By Abigail Cloutier
One question that some may pose as they venture into the new year is, “Why do people fall off the wayside with their New Year’s resolutions?”
Health and fitness resolutions usually dominate the new year. Brandon Maffitt, a senior music education major, he has big plans in mind for his 2020 resolution.
“Two goals of mine are to try and run between 800-900 miles and to do a half-marathon this year,” Maffitt said. “I fell behind this last week. I’m planning to literally hit the ground running now. I’m determined to make it happen this year.”
Managing a health and fitness routine as a student often comes with its own challenges.
“I don’t know if it’s a lack of motivation or just getting so cluttered with everything else in their lives. … But at the end of the day, that just cheats yourself,” Maffitt said. “If it’s really something you want to accomplish, you have to put everything else aside and commit to it.”
Lindsey Bechter, a senior dietetics major, works in the Wellness and Resource Center inside of the Andrews Student Recreation and Wellness Center, which helps students and athletes manage their diet and overall well-being.
Bechter said the Wellness and Resource center was completely booked last week and this week.
“We also have a lot in the beginning of the fall semester as well, but there’s more now just because of the whole New Year’s resolution thing,” she said.
According to Bechter, taking a resolution “piece-by-piece is where you see more successes.”
“Specifically on campus, I feel like a lot of students aren’t using resources as well as they could,” she said.
The YMCA downtown Youngstown facility also suffers from the same rise and fall in participation, according to Meri Fetkovich, senior director of health and wellness at the YMCA.
“We definitely have an increase with the New Year’s resolutions, which is fantastic,” Fetkovich said. “Some people do manage to hang on, so it’s excellent. They keep that momentum going.”
Fetkovich recommends starting small instead of trying to take on a big goal all at once.
“I’ve seen people that you would have never thought stick with it because they come in with such a negative attitude, and then they end up loving it,” she said. “It’s all about finding something that you really enjoy doing and that you want to do.”
Bechter said setting realistic goals is crucial when sticking with a New Year’s resolution.
“Saying I want to lose 30 pounds in six months is not realistic,” said Bechter. “There’s no smart goal to that. … If you can keep your stress levels down and you can focus on one thing at a time, there’s more success.”
According to Bechter, she is currently working on a Nutrition Education Series with the rec center to help combat some of these issues.
“I wanted to create an education series where students can come and learn little bits and pieces about normal nutrition,” Bechter said. “We’re going to talk about goal setting, what to look for when you’re trying to make a change in your habits.”
The Nutrition Education Series is once a month in the President’s Suite of Kilcawley Center from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
