The turn of the new year often means new beginnings, but for many, keeping those new beginnings is a challenge.

Barry Westerkamp with Anytime Fitness in Pella says the number one New Year’s resolution every year is losing weight, but only 8% percent of the population is actually able to make their goal. Westerkamp says there are two main components that make a successful fitness goal: a strong reason to keep the weight off and someone to hold you accountable, because he says motivation in general doesn’t last very long. A free session discussing ways to maintain New Year’s Resolutions is being held on Monday, January 5th at 7 p.m. at Anytime Fitness in Pella.