LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) – Hours into the new year, people are already working toward their 2026 goals with focus on fitness, faith and finances topping the list for many residents.
Diana Huerta has been playing padel, known as paddle tennis, for a year. Her goal is to continue staying consistent for health and fitness benefits.
“Agility, everything comes into play, it is beneficial with your weight and it helps with your cardio,” Huerta said. “You don’t even realize it when you’re playing, there goes an hour, two hours. You’re burning calories, having fun and meeting a lot of people.”
Stephanie Villalobos has been playing softball for twelve years and is looking to upgrade her game.
“One goal is to be able to play on the field, like start on the field, so I’ve been working hard here back at home, going to practices,” Villalobos said.
Faith is the main focus for others like Yahel Garcia, a sophomore at Alexander.
“Right now I have a bible plan, so I can read the entire bible with a year, I just need to read around three chapter a day, so that’s pretty cool, and obviously get better at soccer, I don’t have a specific plan but just keep on practicing a bunch,” Garcia said.
When it comes to financial goals for the year, the financial market is volatile and interest rates and prices change. But Gilbert Berme, a certified financial planner in Laredo, said it is best to focus on what you can control — spending and saving habits.
“One of the things in my experience that I have seen, the most success in automating your investment and savings plan, so that it just becomes part of your regular budget. An expense to pay yourself, at least your future self,” said Berme, who works at Tejas Financial Advisors.
Berme said one financial area that is often overlooked is saving for retirement.
“When they get to retirement, and they realize, what is my income sources going to be, social security is usually one of them, for most people, and in my experience, social security is simply not enough for the average person to live the life they want to live,” Berme said.
The main advice from Berme is to be consistent and persistent with your goals.
According to studies, nearly half of people fail their New Year’s resolutions by quitting at the end of the first week of January.
For more headlines, click here.
Copyright 2026 KGNS. All rights reserved.