New Year, new you. It’s a time-honored tradition to set new goals at the start of the new year. People often plan to exercise more, eat healthier, lose weight, give up alcohol, cut back on coffee and soda, learn a new skill, or improve their finances.
This year, Forbes found that improving one’s fitness and finances topped the list.
Here’s what Brooklynites told Brooklyn Paper is on the docket for this year:
Vinicao Vannuccini set a couple of goals for the New Year. Last year, Vannuccini failed at one of his resolutions — to exercise regularly. But the Park Sloper has set out to stick to it this year.
“So I signed up [with a gym] finally, and I’m going three times a week. Let’s see if it will continue,” Vannuccini told Brooklyn Paper.
The second goal was to spend more time with his wife and son.
“Work takes over too often, and I don’t have a balance of life,” Vannuccini said. “I’m trying to leave the office a little bit earlier and be present at home and try to spend as much time as I can with my three-year-old and my wife.”
Fort Greene resident Kevin Chu’s New Year’s resolution was to drink less alcohol. While he wasn’t participating in “Dry January,” where people give up alcohol the first month of the new year, it was more of a “Damp January” for him.
“I’m not trying to do it like cold turkey. I don’t really believe in that method,” Chu said. “But you know, more moderate drinking.”
Heather Johnston, owner of Good Wine on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, said that as a business owner, her goals were to get through the year and do better than last year.
“Those are the goals, to stay in the game and do better,” Johnston said.
Johnston shared that because of “Dry January,” Good Wine offers an array of non-alcoholic and low-alcohol wines for customers wanting to stay sober during the month as part of their New Year’s resolutions. Additionally, Good Wine is holding a “Try January” class on Jan. 11, recommending six new no- or low-alcohol wines paired with delicious snacks. Anyone who is interested can sign up via the store’s website.
“[Dry January] is really something we are trying to accommodate. There are a lot of newer low-alcohol and no-alcohol wines,” Johnston explained. “But yes, whenever people are abstaining, it’s never good for the wine and spirit industries.”
Allyson Ames, a team member at Good Wine, had a completely different take on the concept of New Year’s resolutions.
“My age has taken me to a place where I feel like I’ve had every New Year’s resolution, and I don’t want anymore,” Ames shared with Brooklyn Paper.
