None of this is to deny the natural instinct at this time of the year to assess and think about how things could be different - there’s real appeal in using the calendar change to take stock of our lives and reflect on the potential of the year ahead. “Those ‘I’m going to lose weight this year’ or ‘I’m going to exercise more, I’m going to eat healthy, I’m going to learn to play the piano’ goals seem silly in the sense that you don’t know what life is going throw at you or society is going to throw at you.” “In the context of both 20, New Year’s resolutions feel silly,” says Taylor Majewski, a journalist and editorial agency founder. Right now, though - for me, at least - anything that isn’t doing something actively positive for my well-being needs to just leave me alone. Maybe in a normal year that would be fine, and making a dumb resolution to accomplish something shallow would feel like another piece of holiday frippery like sequins, eggnog, or a secret Santa gift. They make us feel shitty without delivering us any useful insight into what we’ve learned, what our strengths are, or what could make our lives feel more meaningful. There’s no pleasurable sense of growth in this journey, only a mandate to fix ourselves. The problem with most resolutions - like vowing to lose weight or be “more” “productive” - is they’re usually formulated as a task that whispers to us that we’re not good enough as we are, that we need to strive to be better. But also it’s 2021, almost 2022 - haven’t we had enough Sisyphusness to last us through the decade? Yes, technically, it is literally the time for them. This is not the moment for New Year’s resolutions. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images But you also don’t need to be an asshole and wish that the newbies were gone just so you no longer have to share oxygen with them at the gym.īe a decent person - it costs nothing to be kind to new people at your gym.Photo: H. You don’t have to be outwardly nice to everyone. Help the new members who don’t yet know how to navigate the space or where some of the equipment is located.Īnd if it really bothers you so much that the gym is that packed, try going at a different time so you can avoid the crowd. If you see someone struggling with some weight, ask them if they need a spot. If you see someone that is not performing an exercise correctly, kindly show them the proper form. Or you can always modify your routine, use other machines or free weights for some exercises. Instead, skip to the next part of your routine and come back later rather than make them uncomfortable. If you’re a regular and someone new is using a machine you normally use, don’t stand there waiting for them to be done. The thing is, those new people are there for the same reasons that we go - for fitness, for health, for a better body and newly-discovered self-confidence. So, instead of being rude to them, please be nice and helpful. And for them to walk in there and have regulars be mean to them can make their quest for self-betterment feel even more discouraging, if not outright impossible. So mentally, the gym can be an intimidating place. Sometimes these people have low self-esteem and low confidence. Some of these people may be over or underweight, and they just want to look and feel better. Sometimes these people have eating disorders and complicated relationships with food. Those people are at the gym because they made a decision to become a healthier version of themselves - and that is something to be proud of. Don’t be that asshole who makes fun of new gym-goers. But, please be nice to all the new people. You have to wait to use machines, squat racks, dumbbells and everything else. However, it’s important to remember that all these newbies are on the way. Yes, I know, it freaking sucks – the gym is crowded with a bunch of new people and you’re trying to do your routine. But why hate or be mean to those people? Weren’t we all once a newbie at the gym? But during those weeks, their mere presence rankles the regulars. Yes, it’s true that some resolutioners only stick with such a change for a few weeks or even a few months. Every single year, I hear so many regulars complain how the “newbies” are just taking up space and, “Why are they even here if they will eventually stop going?”. This is the time of the year when New Year’s resolutioners show up at the gym in a bid to improve their health or fitness. And for us, regulars, the first few months of the year are rough. I’ve been going to the gym for years now.
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