Take Your Time, Make Realistic New Year's Health Resolutions, Experts Say

Dec 28 2000 14:58:37
Julia McNamee Neenan
HealthSCOUT

NEW YORK CITY -- If you're considering New Year's resolutions that involve trimming down or shaping up, experts say you might want to take your time. If you're hoping to lose weight or begin an exercise regimen after Jan. 1, the word is that moving too fast can cause more harm than good. Think through your goals, they say.

What you don't want to do is begin with a poor rationale for losing weight, Walls says, such as "I can't stand myself anymore; I just want to lose weight."

State your reasons positively and as specifically as you can. Set your goals so they're within your control and fit well with your life, she adds. A good example? "I'm going to lose 10 pounds between Jan. 1 and Valentine's Day by bringing my lunch to work every day, cutting back on eating out to once or twice a week, and exercising 30 minutes five times a week."

Carving a larger goal -- like losing 50 pounds -- into smaller chunks creates a sense that the goal is possible, Walls explains. And most of the health benefits of losing weight come with the first 10 percent of lost weight.

You'll want to start small with an exercise program as well, says Dr. Gerard Verlotta, a clinical assistant professor of rehabilitative medicine at New York University's Medical Center/Rusk Institute and director of sports rehabilitation and medical director of the Cardio-Fitness Center in New York City. All too often, Verlotta says, we forget our bodies have aged since the last time we began an exercise program. "Don't try to overachieve. Don't say you'll run a marathon if you haven't run in 20 years," Verlotta says.

You've got one major advantage in embarking on a new diet or exercise program at New Year's, Walls says: motivation.

One final caveat, Walls adds. Even with the motivation, you're bound to suffer a setback or two. "Try not to be a quitter. A lot of people feel that if they blow it, it's the end of the world. But one day is just one day," Walls says.

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this has been *snipped* Here's the link to the complete article http://www.drkoop.com/news/stories/...esolutions.html