This is the time of year when millions of Americans try to put their New Year's resolutions into action.

As we all know, one of the most common resolutions is to maintain a regular exercise schedule. Then, before you know it, it's February. Where has the resolution gone?

Research shows that making - and following through with - resolutions together as a family or with a supportive group greatly improves success. Interaction and connectedness play a large role in the long-term health and well-being of individual family members.

As families struggle to balance work, family and health, the need to connect with each other is stronger than ever. And children who develop healthy exercise and eating habits while they are young are more likely to continue to lead healthy lifestyles through adulthood.

This is still an ideal time for parents to sit down with their children and commit to making active lives a year-long family priority. Kids are great at keeping the whole family accountable for its commitment.

One of the challenges of staying active as a family at this time of year is finding things to do during cold and wet weather. The Highline YMCA has some easy tips and suggestions to help families keep their resolutions to being healthy during these winter months:

1. Find creative ways to get exercise on a school night. Turn on music after dinner and dance as a family. Have children make up routines and teach the adults new moves.

2. Turn a rainy Saturday into a fun, active family day. When kids are home from school - and missing recess - design a family obstacle course.

Have each family member race through stations, which might include hula hoop, jump rope, push ups, abdominal crunches, jumping jacks and wall sits. Set a timer and see how fast the whole family can complete the course.

3. Make bad weather walks an adventure. Bundle everyone up in warm coats and rubber boots and take a neighborhood hike. Burien's Seahurst Park has wonderful trails and plenty of interesting wildlife. Make a game of trying to spot insects or birds.

4. Use pedometers to make walking a fun game. Pedometers are inexpensive tools that allow you to track how many steps you take each day. Kids love competition, and they enjoy keeping track of their success.

Wear pedometers during family walks through your neighborhood - or inside a mall during bad weather - and when you return, add up everyone's steps.

See if you can beat your family total each week and post the results on your refrigerator. Pedometers have been proven in research to significantly increase activity.

Offer a healthy family reward, such as yogurt parfaits, for meeting weekly goals.

5. Check out indoor classes and activities in your community. The Highline YMCA offers affordable one-day passes for non-members to walk the treadmills or take a class, while kids play supervised by YMCA staff.

You can find a variety of classes and activities for all ages at the SeaTac and Burien community centers. Or, take the family swimming at King County's indoor Evergreen Pool, which is open year-round.

Yes, January is almost over. But, it's not too late to make a commitment to being active as a family this year. Make your resolutions stick by finding creative ways to exercise with your kids during these drizzly winter days.

A new 48,000-square-foot YMCA is being planned for the Highline/SeaTac-area, with a groundbreaking scheduled for this summer.

For more information on the project, or current programs at the YMCA, visit www.highlineymca.org or call 206-244-5880.

Shelly Skaro is Senior Program Director at the Highline YMCA.