Making New Year’s resolutions a success
Jim Hedge crosses the finish line at a 5K race.
Jim Hedge and Jacqueline Ely, a nutritionist at Cameron Wellness Center, are shown after running a 5K race.
Two years ago, Jim Hedge looked in the mirror and didn’t like what he saw.
He was about to turn 31 years old, and he felt old. His energy was lacking, but his waistline was not.
“I felt like my health was starting to slip away,” he said.
Hedge, who lives in the Brookline section of Pittsburgh, decided to meet with Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center nutritionist Jacqueline Ely at the South Strabane Township facility. Like many people, he made a New Year’s resolution. But unlike many, he stuck to it.
Since 2013, he lost about 40 pounds.
“Once the weight started coming off, everything else got easier,” he said, adding he is more relaxed and has a better attitude. “If you take care of your body, your body takes care of you.”
Wellness center fitness manager Kendra Boni said the secret to keeping a New Year’s resolution is to follow the “S.M.A.R.T.” principle. The acronym means goals should be specific, measureable, attainable, realistic and timely.
“It’s not enough to simply say you want to lose weight in the New Year,” she wrote in an email. “Set short- and long-term goals for yourself. For example, ‘I want to fit into my skinny jeans by June 1,’ or ‘I will visit my local gym and try a yoga, Zumba and water class before Jan. 31.'”
She said setting measurable goals can be helped by visiting an exercise physiologist who will complete a pre-assessment, which measures aspects of weight, body fat, circumference, flexibility, cardiovascular health and endurance.
“You may end up setting goals that you didn’t even know you had to work on,” she said.
Small, short-term goals are key to setting attainable goals. They should lead up to an ultimate, long-term goal, she said.
To set a realistic goal, she said it is important to consider all aspects of life. She gave an example of planning five morning gym trips without having a babysitter lined up.
A nutritionist or exercise physiologist can help set timely goals for weight loss.
“For instance, if you need to lose 20 pounds, you cannot think that will happen in two weeks,” she said.
Hedge attributed his accomplished goals to his nutritionist. He said she had a positive attitude, helped him visualize his goals and provided accountability.
“It was great to work with him along the way,” Ely said.
One of his goals was to start running. At his first 5K in October 2013, his time was 32:08. He ran his most recent 5K, the Jingle Bell Run in Pittsburgh, alongside Ely and finished in 26:32, a personal best.
His next goal is to quit smoking. On Dec. 23, he said he hadn’t smoked a cigarette in six weeks. He said he worked in a steel mill with other smokers.
“These bad habits seemed to follow me in my career,” he said. “About six weeks ago, I decided to quit smoking once and for all.”
Six contestants for the Observer-Reporter and Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center’s Biggest Winner are setting goals of their own, like losing baby weight and exercising to prevent the risk of heart disease.
Observer-Reporter Editor Liz Rogers and O-R+ Event Marketing Manager Carole DeAngelo will join Jessica Tennant, Larry Butka, Kelly Stanton and Paul Setto as contestants. They will work out for six weeks beginning Jan. 12 and compete for prizes.