New Year's Resolutions

NEW YEAR'S Resolution Celebrating the new year's arrival means kisses and champagne and...resolutions. Each year millions of Americans make themselves promises of self-improvement. How'd we do? TOP 10 Most Commonly Broken New Year's Resolutions according to a 2012 TIME Magazine study 1 Get Fit Less than half of Americans (47%) get the recommended amount of aerobic exercise. Less than one-quarter of Americans (22.4%) get the recommended amount of muscle-strengthening exercise. 60% of gym memberships go unused. Travel to 2 New Places Americans top 5 vacation destinations are: > Mexico (20.3 million visitors annually) • Canada (12.5 million) U.K. (2.9 million) > France (2.1 million) >Italy (1.9 million) 3 Quit Smoking 19.3% of Americans are cigarette smokers. Approximately half of cigarette smokers will die from a smoking related disease. Only 15% of those who try and quit smoking remain cigarette-free six-months later. Learn Something New 4 40% of college students are over the age of 25. 75% of colleges offer online courses. Diet and Eat Healthier More than one-third of Americans (35.7%) are obese. Almost 17% of Åmerican children are obese. Be Less 6 STRESS Stressed 77% of Americans regularly experience physical symptoms due to stress, and 73% of Americans experience psychological symptoms. 7. Get Out of Debt 7 and Save Money Americans make 1.5 trillion in credit card purchases each year. 40% of US families spend more than they earn. American households pay an average of $950 in interest each year. Spend More Time with Family 8 About 40 % of children who do not live with their biological father have not seen him during the past 12 months; more than half of them have never been in his home and 26% of those fathers live in a different state than their children. 9 Volunteer Over a quarter of Americans, about 64 million people, volunteer their time at least once a year to a non-profit organization. Drink Less 10 66% of Americans consume alcohol, with an average consumption of 4 drinks a week. 22% of drinkers say they 'sometimes drink more than they should'. Success and Frequency in New Year's Resolutions Percent of Americans who usually make New Year's Resolutions Percent of Americans who are always successful in achieving their resolution 45% 8% Percent of Americans who are infrequently successful in achieving their resolution Percent of Americans who infrequently make New Year's Resolutions 17% 49% Percent of Americans who never make New Year's Resolutions Percent of Americans who are never successful in achieving their resolution 38% 24% Type of Resolutions Self Improvement or education related resolutions 47% Weight related resolutions 38% Money related resolutions 34% Relationship related resolutions 31% Age Success Rates 100 80 39% 60 40 14% 20 Percent of people in their 20s who achieve their resolution each year Percent of people over 50 who achieve their resolution each year Length of Resolutions 100 75% 80 71% 64% Resolution maintained through first week 60 46% Past two weeks Past one 40 month Past six months 20 Go Greek - Emulate The Stoics Founded in ancient Greece in 3 B.C., Stoicism was one of the most successful schools of Hellenistic philosophy. When pondering your New Year's resolution, consider these five interpretations of Stoic values: 2 3 I SHOULD BE Live according to nature. Commit to self- improvement routines. Be dutiful, which may include attempting to persuade others of one's belief. Central to all else, maintain a proper attitude. Help others. Make Your Resolution Stick! Sure, most people fail in keeping their New Year's resolutions. But with these tips, you can be part of the minority. Have someone else make your resolution for you. Get some support. Be specific. Celebrate successes by rewarding yourself. Focus on quitting bad habits, not starting new ones. Write it down. Be prepared for inevitable setbacks. Be realistic. 元 Make the change a gradual one. Track your progress. SOURCES http://www.time com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2040218 2040220_2040221,00.html http://www.statisticbrain.com/exercise-statistics/, http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/ article/0,28804,2040218_2040220_2040221,00 html http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-29848550 http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/tables/index.htm, http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2040218_2040220_2040375,00.html http://ezinearticles.com/?Statistics-on-Adults-Returning-to-College&id=3639820 http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/dataladult.html http://www.statisticbrain.com/stress-statistics/ http://www.progressiverelief.com/consumer-debt-statistics.html http://www.percy-ricketts.com/stats. php http://www.bls.gov/news release/volun.nr0. htm http://www.gallup.com/poll/141656/drinking-rate-edges-slightly-year-high, aspx http://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/ http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/stoicism/a/123007NYResolve.htm infiniwiz Infinite Possibilitles NEW YEAR'S Resolution Celebrating the new year's arrival means kisses and champagne and...resolutions. Each year millions of Americans make themselves promises of self-improvement. How'd we do? TOP 10 Most Commonly Broken New Year's Resolutions according to a 2012 TIME Magazine study 1 Get Fit Less than half of Americans (47%) get the recommended amount of aerobic exercise. Less than one-quarter of Americans (22.4%) get the recommended amount of muscle-strengthening exercise. 