The Jungle Gym Resolution: A New Year’s Reality Check
A long time ago, I purchased a piece of exercise equipment and placed it in the garage so I could work out at home rather than going to a gym. However, it wasn’t long before I lost motivation, and I guess you could say my relationship with the equipment became somewhat estranged.
After complaining to my wife that my jeans were shrinking, she moved the equipment from the garage to our bedroom so I couldn’t come up with any excuse to avoid exercising. I guess it was wishful thinking on her part because her scheme failed, my jeans continued to shrink, and the equipment was repurposed as an auxiliary clothes rack and jungle gym for the kids.
While in the garage, it was like that out of sight, out of mind scenario. But with that contraption in our bedroom, it became the first thing I saw every morning and the last thing I saw every evening. Ironically, this exercise equipment that was created to improve my quality of life became the bane of my existence.
But ‘tis the season for New Year’s resolutions, so I committed myself to using this machine every day until I lose 30 pounds — I mean it. This time, I’m really serious.
Vanity aside, I’m not the only person who uses the beginning of a new year as an opportunity for initiating self-improvement. Many of us look in the mirror, both literally and figuratively, and conduct a self-assessment. We make up a list of all the things we don’t like, then try to convince ourselves that we’re going to fix them. Unfortunately, most people fail to follow through with their resolutions.
Critics say creating resolutions at the beginning of every year is only setting ourselves up for failure. Maybe it would be better if we weren’t so critical, accepted ourselves for what we are and avoided failure altogether.
After all, research has shown that despite knowing better, many of us fail to hold ourselves accountable when it comes to self-improvement. However, there’s something quite valuable about recognizing our faults and trying to address them in some meaningful way.
According to the Pew Research Center, at least 30% of those living in the United States actually commit to a resolution for the upcoming year. Apparently, I’m like most people who make resolutions because, in their January 2024 study, Pew found that 79% of respondents said their resolutions pertained to diet, fitness and the pursuit of an overall healthy lifestyle. But that might not matter because Pew also says more than 41% of the respondents abandoned their resolutions just three weeks later. In fact, only 9% of those who set resolutions actually complete them. That’s not good.
Regardless of those gloomy statistics, I still encourage you to reflect on what you would like to do better in 2025. Your goals are your vision of your future. I don’t want to sound like some kind of pretentious life coach or self-help expert wannabe, but a goal without a plan is just a wish. Making plans on how you’ll achieve your goals should be a priority. And if the plan doesn’t work, change the plan, not the goal.
Also, a resolution should start when there is a need for change and not because it’s a New Year’s tradition to do so. If you’re setting a resolution just because it’s the morning of Jan. 1, there’s a good chance you’ll fail. Your motivation should be based on need, not tradition.
Sometimes, it’s a little distraction that can kill your motivation, so always expect the unexpected. No matter how simple or small your resolution, the possibility of failure is omnipresent. Even if we do fail, at least we tried and perhaps our next attempt will be successful. Maintaining your optimism can be a real challenge, and peer pressure can be a death knell to a resolution, so keep a list of your favorite excuses nearby just in case your drinking buddies stop by unexpectedly.
Resolutions need to be reasonable, yet challenging. Obviously, if they’re too easy, there’s not much motivation for success. Let’s face it, if you set challenging goals, you’ll be more interested in reaching them. Furthermore, goals that include benchmarks can help you measure your progress and provide inspiration to persevere.
Lastly, accountability is probably the one element of goal-setting that motivates me the most. When I share my goals with others, I’m more likely to achieve them. That’s why I tell my wife. She never hesitates to bust my chops when I show signs of weakness or waning convictions.
On the other hand, I guess you can say I’ve made myself accountable by announcing my resolution in this issue of PN. Mostly, this resolution has been successful. My wife is happy I’m exercising again, and I’m glad my jeans are no longer too tight.
I guess the only problem with my resolution is that my kids don’t like me spending so much time on their jungle gym.
As always, let me know your thoughts at al@pvamag.com.
