Red Bank’s Community YMCA Health and Wellness Center on Maple Avenue hosts an Open House event on January 10, part of a statewide initiative to promote positive personal change and good health.

Press release from The Community YMCA

It seems nearly everyone has a “New Year’s resolution,” but statistics indicate that less than a quarter of these resolutions are kept.

Creating personal change takes effort, and support. To encourage individuals and families to make their resolutions a reality, YMCAs across the state have come together to host an Open House event at their local facilities on January 10 — including the Health and Wellness Center of the Red Bank-based Community YMCA.

Families and individuals of all ages are invited to the January 10 event, going on between 9 am and 3 pm. Tours of the facility will be available, and for those who decide to sign up for a membership during the open house, the Y is offering the month of January for free.

“Everyone resolves to improve,” says Linda Ambis, Vice President of the CYMCA’s facility on Maple Avenue.  “We all say, ‘Someday I’ll get on a regular workout routine; someday I’ll play sports again; someday I’ll have more time to spend with my kids’.”

“Our message is, why keep waiting? Local YMCAs are a place where you can do this today,” she adds.

Because personal change can be difficult, Ambis noted, it’s important to take steps to make sure you stick with a routine:

Write it down: Write down exactly what you want to accomplish… and don’t hide it away your desk drawer! Post your goals in a prominent place where you’ll view them, and remind yourself, every day. Keep a journal of your progress, so you can measure yourself and keep yourself accountable.

Get comfortable with being outside your comfort zone: If change were easy, more people would succeed. Accept that change is difficult. Embrace the challenge.

Become active: Schedule into your day time for you and or your family to engage in physical activity.  Walk, swim, bike on your own or take an exercise class.  There is a social aspect to taking fitness classes which increases your probability for continued exercise.  Whether or not your goals are fitness-related, eating properly and being physically engaged is important to a healthy lifestyle.

Don’t do it alone: Difficult changes can become almost impossible when you bear the weight alone. It’s important to enlist support. A support system not only holds you accountable, it makes things more fun. Let others help you, and you’ll not only be more likely to accomplish your goals, you’ll foster stronger relationships in your life.

Financial assistance is available for those who qualify at The Community YMCA. To learn more about the “Start Your Someday Today” program and the Open House, visit www.TheCommunityYMCA.org/YToday or call (732)741-2504.