Since many of us tend to
”
take stock
”
at the end of the year and evaluate where we are and where we’d
like to be, I wanted to devote this column to making our New Year’s
resolutions wisely.
Since many of us tend to “take stock” at the end of the year and evaluate where we are and where we’d like to be, I wanted to devote this column to making our New Year’s resolutions wisely.
While I’m clearly not a behavioral specialist or an expert in the workings of the human brain, I have recently learned about research documenting that our will power operates much like a muscle. We all know that our arms and legs get tired and we expect them to be weak after hard work or vigorous exercise. Most of us don’t expect, however, that our willpower will weaken as it gets depleted … but it does.
How does this relate to New Years’ resolutions? It points out that you shouldn’t try to make too many “improvements” in your behavior and lifestyle all at once.
In fact, this research points out that all of our self-control attempts are interrelated and draw from the same pool of self-control resources. So if you are trying to quit smoking, exercise more, eat better, and ride your bike to work one day a week, you may be setting yourself up for multiple failures instead of a whirlwind of success.
With this in mind, may I suggest that we all choose a few New Years’ resolutions wisely and make at least one of them something that protects the environment?
Here are a few suggestions:
“Baby Step” eco-resolutions (small,
positive, impactful steps):
Print and copy double-sided 95 percent of the time
Commit to walking or biking to work once per month
Lower your thermostat at least two degrees this winter
Be sure that all of your paper, bottles, and cans get recycled
“Brisk Pace” eco-resolutions (medium-sized significant commitments):
Commit to biking to work one day a week
Place all of your food scraps and food soiled paper in with your yard waste so it can be composted
Have an “all organic” garden in 2010
“Giant Step For Mankind” eco-resolutions (huge,
life-changing commitments):
Sell the family car (or one of them) and commit to walk, bike, bus, and take the train to your destinations
Add solar panels to your home
Become a vegetarian
Eco-Facts of the Week: New Year’s Day was once celebrated on March 1 in the earlier years of the Roman calendar. It was around 153 BC when the Romans finally settled on January 1 as the start of the New Year. Many cultures celebrate New Year’s Day on another date with the most famous being the Chinese. England, in fact, considered March 25 to be the start of the new year until 1752.
Eco-Web Page of the Week: There is lots of information on willpower as a muscle on the web. http://www.thatsfit.com/2009/10/05/will power-is-a-muscle/ and http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/02/opinion/02aamodt.html?_r=1 are two pages worth a look.
For those interested in weight loss, Time magazine ran an interesting (and related) article titled, “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin” last August that’s available at http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html.
Anthony Eulo is a Program Administrator for the City of Morgan Hill who really resolves to bike and walk more in 2010. He welcomes your questions, comments, and thoughts and can be reached at 778-6480 or en*****@************ca.gov.