60% of gym memberships go unused. Travel to 2 New Places Americans top 5 vacation destinations are: > Mexico (20.3 million visitors annually) • Canada (12.5 million) U.K. (2.9 million) > France (2.1 million) >Italy (1.9 million) 3 Quit Smoking 19.3% of Americans are cigarette smokers. Approximately half of cigarette smokers will die from a smoking related disease. Only 15% of those who try and quit smoking remain cigarette-free six-months later. Learn Something New 4 40% of college students are over the age of 25. 75% of colleges offer online courses. Diet and Eat Healthier More than one-third of Americans (35.7%) are obese. Almost 17% of Åmerican children are obese. Be Less 6 STRESS Stressed 77% of Americans regularly experience physical symptoms due to stress, and 73% of Americans experience psychological symptoms. 7. Get Out of Debt 7 and Save Money Americans make 1.5 trillion in credit card purchases each year. 40% of US families spend more than they earn. American households pay an average of $950 in interest each year. Spend More Time with Family 8 About 40 % of children who do not live with their biological father have not seen him during the past 12 months; more than half of them have never been in his home and 26% of those fathers live in a different state than their children. 9 Volunteer Over a quarter of Americans, about 64 million people, volunteer their time at least once a year to a non-profit organization. Drink Less 10 66% of Americans consume alcohol, with an average consumption of 4 drinks a week. 22% of drinkers say they 'sometimes drink more than they should'. Success and Frequency in New Year's Resolutions Percent of Americans who usually make New Year's Resolutions Percent of Americans who are always successful in achieving their resolution 45% 8% Percent of Americans who are infrequently successful in achieving their resolution Percent of Americans who infrequently make New Year's Resolutions 17% 49% Percent of Americans who never make New Year's Resolutions Percent of Americans who are never successful in achieving their resolution 38% 24% Type of Resolutions Self Improvement or education related resolutions 47% Weight related resolutions 38% Money related resolutions 34% Relationship related resolutions 31% Age Success Rates 100 80 39% 60 40 14% 20 Percent of people in their 20s who achieve their resolution each year Percent of people over 50 who achieve their resolution each year Length of Resolutions 100 75% 80 71% 64% Resolution maintained through first week 60 46% Past two weeks Past one 40 month Past six months 20 Go Greek - Emulate The Stoics Founded in ancient Greece in 3 B.C., Stoicism was one of the most successful schools of Hellenistic philosophy. When pondering your New Year's resolution, consider these five interpretations of Stoic values: 2 3 I SHOULD BE Live according to nature. Commit to self- improvement routines. Be dutiful, which may include attempting to persuade others of one's belief. Central to all else, maintain a proper attitude. Help others. Make Your Resolution Stick! Sure, most people fail in keeping their New Year's resolutions. But with these tips, you can be part of the minority. Have someone else make your resolution for you. Get some support. Be specific. Celebrate successes by rewarding yourself. Focus on quitting bad habits, not starting new ones. Write it down. Be prepared for inevitable setbacks. Be realistic. 元 Make the change a gradual one. Track your progress. SOURCES http://www.time com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2040218 2040220_2040221,00.html http://www.statisticbrain.com/exercise-statistics/, http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/ article/0,28804,2040218_2040220_2040221,00 html http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-29848550 http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/tables/index.htm, http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2040218_2040220_2040375,00.html http://ezinearticles.com/?Statistics-on-Adults-Returning-to-College&id=3639820 http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/dataladult.html http://www.statisticbrain.com/stress-statistics/ http://www.progressiverelief.com/consumer-debt-statistics.html http://www.percy-ricketts.com/stats. php http://www.bls.gov/news release/volun.nr0. htm http://www.gallup.com/poll/141656/drinking-rate-edges-slightly-year-high, aspx http://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/ http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/stoicism/a/123007NYResolve.htm infiniwiz Infinite Possibilitles