When a new year comes around it’s a time to toast with family and friends, watch the ball drop with Ryan Seacrest and also to come up with yet another New Year’s resolution.

New Year’s resolutions are hard to keep for the entire year, especially when it comes to keeping fit. The Wildcat Recreation Center is available for students of Chico State whose resolutions are to get in better shape and stick to it.

According to Teresa Clements, assistant director of the WREC, 38,337 students attended the center during the first two weeks of the 2014 spring semester, while only 23,755 students attended the center during the last two weeks. The number of students using the WREC drops dramatically during the course of a semester.

Clements believes that the high number of students that attend the center in the first two weeks of the spring semester may be related to New Year’s resolutions.

“Students make New Year’s resolutions two times a year, once at the beginning of each semester,” Clements said. “Whether it’s ‘I’m going to study harder, get better grades, or work out and get in better shape this year,’ either way we always see a large number of students come to the WREC at the beginning of each semester.”

According to a study done by the University of Scranton, two of the top five New Year’s resolutions made for 2014 had to do with losing weight and staying fit.

Jessica Boettger, Chico State student and an employee of the WREC, says that one of the best ways they can help students keep their New Year’s resolutions is by being available all semester long.

“Availability is the key. We are open longer hours during the semester. We have personal trainers, nutrition counseling and even free boot camp,” Boettger said.

The WREC hours for the spring semester in 2015 are:

• Monday-Wednesday: 6 a.m. to midnight
• Thursday: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Friday: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Jason Spies can be reached at [email protected] or @Jason_Spies on Twitter.