Carleton’s gym services are at their busiest in January as students work towards their New Year’s resolutions – but it’s a trend that doesn’t last, and one Carleton professor denounces resolutions entirely.
Many Carleton students are taking part in this age-old practice to set goals for 2010, setting goals to lose weight, quit smoking, or do better in school, and the facilities on campus that would help students to reach these goals are seeing the impact.
Jennifer Brenning, the director of the department of recreation and athletics, said the athletic centre sees big changes happening in January.
“The fitness centre is at capacity most of the day,” Brenning said. “January's our peak season.”
She also mentioned intramural sports, and how they are a popular activity at the beginning of winter semester, because students see them as a fun way to fulfill their resolutions.
Patty Allen, a health educator at Carleton's Health and Counselling Services, said a lot of students come in during the month of January to seek help with their resolutions.
“Most students that come in come for help quitting smoking, but also some come in to talk to a doctor or get information on weight loss.”
She said it definitely gets busy there this time of year.
Tracy Gagnon, a fitness and recreation program assistant, reiterated the strain on the fitness centre.
“It's jammed, almost 100 people at the peak times each day. But in about six weeks those numbers will drop by half as people give up on themselves.”
She said people need to make small, attainable resolutions throughout the year, not just Jan. 1, as there's too much pressure right around the New Year.
Tim Pychyl, a Carleton psychology professor, wants to completely denounce New Year’s resolutions. He said that people make New Year’s resolutions for all the wrong reasons.
“They're a cultural expectation, people even go around asking what your resolution is.”
Pychyl also puts making New Year’s resolutions into the same category as procrastination, saying we're only glorifying the practice of putting something off by saying we'll do it next year.
As a society we have this need for instant gratification, and so, Pychyl said “it feels good to make a New Year’s resolution, it's an expression of hope.”
He explained that making these intentions in our head make us feel good because in our head they're practically completed.
So what's the solution? How do students make goals to be completed this time of year without getting ahead of themselves?
It's simple – Pychyl said what we need to do is stop making big, unrealistic goals for next year and start making small, attainable goals for right now – the biggest part of it is getting started immediately.
If you think to yourself, “I want to lose 10 pounds, I'll start my diet next week,” you've got the wrong idea, he said. You should be thinking, “I want to lose 10 pounds, I'll start eating healthier and exercising right away.”