When your resolutions mess with mine…

Confessions of a gym regular:

I knew today would reveal the number of resolutions made nearly a week ago, because today is the first “real” work day of the New Year. Especially in this, a college town, students of all ages — and their teachers and staff — return to classes, but only after they and the rest of the city’s workforce make good on their resolutions by hitting the gym first. Or so it seems.

I arrived at the gym and found the parking lot so full I had to weave my way into the back overflow parking. Any car after me would be, literally, parking in the weeds. The locker room was equally crowded, but I managed to find an empty locker and then made my way into the gym to lift weights.

I saw a lot of regulars — because it takes one to know one. Some of these were slightly less regular during the holiday but appeared happy to be back into the routine. I also saw a host of faces I recognized but hadn’t seen in months and an onslaught of new ones. Happy New Year’s resolutions!

This isn’t a new phenomena. Every year in January, we regulars see crowds of ambitious newbies. Some last a day, some last a week, some last till that first box of candy at Valentine’s Day. Some actually do last and become regulars, but the majority of these newly resolute faces disappear rather quickly.

The gym itself is large enough to absorb crowds and today’s workout was unfazed by the high numbers — unless I had hoped to take spinning or play some basketball. But I did cut my workout short to ensure I could take a shower and get to work on time. The locker room, like the parking lot and the spinning class,  is not large enough to absorb high numbers.

Therein lies the rub. It’s not that I don’t appreciate your New Year’s resolution to get fit. After all, we’re likely on the same health plan, and I want you as healthy as possible. It’s just that your new resolution messes with my old one — at least briefly. I want a better parking spot. I want my favorite locker. I want to attend spinning classes without arriving a half hour early to beat you to a bike. I want to extend, not shorten, my workout and still get a shower.

But rather than rant and rage about your new habit — and I do hope it becomes one for you — I’m going to take it as a challenge. Not only will I continue my old resolutions, I will add competition and variation… beating you to my favorite parking spot, locker, class, and shower — or deciding to enjoy the changes!

See you tomorrow!