When good intentions go south (As seen in Long Island Business News)

Article Written by Ambrose Clancy
Published: January 5, 2012

Two questions for January: How late can I still wish people a Happy New Year without sounding like an idiot? And, does my New Year’s resolution apply to weekends?
The first question is up for debate, but the second needs no answer, since it describes the pathetic position most people who firmly resolved to be better in the old year, now find themselves in the new.

Research at the University of Scranton discovered 45 percent of us make one or more resolutions a year, and research conducted by British psychologist Richard Wiseman found nearly nine of 10 people pledging to reform failed to eliminate bad habits.
Is it worth it, then, to make promises to ourselves to lose weight, or stop smoking or cut down on drinking, or generally lead healthier lives? Most experts say yes, and can point to that University of Scranton study, which reported that people who explicitly made resolutions in health-related matters were 10 times more likely to attain their goals than those who didn’t sit down and give themselves a stern talking to.

But there are dissenters, who say making resolutions is programming failure, and when the formerly pure of heart succumb to temptation, the crash can be crushing.

Eliminate the negative
Dr. Kevin Marzo, chief of cardiology at Mineola’s Winthrop-University Hospital, believes resolutions are important for those who don’t want to meet him in an operating room. But specific timing isn’t important.
“When it comes to resolutions, any day should be New Year’s Day,” Marzo said. “Make realistic, attainable goals and be specific. And remember, all meaningful change is slow. This is a marathon, not a sprint.”

Marzo added that too many people don’t accentuate the positive when making a resolution, but concentrate on losing something, such as weight or a habit. “You’re not losing something – like 20 pounds. You’re gaining something by feeling and looking better,” he said. The most essential resolution doesn’t require giving up anything except a little time, Marzo said. “Make an appointment to see your doctor and get an annual physical."

It’s not a death march
Kathleen Logsdon Carrozza, director of patient food and the nutrition service department at North Shore University Hospital-Manhasset, has advice for people thinking about resolutions: “Don’t make them.”

Logsdon Carrozza has seen too many people creating expectations they can’t meet, which can worsen the situation. “When you fall off the wagon, you start a downward spiral,” she said. The best method to become healthier is to silence the grandiose resolutions and start in a minor key. “A small thing that’s attainable becomes a great accomplishment, with the person saying, ‘I can do this,’” she said.
An example of a wrong-headed resolution is for cookie monsters to declare they’re never going to eat another cookie, Logsdon Carrozza said. “Two days later the only thing you’re thinking is, ‘I’m dying for a cookie,” she said. Better to resolve to skip cookies two days a week, Logsdon Carrozza advised, and munch away on the other days, gradually cutting back the intake.

The buddy system is good for positive reinforcement, she added, but it can become negative in a hurry. “You can’t have one person becoming a parent, telling the child what they’re doing right and wrong,” she said. “That can get nasty.”

Keep punching
Mary Languirand, a psychotherapist practicing in Garden City, believes making resolutions is a good method of improving your health. She also agrees when setting sail on a healthier life, it’s good to have shipmates. “Other people can offer lots of reinforcement,” Languirand said. Even if you’re heading toward healthier living without a buddy, it’s a bad move to keep resolutions to yourself. “Tell people about it,” she said. It’s not the end of the world if resolutions are broken. “Many people have ‘practice tries’ before real ones can be achieved,” she said.

In her practice, however, she doesn’t buy resolutions from some patients. If there’s a serious health problem, such as alcoholism or addiction to drugs, promising to be better doesn’t cut it. “We’ll talk about their employment and their health insurance and get them into the hands of professionals and rehab,” Languirand said.

Re-evaluate to resolve
The sides to the wagon weren’t high enough and you’ve taken a tumble. What now?
Donna Martini, an Oyster Bay author and wellness and nutrition consultant, advises not giving up but taking a history of the situation.

“Most people commit to a routine or a strict diet on Jan.1 and in three days, they can’t handle the drastic change in lifestyle and want to give up,” Martini said.
That’s the time to focus on specific goals. “I always start my coaching clients with an ‘elimination’ diet,” Martini said. This means taking out one food a week she characterized as a “saboteur” – bread, for example – and replacing it with something more nutritious. “Or with exercise, if someone is not exercising at all, we start with 10 minutes and build up,” she said.

Most importantly, Martini said, is the old advice of “know thyself.”
“Do a quick check on yourself by deciding to start your resolution right now,” Martini said. “Can you do it, or are you still looking for excuses to wait?”