Resolutions

I'm in the process of reading a book on willpower, fittingly called Willpower.  This book co-authored by New York Times health reporter John Tierney expands on the research and concepts of decision fatigue, ego depletion, and willpower, that was written about in the New York Times earlier this year last year and that I first wrote about here.  It is very typical for me to start the new year by reading new diet-and-exercise books as a way to motivate myself. This is more general psychological information, but very applicable to the point of this blog.

I'll write much more fully about the concepts in the book later, but to recap the general notion:  "willpower" can be thought of as a muscle. Like a muscle, it can get exhausted and fail. Also like a muscle, it can be exercised and trained to become stronger.  The book explores what depletes willpower and how to strengthen it.

The reason I bring it up now is because one of the early points in the book is to not take on too much stuff all at once.  Do not try to quit smoking the day you get sworn in as President of the United States, for example. And, more relevant to us, do not make bunches of New Year's Resolutions and tackle them all at once.  Knock them off one at a time, starting with the easiest, and as you have success and have strengthened your abilities, tackle the harder ones.  When things become habits, they take less willpower to execute.  Another point:  public disclosure strengthens willpower.  Accountability and peer pressure work.  So here we go, folks.

I've already signed up for my Epic Win, running a 5K this spring. I've written about it here, and I'm talking about it at the gym.  My first commitment for this is to carry out the Couch-to-5K workouts, three times a week for nine weeks.  That, plus maintaining my training sessions, is it on the exercise front. Anything extra, like walks at lunch or on the treadmill, are bonus.

I am going to take on some stuff on the eating side as well.  I am half successful at tracking on WW, and I'm going to aim for about 85% on that, or six out of seven days tracking.  I want to add a habit recommended by the Beck Diet Solution, the book I leaned on when I first started this blog a couple of years ago.  I am going to pledge to only eat when seated at the table.  She recommends not reading or watching TV while eating, either. I'm not willing to sign up for that, but sitting at the table is a good thing and will whittle away some of my weak spots, especially the evenings flopped on the couch.  I can do this even at work.  I often bring my lunch or buy it for eating alone in my office, and I am fortunate enough to have a table and chairs in the office.  I can walk away from the desk and computer for eating.

So that's it on the diet and exercise front. I am also trying to develop a couple of other habits on other aspects of my life, but I'm parsing it out judiciously, I hope.  I have some additional aspirations on all fronts, but they will not be tackled as daily habits for a while.  Let's master these few tasks, and get to the Epic Win.

What are you folks aiming at this year?