The new year can be a time of change, resolutions, and new ventures. Healthy habits are often some of those ventures but can be seen as intimidating to some. Knowing how to start a new, healthy routing can often be a task itself. 

The YMCA of Greater Cleveland is here to help kickstart health habits with the launch of its 2022 Reset Challenge.

The Reset Challenge, aimed to promote health and wellness, is an online program that starts Monday, Feb. 7. The YMCA provides a list of healthy habits to choose from under “mind,” “body,” and “spirit” categories, which include a variety of exercise routines, meditations, puzzles, relaxation activities, and practicing gratitude.

“By this time of the year, most people’s new year’s resolutions have fallen flat,” says YMCA of Greater Cleveland director of health and wellness Linda McVey. “We all want to have healthier lifestyles.”

People who set goals are 94% more likely to stick with them nine months later, according to Strava, an app that lets people track and share their exercises.

The Reset Challenge runs for 21 days and can be set up via the Strava app. The program consists of a series of three steps: First, choose one healthy habit that you will stick to; second, find a partner or group to work on the challenge with; third, track your progress through RESET Bingo, an online board, where participants can get you prizes through achieving five goals in a row.

McVey says the 21 days of the Reset Challenge is the perfect amount of time to help participants follow through with keeping their  resolutions. “Practically, it’s hard to keep up with things that are many weeks long,” she says. “By focusing on one thing for 21 days, it can help people achieve their goals.”

The list of habits to choose from vary in the body, the mind, and the spirit categories. For instance, the habits for the body could be 10,000 steps a day, stretching for 10 to 15 minutes, or any exercise that helps your physical wellbeing. The mind habits are practices such as meditation or reducing screen time, where spirit can be changes in attitude and journaling positive thoughts. Or participants can create their own activities.

“A lot of people are choosing goals that deal with handling stress and making better connections with family members,” says McVey. “I’ve seen people declutter their household.”

Participants will receive texts throughout the program featuring motivational tips and tools to set and reach goals.

The RESET Bingo is set up so that participants can receive rewards once a week over the course of the three weeks. Prizes include a activity tracker smart watch in the first week; wireless headphones for the second week; and a $200 Dick’s Sporting Goods gift card in week three. 

Those play RESET Bingo can enter into a drawing to win the Reset Challenge grand prize, which consists of a duffel bag, a hydro flask water bottle, a workout log book, and a $150 Dick’s gift card. 

The prizes are an added bonus, says McVey, but the real reward is in the personal achievement in starting new healthy habits and reaching a goal. 

“Behavior change and lifestyle change are really hard to do,” says McVey. “We tend to criticize ourselves that we can’t achieve what we want to achieve. This challenge exists because we know what it takes to make lifelong change.”

To sign up, text RESET to (844) 889-6222, or click here.