Last year I made a New Year’s resolution to make my bed everyday, and until February 15 I was very successful. I got up every morning in January and half of February and made my bed. It was satisfying, I was able to enjoy coming home to a neat and tidy bed…Then the inevitable happened and at this point in the year I can honestly look back and say that my bed has been made very few times since February 15.
What does that say about New Year’s resolutions? If we look at them as if the world is black and white, then for the year of 2011, I get a big FAIL!!! I did not keep my New Year’s resolution…BAD BAD BAD! Fortunately for my sense of self worth, I am a master of examining the beauty of the gray area. To me the fact that so many New Year’s resolutions fall by the way side means that there is a fault in the way we view New Year’s resolutions. If we work under the premise that people don’t want to fail, and collectively harbor a sense of optimism that everyone really is doing the best that is possible, then the resolution failure rate is moot, and the entire tradition of New Year’s resolutions needs to be reframed.
Let’s look at some of the classic resolutions. How many of these have you made yourself? Exercise more, eat healthier, eat breakfast, go to bed earlier, watch less TV, and on and on…In my mind all of these resolutions imply that the habits a person has before the New Year are wrong! What if we said, “I want to try…” Instead of “I will…” It seems preposterous to me that we propose to make life changes instantly without a little exploration, and the day we intend to implement these changes just happens to be the day that we might be a little fatigued from the celebrations. If we were to try new things in January, it wouldn’t be a jab on our lives as they are now. For instance, I don’t think that there is anything wrong with the fact that I rarely make my bed, and in all honesty I tried making it everyday and now I choose to use the extra time trying to eat breakfast everyday.
With this new frame, we would also get the added neurological benefits of the learning process. Instead of exercise more, what if the person stated the resolution as, “I want to try Pilates in the New Year.” This is a blog for the Pilates Studio after all. This is a resolution that is not set up for failure, a person that makes this resolution will be learning and making changes in his life. And if after trying Pilates a person decides that he doesn’t want to continue, the benefits from the added strength and flexibility will be with him for a very long time.
So if you are a person that wants to try Pilates in the New Year. Check out the video below. It’s a simple plank series to get your feet wet. Then if you want to try other pilates classes, Check out The Pilates Studio’s website and visit us. We’re located between Northampton and Amherst on Route 9 in Hadley!
Katrina Hawley C.M.A, R.S.M.E
Co-owner The Pilates Studio
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