Despite the fact that Jan. 1 is no different from any other day of the year, many of us insist on setting new goals for the upcoming year. It’s great to challenge yourself to be the best you can be. Having a set date to motivate these changes, along with the support system of others who are working toward their own goals, is undeniably an added bonus. It makes sense that so many people attempt a new goal at the start of a new year. However, what is nearly as common as setting a New Year’s resolution? Breaking that same resolution. In fact, according to Forbes, just 8 percent of people actually reach their goals.

Huffington Post agrees with these statistics. According to Harvard Social Psychologist Amy Cuddy, New Year’s resolutions tend to be damaging to our self-image because of unattainable goals. This not only dampens motivation, but also triggers thoughts of failure. When our goals aren’t met, we lose positivity, which is key to reaching any goal.

It goes without being said that health is consistently the most common New Year’s resolution, and the numbers prove to be true right here at our own university. The Recreational Eagle Center sees a huge spike in users during the first few weeks of school and after that the activity significantly dies down. The REC averaged one card swipe every 10 seconds for a two hour period on the afternoon of Monday, Jan. 26, and the statistics from this time last year have a similar trend. February of last year had over 55,000 card swipes into the REC, while March and April hovered around 38,000. May only had 16,500 swipes, and January alone had 22,591, despite the fact that the semester begins at the very end of the month.

While this jump in REC users can be frustrating for those who use the REC consistently, I thought it would be interesting to hear from a REC staff member regarding these numbers.

“The best part of working during the first couple weeks back second semester is the pure energy and enthusiasm everyone brings to the REC,” said senior Alex Joers, a Building Manager at the REC. “Numbers pick up significantly and I think the worst part for me would be that while working I can’t jump in and participate in all the fitness programs.”

While many more students than normal use the REC in January, UW-L is an active campus. The numbers decrease as the semester progresses, but there are other reasons for this aside from unmet New Year’s resolutions.

“I wish we all had more time to be able to come be active at the REC once school year gets more under way,” said Joers. “More than 90 percent of our student population swipes through to get into the REC at least once. While I think we notice more people during the first few weeks, people are just getting used to their schedules. Additionally, warmer weather on the way will draw down the numbers of people inside.”

While many of us undoubtedly forget our New Year’s resolutions by March, the reason for the drop in numbers at the REC may have just as much to do with changes in weather.