"New Year, New You!" *or* Practice What You Preach

My brother Aaron posted a very eloquent social media statement yesterday, regarding the exercise world's desire to reel in as many New-Year's-Resolution-ers as they could. In short, he talked about the "New Year, New You!" slogan than gyms, supplement sellers, fitness equipment, and other 'healthy lifestyle' peddlers adopt this time of year.

Even Runner's World, my favorite publication, is not immune.

Runner's World is copyright Rodale, Inc. 

And it's not just this January's issue. As long as I have been a subscriber, this phrase has been on the cover of the January issue.

Not that this is a bad thing: a new year often feels like a blank slate, ripe with all the possibilities of what we could make out of all the time left before us. It's healthy to want to leave behind old habits, especially if those habits are unhealthy, or to want to get better at something you already treasure.

For me, that's running. And yeah, I've decided to become a better runner this year. I haven't set concrete goals yet, which I'm going to have to remedy if I want to achieve anything this year. I have decided, however, to start interval training for the first time in my life.

I went fast(er). On average. Did I do it right? 

Part of me wanted to go to the gym today, instead of hitting the road. Running in the winter is difficult, if only for the amount of synthetic layers I have to wear under my clothes, and a warm recumbent bike at the gym was very tempting. 

But then I remembered that it was the first weekend of the year. And the gym would be full of... 

... resolutioners. 

Taking up all the bikes. Using the weight machines wrong. And, worst of all... WALKING on all the treadmills. 

But, while trying what I hoped was correct interval running today, I thought about all those people who may be walking into my gym for the first time this January. And I realized how much like them I really am. 

I've not always been a runner. On the contrary: back in high school and my earliest years of college, I would have been the absolute last person you would have picked to lace up his shoed and take in 11 miles for fun. It took a long time, a slow progression, and a lot of "gym regulars" having patience with me and my poor form to get where I am. Not to mention that I've still got a long way to go with my fitness goals (evidenced by my lack of understanding of interval training). 

This January, when I'm leaving comments on running blogs and Tweeting noob-level questions at more professional runners... are they going to lump me in with the resolutioners, too? The Johnny-come-latelies, who they hope are destined to drop out in a few weeks? Those desperate to get in on the ground floor, much to the irritation who have devoted years of dedication to their beloved pastime?

And here I am, writing a new blog post for the first time in SIX MONTHS. Do real bloggers see blogs like this one and think, "Oh, geeze, here comes someone else who thinks that, because they're starting a new year, the can do what I do."  

So, with that in mind... 

Welcome, to the gym, all those beginning a New Year's Resolution. 

Welcome to the road, everyone who got their first pair of running shoes for Christmas. 

I'll  give you all the pointers I know, if: 

1.)  you don't mind my fumbling and bumbling with the interval settings on my watch, and 

2.)  you don't mind sub-par blog posts like this one until I can get myself together and start producing a new post every week (and yes, that's a real resolution of mine). 

We all have things we want to accomplish in 2016, and no one's goal is any less or more important that anyone else's. Let's all be good to each other this year. That's a resolution everyone can keep. 

(Yes, I am going to try my best to create a new blog post every week... alternating between this blog, and my creative blog, Cut and Dry. Stay tuned.)