Psychologists offer a number of reasons why “losing weight” is often unsuccessful, including that the phrase is not optimistic—it is a negative rather than positive resolution.

TheIR Show2025

The New Year is a fresh opportunity for youth development staff to encourage healthy habits, with a positive outlook. Here are a few ways to help children re-set and achieve their full potential:

Losing weight is among the most popular American resolutions when it comes to celebrating a New Year. It also has an 80% failure rate by the second week of February.

Las Vegas ShoeShow 2024

Remember that healthy resolutions for children are not always related to nutrition and physical activity. Completing homework, donating money, volunteering, learning a new instrument or skill, or practicing positive self-affirmations are many ways that youth can begin to develop healthy habits.

IR Show San Diego2025

Applying a positive mindset to resolutions increases the chance of success — similar to the way Y staff introduces Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) standards in our afterschool programs and summer camps.