Posted January 17, 2012
If you’re a woman who made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight and you’ve made it this far without falling off the diet bandwagon, give yourself a hearty pat on the back. You’re above average. If you’re a man, you need to hang tough — but not for much longer.
A poll financed by the insurance industry found that the average woman who resolves to lose weight makes it only until Jan. 6 before breaking that vow. Men do better, but not by a lot. They tend to keep their diet resolutions until Jan. 18.
It turns out that few New Year’s resolutions make it past the end of January. According to the researchers, men who resolve to give up drinking usually manage for about a week, while women go two weeks. If quitting smoking is your focus, women last an average of seven days before lighting up again, while men go 20 days.
The resolution that lasts the longest? Exercising. Men who vow to start following a fitness routine tend to stick with it for six weeks, which is about twice as long as women.
Don’t feel bad if you came up short. At least you tried. A survey conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion in December found that 62 percent of Americans didn’t plan to make any resolutions for 2012.
And, as they say in sports, there’s always next year.
©2012 the Star Tribune (Minneapolis)