Some keep New Year’s resolutions, others falter

When Jessica Casey fist pumps twice a week to Enrique Iglesias’ “I Like It” in the dance… When Jessica Casey fist pumps twice a week to Enrique Iglesias’ “I Like It” in the dance studio at Trees Hall, she’s not practicing for her “Jersey Shore” audition — she’s working on her New Year’s resolution.

The Zumba class taught at the University helps Casey fulfill her resolution to lose weight through healthier eating and increased physical activity.

Although Casey, a doctoral student at Pitt, has so far stuck to her New Year’s resolution, a 2008 survey conducted by Stephen Shapiro and Opinion Research Corp. indicates that three out of four people do not achieve their goals. And 45 percent of “resolutionaries” don’t even make it to February.

With the bad reputation New Year’s resolutions have, many have abandoned what seems like a futile endeavor.

Freshman Mara Katz instead opts for monthly and weekly goals. Her current goal is to resist raising her hand so much in class because not everyone is going to care about her opinion.

“New Year’s Day is kind of arbitrary. I set goals whenever I feel I need to, not when the calendar says to,” Katz said. “When I feel there’s something I need to focus on, I focus on it.”

In addition, Katz finds it helpful to tell other people about her goals. Having someone else paying attention and checking up on her makes it harder for her to neglect her aspirations.

Lindsay Diethorn’s strategy for success involves making resolutions with tangible benefits. Resolving to improve her time management skills, the third year audiology doctoral student now has time to watch her favorite TV shows like “Modern Family” because she doesn’t procrastinate on her school assignments and keeps up with weekly chores like laundry.

Taking advantage of her set schedule, Diethorn uses her breaks in the day and free mornings to get work done, allowing her to stress less at the end of the day and on weekends.

Like 92 percent of the resolutionaries in the Stephen Shapiro study, Diethorn and Casey have both failed to succeed in their past resolutions.

Megan Turske, a counselor at Pitt’s office of Disability Resources and Services who frequently works with students on goal-setting, said setting up a successful resolution should include a back-up plan.

“You need to say to yourself, ‘I’m human. I might fail at this. What do I do if I fail?’” Turske said.

Turske said people frequently set unrealistic time frames for their goals, causing them to fail. She stressed the importance of setting small, short-term goals that will help achieve a long-term goal.

In addition, she recommends creating a goal timeline to break down an overall goal into smaller pieces to track and reward yourself as you progress. Finally, Turske suggests writing down a list of reasons you want to achieve that specific goal so that yous can reference it when yousfeel like reverting back to old behavior.

Unlike in the past, Diethorn’s trying to change a little bit at a time instead of making outrageously ambitious goals. She makes more reasonable to-do lists, and, in return, is rewarded with more free time.

Casey signed up for the Pittsburgh Half Marathon in May as a way to “staple down” her long-term goal of exercising regularly.

“I signed up for it, so I’m committed to running it,” she said. “I spent the money, so I don’t want it to be a waste.”

Casey currently trains for the half marathon three days a week and attends her Zumba class twice a week, giving her at least five scheduled workouts each week. So far, she’s been rewarded with weight loss in addition to more energy, encouraging her to stay on track with her resolution.

“I feel better when I’m done running,” Casey said. “That’s my reward.”