This is the time of year that many take time to check in on their New Year’s resolutions, which for the majority of makers is weight loss.

Every person has a different reason for going to the gym, each having different motivations, whether it be to lose weight, get fit or to live healthier.

The WELL is a popular place for students when the New Year comes around. 

Sacramento State student Sarah Gwinn, speech-pathology major, is still going strong on her resolution to get fit. 

“I might be going to Mexico this summer so I want to fit in my bikini,” Gwinn said.

Alix Higgins, speech-pathology major, said the reason she goes to the WELL is to pursue a healthier lifestyle.

“The primary reason I go is so that I can be a healthier person. I also go because I want to lose weight, which I believe is part of being healthy,” Higgins said.

Gwinn and Higgins are classmates, friends and gym buddies. 

“When we go to the WELL together we accomplish so much more than if we had gone separately,” Higgins said.

Both students graduating this May, they each found that when they moved to college they were too busy to get to the gym, and their exercise routines and their nutrition habits suffered. 

“I’ve found that since I started college, my nutrition, exercise and sleep routines have diminished. I’m working on improving those,” Higgins said.

Matt Bowen plans to be a frequent visitor of the gym, and although he thinks people go to the gym because they’re influenced by society and the media, he said he goes to feel good.

“Society says that you have to “be active” and/or “be skinny,” so I think that’s why they go,” Bowen said.

Higgins agreed with Bowen, and thinks too many people focus on what society tells them to look like, rather than their own health.

“I was raised as a member of a family that didn’t necessarily care about beauty, just a strong work ethic and compassion,” Higgins said. “I will always believe that weight and health are individual to each person.”

Student Health and Counseling Services offers nutrition counseling that covers topics such as healthy eating and weight management. If students are finding it hard to follow their New Year’s resolutions and need a few tips, the staff at the Wellness Promotion office can help students kick start healthy lifestyles any day of the year.