The New Year's Resolution Gym Crowd

You know what I don’t understand? I will never get why people feel the need to set goals for themselves every New Year’s Eve. Very seldom do people honor the pledges they make for themselves for more than a month or two. Why let yourself down? I do not believe that people should set goals just because everyone else is that day. If you don’t honestly want to change, chances are that you are not going to stick to that new diet and exercise regimen. You aren’t going to honestly develop that new attitude at work. You aren’t going to be more patient with your husband or kids. In order to accomplish a goal, you need to be driven enough to make something happen. I want to see people start setting goals in the middle of the year… I’m willing to bet that there will be a lot less broken resolutions that way. I know, I know. I am being such a Negative Nancy.

Why am I ranting about this pointless American tradition, you ask? Well, it’s simple really. There is nothing I despise more in this world than the “New Year’s Resolution Gym Crowd”. All of my friends that frequent the gym know exactly what I am talking about. I have a certain system in place when I go to the gym. I walk in, scan my ID, grab a towel, and head to the purified water fountain to fill up my water bottle. I stop at the same mat every single day to do my stretches. I jog up the steps to the second level and head to the same treadmill in front of the same tv that is always set on the same tv channel- ESPN. That is MY treadmill. MINE. I jog 2 miles and then head to the same exercise bike and bike for 5 miles. Again, that is MY bike. They are never taken. Ever. After I bike I shoot around on the basketball court and work on the ab machines before I head to the pool to swim laps. To end my workout, I sit in the Jacuzzi for a while. It’s the perfect jump start to my day.

After New Year’s, this is how a standard gym visit works out for me:

I walk into the gym and wait in some long line before I can scan my ID. They are almost always out of the fluffy yellow towels that I like to use, so I roll my eyes and head to the water fountain. In disgust, I notice that the filter status is red instead of the usual green because so many people are using it. The mats are full of girls who obviously do not work out on a regular basis, so I have to settle for stretching by the stairs before heading to the second level. When I arrive up there, I see that my treadmill is taken by a heavyset girl who is simply walking on speed 3.5 and watching an episode of Burn Notice on her iTouch. A little steamed, I notice that my usual bike is taken too. A little deterred, I peek over the railing at the basketball court. It’s packed. The ab machines? Crowded with people waiting to use them. Pool? Jacuzzi? Forget about it.

It’s not that I don’t want other people to work on their fitness. I really do want them to improve their health. But is it too much to ask for those people to make the gym their daily habit for more than about 4 weeks?! They aren’t doing anything for themselves if they don’t keep up the good habits. In fact, they aren’t doing anything good for anyone… they are just in the way. I find myself looking forward to the day that they all break their resolutions so that I can start working out in peace again.

My New Year's Resolution for 2012?
I will work out at home until the first of February just to save myself some inevitable frustration.