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Time To Make Fresh New Year Resolutions
- By Frenste Michele
- Published 03/10/2008
- Quitters Guide
- Unrated
If you have been considering losing weight or quitting smoking for the whole year but to no avail, time has come for you to make a resolution. New Year is the best time to make resolutions as the month of January symbolizes a fresh start, a new beginning.
One out of 10 people are able to stick to their New Year resolutions whether it is losing weight, quitting smoking, going to the gym, or drinking less. Prof. Richard Wiseman, a leading psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire, devised a report based on these popular New Year resolutions.
He led a team that tracked more than 3,000 people, 40% out of which were from the US and the remaining from the UK. The participants were randomly placed into one of several groups. When the research started, 52% of the participants were confident of success but only 12% actually achieved their goals. Success came to men and women differently.
For men, chances of success increase by 22% if:
* they set realistic goals, for instance, losing one pound a week, smoking one cigarette lesser everyday
* they make clearer decisions instead of making general resolutions like lose weight, quit smoking
* they focus on rewards, for instance, if they lose weight they will look more attractive to the opposite sex
For women, chances of success increase by 10% if:
* they tell others about their resolutions
* they do not treat relapses as failures but as mere setbacks
The researchers found that the resolutions most likely to succeed were: enjoy life more, which 32% of people stuck to; improve your fitness (29%); lose weight (28%); be more organised (27%); quit or cut down drinking (25%); quit or cut down smoking (24%).
If you want to really lose weight or quit smoking, help is available. Now is probably the best time to make a resolution and stick to it.