s OK. Don’t beat yourself up, just get back on as fast as you can.”
Find an activity you enjoy
“The most successful program is doing something that you love. If you don’t like a treadmill, don’t get on a treadmill. If you like to dance, use dancing as your activity of choice.”
Looking to make positive change in 2015? Here are some on-campus resources to help you succeed:
Quit smoking - Cessation programs at Carolina and in the community
Eat better - Nutrition consultations, grocery store tours, metabolic testing
Exercise more – Blatt, Strom and Group Exercise
Lose weight – Choose to Lose and Choose to Lose online
Get outside – Outdoor Rec
Work smarter – Human Resources training (HR also has training and e-learning/self-study on many topics)
Learn something new – Carolina Classroom offers a wide range of personal enrichment courses, including
financial workshops, gardening and getting outdoors.
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