The excitement of the holidays is underway, but what happens when Jan. 2 rolls around and those healthy New Year’s resolutions take the spotlight? Are you ready to tackle them?

Our Winter STREAK program can help you get started.

The 12-week virtual program encourages participants to improve their overall wellness during the cold winter months with fun activities, six bi-weekly workshops, a wellness guide, newsletter and plenty of resources. There are even prizes!

Last year’s program had more than 1,300 participants. More than 250 people made progress or met a goal they set for themselves during Winter STREAK. This year’s workshops will help participants focus on practicing gratitude, doing stretching exercises, learning healthy recipes and more.

“This program is an opportunity for community members to focus on their goals and overall well-being during a time that may be difficult to find motivation,” says Jennifer Gastley, community health coordinator and Winter STREAK program facilitator. “Even if you’ve participated in the program every year, there’s still something new you can learn.”

Tammy’s small changes

During her Winter STREAK session, Tammy Crouse began moving items in her office farther away from her desk to help take a break from sitting all day. By choosing to focus on small things like this, she has lost 13 pounds.

“I’ve always struggled with weight loss,” says Tammy “My goal coming into the program was to find new ways to move more and lose weight. It helped me realize there are small things I can do to make myself the priority. I’ve continued to be more self-aware of these habits and was able to keep off the weight.”

She’s looking forward to learning more healthy tips when the program kicks off in January. Tammy encourages anyone who’s looking to take that first step to give Winter STREAK a try.

“Knowledge is power, and this program is an easy way to educate yourself,” says Tammy. “If you’re struggling and want to get healthy, this is an easy, free way to help make any big or small changes in your life.” 

Sean’s personal record

Sean Burns set one goal for himself when he started participating in Winter STREAK – to break his personal record for a half-marathon. The program’s workshops motivated him to begin training and break down his goal into individual steps he could achieve. In October, he beat his old record by eight minutes.

“I run year-round, but Winter STREAK was an opportunity for me to think through my training process over the next eight months,” says Sean. “It helped me get into the mindset of setting a goal and then working toward that goal.”

Sean took his lunch breaks during the scheduled workshops so he could participate and ask questions. He enjoyed the first topic so much that he attended all six sessions.

“There was a lot of laughter, and I really appreciated the instructors using humor while engaging with us,” he says. “It made the workshops light and fun but still educational.”

His next goal? Setting a new personal record in a marathon in 2025. He looks forward to participating in Winter STREAK again in the upcoming year and learning new tips that will help him through his training journey.

“This program is an opportunity to learn new things and reminds you to keep going if you previously started a goal but stopped,” says Sean. “Just don’t give up.”

Winter STREAK begins Jan. 6 and runs through March 28. Learn more about the program and register for all upcoming workshops by visiting winterstreak.org.