My “non-resolution” New Year’s resolution

I don’t believe in New Years’ resolutions – well, I do believe they exist for other people, but have proven ineffective for me. After decades of attempts, I’ve learned that beginning a food or exercise plan on the magical date of January 1^st (or January 2^nd in the case of a diet) is a short-lived success. Mid-year “resolutions” have ultimately failed as well. I managed to lose 40 pounds over a two-year period through a commitment to tracking all the calories I consumed and walking 2 to 3 miles at least 5 days a week – only to gain it all back over the next 2 ½ years.

My annual physical a few months ago revealed a condition that I had previously thought myself immune to – “mildly elevated” cholesterol. My primary care doctor taught me a useful mnemonic: HDL means “Happy” (i.e. good cholesterol) and LDL means “Lousy” (i.e. bad cholesterol). I suspect I’m not her first patient to cross the dubious threshold of 200, so she invented (or stole) this memory jogger for the sake of her aging patients, like me. The simplicity of her advice was astounding – eat healthier.

I suspect, though don’t know for sure, that the specificity of a resolution makes it more likely to fail. Aiming for a maximum daily calorie count, or minimum number of miles walked, practically ensures that the moment I go one calorie above the max, or one tenth of a mile below the min, the strategy is null and void, so I might as well eat as much sugary and fattening foods as I can ingest because the “magic resolution spell” has been broken. Indulge today, and start again tomorrow… or next year.

So for 2024, my “non-resolution resolution” is to eat healthier, move more, take better care of my skin (i.e. use a daily moisturizer and sunscreen) and in general, just take better care of myself. I may lose some weight (or I may not), my right hip may hurt less, my skin might glow more, and my cholesterol might go down. And since my non-resolution resolution is as vague and general as possible – and thus hopefully more sustainable – I might as well start today, rather than waiting until midnight on December 31.

If you have any resolutions you’d like to share, please comment below. Making a public declaration right here on my blog will surely induce you to fulfill them!