38 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JANUARY 2022
HOW TO MAKE YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS LAST PAST JANUARY
continued from page 37
SET SMALL, REALISTIC
GOALS AND CELEBRATE
SMALL WINS
Rather than saying you want to lose 50
pounds or run a marathon, break your
goals down into specifi c, short-term
steps, said Marianne Barfi eld, a Long
Island-based national coach for WW
(formerly Weight Watchers), which
guides customers to be more aware of
their food choices and empowers them
to choose healthier options.
“When your goal encompasses smaller
steps with a shorter time frame to the
reward, you’re more likely to stick to
it,” she said. “You can bring all those
steps together to create habits, and the
powerful thing about habits is that once
they’re established, they’re likely to
continue even aft er motivation, interest
and rewards have been reduced.”
Northport resident and former New
York Daily News Golden Gloves Champion
Alexander Garcia is a personal
coach who founded AGT, which uses
boxing-inspired training techniques to
help people become the strongest version
of themselves. Garcia also advises clients
to take small steps and stick to them.
“Start by making a decision to train for
20 or 30 minutes a day, or every other
day,” he said. “Or if you want to cut out
sugar, commit to reducing portions
or changing your sugar source to a
healthier, less caloric option.”
And be sure to celebrate the small
victories.
“If you didn’t feel like going to the gym,
but you did, that’s a win,” Garcia said.
“If you wanted to have a cookie, but you
didn’t, that’s a win. Focus on the small
wins and they start adding up. It’s not
just about the destination: Enjoy the
journey.”
MAKE A COMMITMENT AND
BELIEVE YOU CAN DO IT
Life shouldn’t be about restrictions or
deprivation, according to Barfi eld, who
advised, “Think of what can be added to
your life by creating healthier habits.”
Once you establish your goals, “the
biggest piece of advice I can give is to
make a decision that you will get it done
at all costs, even if it means you have
to sacrifi ce the habits you currently
have,” Garcia said. “It’s 100% possible;
the biggest problem I see is a lack of
commitment and failure to believe it
can actually happen.”
That’s where coaches like Garcia come
in — to help people get into and stay in
the right mindset to hold themselves
accountable.
“I tell my clients that staying on the
couch and eating fast food may be
things you feel like doing, but it’s not
good for you,” he said. “Don’t stay in
your comfort zone; chase what’s not in
your comfort zone, but in a healthy and
safe way. When you leave your comfort
zone, that’s when growth happens.”
It’s important to not think of it as a
diet, but as a lifestyle change; there’s
no beginning and end.
“You have to make a decision every
day to be a better you than you were
yesterday, and that you’re going to leave
your old habits behind to be the best
self you can be,” he said. “Look at what
you’re eating and think, ‘Is it helping
me to get closer to where I want to go?’”
SET YOURSELF UP
FOR SUCCESS
If you’re starting on New Year’s Day,
prepare in advance to get off to a good
start, such as shopping for healthy
food, having healthy food prepared
and readily available, and getting items
like potato chips and cookies out of your
pantry. People who want to stop smoking
can prepare for a couple of weeks
in advance by adjusting some habits.
“For instance, if you always smoke in the
car or when you are drinking coff ee, try
not smoking in the car or with coff ee for
two weeks to break those associations,”
said Patricia Folan, R.N., director of
the clinical program at the Northwell
Health Center for Tobacco Control in
Great Neck.
“It will make it easier on the day that you
do quit, because you won’t have those
triggers. Also, change your brand of
cigarettes for the two weeks to something
you don’t like as much, so the
association won’t be as pleasant (don’t
switch to menthol, though, which may
be more diffi cult to quit).” The Center for
Tobacco Control provides medications
including nicotine patches, gum, and
lozenges, which control withdrawal
symptoms while people are in the
process of quitting.
BE PATIENT AND
FORGIVING OF YOURSELF
It’s important to stay committed and to
hold yourself accountable, but you must
also be gentle with yourself when you
slip up, said Lisa Langer, Ph.D., a clinical
Lisa Langer, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist
psychologist and consultant in meditation
and mindfulness at the Katz Institute for
Women’s Health/Center for Wellness and
Integrative Medicine in Roslyn and author
of the book Deeper into Mindfulness.
“It takes three weeks to change a habit
and two to three months for it to become
automatic,” Langer said. “Stay conscious
of your goals, but be compassionate and
patient with yourself when you fall. It’s
so easy to get angry when we’re struggling
to change a habit, but instead of
throwing the baby out with the bath
water, get back on it tomorrow without
being so self-critical.”
GET SUPPORT
Having the support of professionals
and peers can help you stay on
track. Organizations like WW and
the Center for Tobacco Control provide
evidence-based programs that
include support groups to help people
change bad habits and stay the
course over time. In addition, Langer
said, apps like MyPlate Calorie
Counter by LiveStrong, MyFitness-
Pal, and WW, which allow people
to log meals and exercise, “help you
stay conscious of your goals and can
help keep you on track.”
PRESS HEALTH
Alexander Garcia, personal coach.
Patricia Folan, R.N., director of the clinical program at the Northwell Health
Center for Tobacco Control in Great Neck.
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