Stick with It: MJCCA Offers New Year’s Resolutions that Work

To help you keep your New Year’s resolutions, the Marcus JCC consulted its fitness and wellness experts to come up with a handful of healthy habits for improving your outer body and inner mind in 2019.

“Resolutions that require hard work, like a resolution to lose weight, produce a lot of situations that make it easy to give up,” said MJCCA Group Fitness Director DeAnne Jacobson. “The key is to establish habits that counteract the most commonly encountered pitfalls.”

The MJCCA aims to help the community achieve its health goals by encouraging these five healthy habits:

1. Dress Out and Show Up: A critical step towards achieving your New Year’s resolutions is to be ready to do your chosen activity. “You’re not going to get anywhere with your resolution if you don’t show up,” says Valerie Chambers, MJCCA wellness coordinator. “Getting dressed and going to the gym is half the battle for most people. Make it easy on yourself by setting out your clothes the night before or putting your gym bag in your car.” Structure your schedule to prevent excuses, Chambers advises, and you’ll set yourself up for success.

2. Knowledge is Power: “If you don’t know where to start, you probably won’t,” Jacobson said. Familiarize yourself with any equipment you might need to meet your resolution. For example, if your resolution is to get fit, do some research, take stock of your equipment, and set benchmarks.

Knowing your equipment will help you meet your resolutions.

3. Find Accountability: “If you know someone is waiting for you to show up, you’re more likely to get up and go there,” Chambers said. If your resolution is to get fit, a personal trainer can provide both guidance and accountability on your fitness journey. Another option is a small group class. “You get to know the other people in the class, and start being accountable to one another,” Chambers said.

4. Take Care of Yourself: “Don’t try and do too much at once,” Chambers advises. Avoiding injuries and burnout are essential to a sustainable routine, whether your resolution is to learn to code or run a marathon. Steady progress is more likely to produce the results you want. “Don’t forget to take care of your mental and emotional health during this time of change in your life,” Chambers continues.

5. Have Fun: Celebrate your successes and enjoy your gains. “If you’ve gotten in great shape, come join in on our Heart Healthy Zumbathon and dance the night away,” Jacobson suggests. Share your success with your trainer or classmates.

For more information about the MJCCA, visit www.atlantajcc.org.