In the dawn of a new decade comes New Year’s resolutions to better oneself — often health related, to get back in the gym or eat cleaner, but many people fail to stick with their resolutions in the long run.
According to U.S. News, around 80 percent of resolution makers abandon their goals by the second week of February.
Chula Vista resident Oscar Eberle, 24, is a certified sports nutritionist and personal trainer. When it comes to goal setting, he said he believes people can make resolutions at any point in the year, whenever they’re ready for a change, but the new year is a good jumping off point.
“Make it simple, something that’s attainable and a small change you can stick with,” Eberle said. He added that the goal should be measurable.
When it comes to eating right, Eberle said as a nutritionist he recommends sticking with whole foods and staying away from processed food and fast food because what you eat impacts your overall well being.
“They call your stomach or your gut your second brain, because your whole body, your mind is heavily influenced by the micro bacteria in your gut,” Eberle said.
Amber Silva, 22, is a fitness coach and Chula Vista resident who launched her own business to help women meet their fitness goals. She’s coached about 50 women, providing them with workout and eating guides and giving them the assistance necessary to meet their goals.
She said the key to sticking with goals is to set a target date for exactly when you want to meet them, and setting short-term goals to help you achieve the long-term goal.
“Instead of just focusing on ‘oh I want to lose 20 pounds in three or four months’ — I feel like when people look at it that way it seems like that goal is so far from them and I feel like it also kind of seems to be unrealistic,” Silva said.
Instead, she said focusing on going to the gym a certain number of times each week or losing a pound each week beneficial to ultimately reaching a long-term goal. Silva said she tells her clients not to let fear dictate to them when it comes to going to the gym, because everyone was a newcomer once.
“I want you to look at everyone around you, and I want you to really know that every single person that is there, one — is trying to become better, but not only that, they all started as beginners,” Silva said. “Not one person who goes to the gym started, the second they got in there, advanced.”
