New year’s resolutions not best motivator
Exercising more is at the top of the list for
people who made new year’s resolutions,
but it proves not to be an easy one to keep.
Outside of Windsor gym True Fitness. Photo by Hannah Janisse.
New Year’s resolutions around being healthier are often not a strong enough motivator for people to make changes to their lifestyle.
A survey conducted by YouGov, found out of over 1000 Canadians who participated, the most popular New Year’s resolution for 2020 was exercising more. The third and fourth most popular were eating healthier and losing weight. Many gyms offer special membership rates in January to motivate people to join.
Windsor Gym Empire Muscle Fitness’s founder and owner Andrew Hedges has more than 120 members and said there is a slight rise in memberships in January.
“We do get a little busier following the holiday season,” said Hedges.
While Hedges said that the new year is a good cue for people to remember to start paying attention to certain things, he does not find new year resolutions to be effective motivators for people.
“I have not experienced New Year’s resolutions to be effective beyond let’s say a month at the most. They don’t really keep people diligent and on top of their fitness,” said Hedges.
Windsor-based dietitian Lauren Fleming said she sees a jump every January in people wanting to become healthier but most of the time they do not make a full investment.
“There are a few people who I do see that it’s a jumping off point for them to make healthier changes, but more often it’s not a full investment,” said Fleming.
She said the new year is a great time for change, but says any time is good for making a change. When deciding to choose to start with exercise or healthy eating habits, Fleming said a person should decide based on what they are interested in.
Andrea Docherty, a Windsor-based registered dietitian and sports nutritionist, said when dealing with pressure that comes with making a goal for better health it is important to set realistic expectations.
“If people approach New Year’s resolutions, instead of setting these really unrealistic goals, really trying to look at changing their behaviors and developing healthy lifestyle habits that they can keep for the rest of their lives, then that takes away some of the pressure,” said Docherty.
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