What are British Columbians' new year's resolutions?

The second day of the year was a cold and dreary one. But that didn’t deter 84-year-old Derek from pursuing his new year’s resolutions on Tuesday—which include three laps of Oak Bay High’s running track on a regular basis and 200 squats per week.

“Because squats take care of your mental well-being and your physical well-being,” he noted Tuesday.

In fact, a recent survey by Forbes magazine showed improving fitness was the number one resolution for 2024, with 48 per cent of those polled citing that as their top goal. Also near the top of the list were improving finances, improving mental health and spending more time with loved ones.

Cutting back on alcohol is another resolution for some.

Tim Stockwell is a scientist and researcher at the University of Victoria and director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research. He says simply a “dry January” has its benefits, noting improved sleep in the short term.

Stockwell says in the long term there are obvious health benefits from reducing alcohol consumption—a study from his institute shows one drink is as bad for your health as smoking a cigarette.

“This is not a benign safe thing – W.H.O. says it’s like asbestos and tobacco, so we need to treat it with a little bit of respect,” said Stockwell Tuesday.

When it comes to keeping your resolutions, most of us don’t. The same Forbes survey showed that the majority of those polled maintained their resolutions between two and three months, but not beyond four months, and a paltry one per cent kept them for a year.