Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Resolutions, Schmesolutions!

My employer offers a sweet optional "perk" - a nice exercise room with stationary bikes, jogging treadmills, stair-steppers, free weights, aerobic classes, etc. When I started employment, it was only $5 per month. (I think it's still only $10.) I decided to sign up over the first winter, thinking I could hop on a stationary bike or rowing machine on those days when riding conditions were dicey. I signed up on December 1.

December was okay. Personally I found stationary bike riding to be tedious and boring... but at least it was exercise and I could watch the TV news while I pedaled. On some days I opted for the variety of a rowing machine... but it all feels like hamster-on-a-treadmill, compared to riding a bike with scenery rolling by, or rowing a boat. I would never have the self-discipline to exercise just for the sake of exercising, I'm afraid. (That's one of the wonderful things about riding a bike! Multiple paybacks!)

On the first day back of the new year... I was flabbergasted! The place was FULL of sweating, heavy-breathing patrons! All the newer machines were occupied; I settled for an older one for the day, and wondered if I'd have to adjust my schedule or something, to continue comfortably using the facility.

My worries were premature. The very next day (!!), the crowd had thinned back out again, almost to pre-new-year levels. And within a week, it was business as usual.

WEIRD!

But then again... perhaps lots of people made a new year's resolution:

NEXT YEAR, NO MATTER WHAT ELSE HAPPENS, I WILL EXERCISE ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE YEAR!!!

3 comments:

Scott said...

I'm with you on the stationary bike. It's like watching paint dry, and hurting while you do it. I can deal with treadmills, but for biking, it has to be a real bike.

Mark said...

Same thing happens every year. The media inudates the air with, "It is a new year, you HAVE to work out,blah, blah, blah." So the mindless sheep go and join clubs or start doing something. After a day,or, a week or two, most people are sore and tired and give it up until January rolls around again.

Bikeboy said...

Good points! Mark - the retailers always put their exercise gear "on sale" the first week in January, too! I bet two-thirds of the year's consumer exercise-bike and treadmill sales are from December 26 thru January 10 or so.