I went to the gym the other day. Maybe I saw you there. Maybe you were one of the many who decided this would be the year for you to take control of your health, to exercise more, eat better.
Or maybe you didn't go to the gym that day because you were afraid of being labeled as one of those people. You know, the ones who decided on Jan. 1 that this is the time to get serious about their health. You know, the "Januarians."
Don't laugh. It's a thing. And unfortunately the name isn't typically meant to be complimentary.
New Year's resolutions are known for being short-lived — particularly the most popular ones like quitting smoking, eating better and, yep, exercise. Because of this, there are some people who turn their noses up at the idea of resolving to improve their lives in January. There are even some who look down on those who do.
But to the many people who sluggishly pulled on their gym shoes this morning and wiped sleep out of weary yet hopeful eyes, I say to you: do not listen to the critics. Pay no attention to the knowing glances given by gym regulars — whose names are all but emblazoned on the spin bikes they have sat atop for more hours than you can even comprehend. You see, on Jan. 2 — or any day in January — there are really two kinds of gym goers. The ones who have been there for months, maybe years, sticking it out through the hot, slow summer and turning up the morning after Turkey day. And then there are the newcomers; the ones whose athletic shoes are fresh from the box, whose eyes are a little wide as they take in the flurry of fitness and, in some cases, flamboyant posturing, going on before them.
You don't have to listen to the gym regulars as they besmirch your January resolve. You can avoid their skeptical glances as you fumble with the controls on an overly complicated treadmill. Because who is to say those fitness gurus weren't once in your Januarian shoes?
When I decided it was time to make my sojourn (once again) back into the fitness world, I was well aware of the stigma surrounding a New Year re-entrance. I feared the pithy comments and assumptions that my resolve wouldn't make it past Valentine's Day, would get into my head. So in 2016 I decided rather than wait for January, I needed to start near the end of November. Just so I could say I'd been coming to the gym since before the January crowd.
Pathetic, I now realize.
Because whether you kick yourself into gear when the weather trades cold temperatures for warm, or if you break into your workout with the post-Christmas crew, just how long you stick with it is entirely up to you.
So when you hesitantly step into the gym this January, people will see you. But not everyone is looking with cynical eyes. Sure, some Januarians will lose their resolve — but that doesn't have to be you.
Lisa Larson is a freelance writer covering a wide range of topics. Her regular column, "Mostly Motherhood" can be found on her web site at www.lisaglarson.com
