EVERETT — For years, losing weight or getting healthy has topped millions of New Year’s resolution lists.
And for years, they’ve proven to be challenging resolutions to stick with.
Pulling from research done by a professor at the University of Scranton, the website Statistic Brain notes that less than half of Americans regularly make New Year’s resolutions. For those who do, losing weight is the most common resolution and staying fit and healthy is the fifth most common.
A 2014 YMCA survey found that less than a quarter of participants kept the resolutions they made at the turn of the new year. Four out of every 10 people surveyed said they gave up within a few months of Jan. 1. More than 70 percent of participants, including many who said they’d given up within a few months, stated that they tried to stick to their resolutions but ended up falling short.
At local Ys, the hope is that people can keep up with their resolutions by setting gradual steps, said Colleen Temple, spokeswoman for the YMCA of Snohomish County.
“’Getting healthy’ is not a goal — it’s too broad,” she said. “You can re-frame that broad resolution into multiple, more manageable and measurable goals.”
For example, before promising to work out every day, start exercising at least three days a week. People can work their way up from there.
The Ys in Everett, Marysville, Mill Creek, Monroe, Mukilteo and Stanwood-Camano waive the joining fee from Jan. 2 to 15. Between Monday and Friday, people can try out the Y for free.
The Lose to Win program also starts this month. It focuses on eating healthier, moving more and dropping pounds. The year-long program for adults starts with weekly sessions for 12 weeks, then monthly sessions for nine months. It costs $149 for Y members in January; the cost is higher for non-members.
Whether it’s a Y or another fitness center, people should tour gyms before joining, according to a news release from the Snohomish County YMCA. It’s important to find a place that is motivating, which may mean something different for every person.
Some special events are planned. At the Stanwood-Camano YMCA, the Active Older Adults group is having its Healthy Habits potluck on Thursday. The plan is to bring healthy snacks to the Y’s community room at noon and enjoy the food while talking about recipes, activities and ways to stay healthy.
Physical fitness isn’t the only resolution people struggle to keep. Many folks want to reduce stress and improve their mental health.
That can be accomplished through resolutions such as reducing the amount of time people spend staring at phones, computers or televisions.
Resolutions that involve cutting something out work better when they are changed to swapping something out, Temple said.
Instead of trying to reduce screen time, she advises replacing screen time with something else, such as volunteering or family activities.
Whatever the resolution might be, breaking bad habits and building good ones take time, Temple said.
“Nobody got their bad habits over the course of a week, so you’re not going to change them in a week, either,” she said.
A list of resolutions also shouldn’t be too long, she said. Trying to change too much at once is more frustrating than successful. Sometimes, monthly resolutions throughout the year work better than a long to-do list on Jan. 1.
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.
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