More resolutions focus on fitness than finances

Let's see, it's Jan. 2. That means about half of you have probably already broken your New Year's resolutions.

The rest of you — the die-hards — will probably break them tomorrow, or at least by the end of the month.

If you're like me, that is.

Also if you're like me, one of your primary goals for the new year will be getting in shape. And we are not alone.

According to research based on recent activity on Arizona-based Web site myGoals.com, 26 percent of New Year's resolutions for 2005 are expected to center around health and fitness, up from 22 percent last year.

But while more of us will be hitting the gym this year, apparently fewer of us are worried about our jobs. While career concerns were the leading category of resolutions two years ago, that number dropped to 18 percent in 2004 and 13 percent for this year.

"In a typical year, only about 10 percent of resolutions are career-related," said Greg Helmstetter, CEO of myGoals.com, in a prepared statement. "That number nearly tripled in 2003 to 27 percent, but the past two years have shown a consistent trend returning things back to normal. . . . To the extent that resolutions reflect what people are focused on for the coming year, this is a very encouraging sign that people are optimistic about their economic security."

Those statements are supported by an Accountemps survey of 525 men and women aged 18 years or older and employed in professional environments. When asked how often their New Year's resolutions were career-related, 55 percent said "never." When asked if they made career resolutions last year, 14 percent said yes, but 85 percent said no.

"Many people focus their New Year's resolutions on ways to spend more time with loved ones or make other quality-of-life improvements," said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps, in a prepared statement. "But work also contributes to one's overall well-being, which makes this time of year ideal for re-evaluating career aspirations and developing detailed plans for achieving them."

Perhaps. But apparently more people are worried about their waistlines than their bottom lines in 2005.

"You can think of it as a modern application of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: First you worry about putting food on the table, and only then do you worry about how much of it you should actually eat," Helmstetter said.

Coming in third on the myGoals.com list of resolutions was "time management and organization" at 13 percent, followed by "personal growth and interests" at 12 percent and "personal finance" at 12 percent.