Exerise and weight loss No. 1 New Year's Resolution

New Year’s Eve is steeped in several traditions. It’s a time to gather with families and friends and ring in the New Year with a celebration of food, drink, and rousing sing-along of “Auld Lang Syne.” It’s also a time to reflect on the events of the past year, and look at what the new year will bring. A part of looking forward is the tradition of having a New Year’s resolution. In which a person makes a promise to do an act of self-improvement or something slightly nice.

Some of the most common resolutions include eat healthier, drink less, and quit smoking. In addition to physical resolutions, there are also mental well-being promises to yourself, such as think more positively, laugh more, slow down and enjoy life, and socialize more often. However, the number one New Year’s resolution is to lose weight and exercise.

According to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, 33 to 50 percent of gym memberships start in January. Additionally, the second week of January is the busiest of the year. However, 80 percent of the New Year’s Resolution crowd drops off by the second week of February. Studies have shown that a high percentage of the people who set New Year’s resolutions, fail. With one of the most common reasons for those failures is setting unrealistic goals.

Health and fitness expert, Emmett Williams, said he believes that much of the abandonment comes from the lack of result that we see, “our mentality is that if it’s not quick enough, then it won’t work.” To keep yourself motivated, he recommends creating goals that are achievable.

Of the other top reasons people stop exercising, or going to the gym include time constraints; the expense of their membership; and lost motivation. According to fitness experts, going to the gym, or getting into a regular exercise routine, is a matter of creating a habit. Once a person see’s results, it becomes empowering, and the habit becomes easier.

It’s also important to continually remind yourself of why you are exercising and to focus on the long-term health benefits. Exercising with friends or colleagues can also help reinforce the decision to exercise and diet.

“Exercise is good for your body, and your spirit,” said Oula instructor, Tammy Lowry. She teaches at St. Regis School as an Adult Education class. Oula is a “high energy, easy to learn, calorie burning, crazy-fun dance workout” according to her class description. She teaches it on Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and classes are free of charge.

Lowry has been teaching Oula for four years and said it’s “dance mania for the soul. It’s not how it looks, but how it feels that’s important, and to have fun.”

Another free exercise class that’s available in Superior is an “Adult Education Energy Balancing Class” offered on Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m. This is for community members and held at RiverWalk Wellness at 12 Mullan Road West. Another class is “Adult Circuit Training” available on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5:15 to 6 a.m. in the Superior High School gym weight room. The weight room in St. Regis is also available for community use on weekdays from 6:45 to 8 a.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until noon.

The Mayo Clinic recommends a general goal of 30 minutes of physical activity every day. If a person wants to achieve greater health benefits and weight loss, they recommend 300 minutes a week, or approximately 40 minutes per day. The high-end of the spectrum is 90 minutes per day.

The effects of exercise are cumulative and it doesn’t have to be done all at once. However, individuals do have to get the heart pumping. Little life adjustments can add up to big rewards, such as walking to the post office instead of driving, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or doing some sit-ups while watching your favorite TV show instead of just sitting on the couch.