Making and Keeping Healthy Resolutions

It's that time of year again -- the time when many of us traditionally voice our commitment to change, personal growth and self-actualization. It’s the time when we examine where we’ve been and where we are going. It’s the time to make our New Year's resolutions. Like a few million other Americans, on January 1st I think of the new ways that will lead to a better me.

For some of us, the resolutions we make are about breaking behavior patterns that we recognize (or have been told over and over) as being questionable, like promising to stop and ask for directions when we are lost, avoiding tailgating the guy who cut us off, or not stealing the Halloween candy from our children while telling them how bad it is for them.

However, since 60 percent of Americans die from illnesses connected to overeating, lack of exercise and smoking, it's a no-brainer for most of us to focus on health - related resolutions. To this extent, most of us are going to make resolutions that entail dietary changes, exercise or modifications that affect behavior patterns like alcohol intake, smoking, drug use, caffeine and general attitude towards life.

How well do we keep our resolutions? Last year I wrote a column on thalassotherapy -- the health benefits of spending time at the ocean. I resolved to go to the ocean at least once a week. I did OK for a couple of months, then buckled to the time pressures and responsibilities of my every day existence. My good intentions went to the happy hunting ground of rationalizations and procrastination. Since I had made my resolution public in this column, many of my readers would make me squirm by asking me how well I was doing in keeping it.

Interestingly, the success rate of keeping resolutions has been studied quite a bit. This makes me wonder what other productive things the researchers could be doing with their time, like finding cures for AIDS or cancer.

One study, conducted at the University of Washington, indicated that 63 percent of resolvers kept their number one New Year's resolution for at least two months.

The UW study, conducted by Elizabeth Miller, and Alan Marlatt, sought to understand the factors that best predict success in keeping this New Year's resolutions. The researchers focused on health-related resolutions, which are the most common type made.

The primary finding was that the key to making a successful resolution are a person's confidence that he or she can make the behavior change and the commitment to making that change. In addition, the study indicated that resolutions are a process, not a one-time effort. Even if people are successful, they need to sustain and continue to nourish their new behavior pattern over the years.