Resolutions, Smesolutions.

While mostly I don’t really make New Year’s resolutions, now that all the Christmas chaos is over it is time for me to get serious about our family’s health. No longer are there get togethers and tasty treats to distract us.  I will not proclaim no sugar, no meat (yeah right!) and exercise everyday. I know myself (and my husband) too well, it would only result in crash and burn. We have to add manageable things to our day to day lives and let them become routine so they stick. Last February we got a family membership to the YMCA (thanks to a great deal from Zippercow’s work) and  with the exception of major illness we have gone to the gym 2-3 times a week since the first week of February. Not bad. We’d like to try and add a day to that if possible, and now that we are a year into that schedule I will make a resolution for this year.

Not to let YOUR resolution annoy me.

You know who you are, the ones that vow to work out everyday, get a gym membership only to burn out and never come again by March. Why does someone else trying to be healthy bother me you ask? It doesn’t, not really. In fact, kudos to you for taking the same steps we have to better your health. It’s just that…you are on my damn machine! Wednesday we went to the gym at 7pm and EVERYTHING was full. Up until this week even on busy days there were still a number of various machines to choose from (the end of December was blissful) so even if the one I prefer isn’t available there is plenty others to choose from. If you ever use the machines at the gym I’m sure you have your favorites and least favorites. The only two things available fall into my least favorite category. Recumbent Bike. Maybe I’m doing it wrong (which is highly possible) but I find this to be the most excruciating of machines with very little calorie burn as pay off. As I spent my 30 minutes on the vile machine I silently swore at all the people I didn’t recognize. Our time to workout is so limited and having to get the kids home and in bed on time only means we don’t have time to wait around. I cycled for what seemed like an eternity (15 minutes, halfway through my time) to see I rode 3 or so miles  and  had only burned 100 calories! W. T. F.  In the end I only got half the calorie burn for my time as I usually would and my back was hurting to boot. Ugh. Then I had to remind myself that they are all there for the same reason I am… and in a month or two the crowds will die down and  in the meantime we can wait around for machines  and recite lines from Clueless in our heads,

“Miss Stoeger, I would just like to say that physical education in this school is a disgrace. I mean, standing in line for forty minutes is hardly aerobically effective. I doubt I've worked off the calories in a stick of Carefree gum.”

You mean you don’t do that????

Oh. Maybe that’s just me…