Wednesday, January 2, 2013

We Were All Once Newbies At One Time

It's the first of the year, the time of renewal and resolutions. And as nearly everyone can easily guess, losing weight and getting fit are among the top if not the top resolutions every single year.

Consequently, gym memberships go up in the month January.

As do the angst from the regulars.

Now before you write this off as a holier-than-thou blog post, let me just say I get the angst. Shoot, I feel and experience the same frustrations for I too am a creature of habit. Don't believe me? Please ask my bride. She will tell you.

Some of this angst is warranted. For the most part, a good number of people give up quickly. If they last a month, that's longer than they did the year before.

The regulars get frustrated because they can't get on a treadmill as quickly or easily as they we were used back in December. The newbies don't know how to use the equipment properly or correctly. The newbies are easy to pick out by the way they dress. They wear either all brand-new, name-brand fitness gear or all the wrong clothes a person should be working out in.

Plus, newbies don't look like they belong because they are out of shape. (Well, DUH!!!)

Well, I'm going to let you in on a little secret: we were all newbies at one point.

We all started somewhere. Everyone of us all had the 'first day on the rest of our lives.'

Think about your journey for a moment. Think about how hard it was to going, to remain consistent and confident in the early stages. Think about all those who encouraged along the way, helping you push through that once-tough workout which you can now breeze through.

How about instead of getting frustrated we pass some of that encouragement on? Maybe a reason why people give up on their fitness resolutions so soon is because they feel out of place. A word of encouragement here and there can help erase some of those newbie fears.

Yes, this might mean it will take us a little longer to hop on our favorite treadmill or elliptical machine. But wouldn't the world be a better place if more people were fit and worked out?

12 comments:

  1. Love it!

    Check out my blog at dailytrainingjournal.tumblr.com

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  2. Love this post. Several years ago I joined a gym at the end of the year and was shocked at how many people were suddenly there Jan. 1/2/3/etc. Not once did I complain - I thought it was great. It was interesting to watch those numbers decline by the end of the month, but it was great to see same 2-3 people stick with it.

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    1. I'll be honest. There are a couple of teenage girls that always seem to be there when I am. They are a little loud (but not too obnoxious) and don't really work out very hard it seems, in my humble opinion. They sit on spin bikes, pedal a slowly and gab, gab, gab. While it can be annoying - if I don't take my headphones, I do appreciate them doing something active instead of something else like smoking, drinking, etc. while gossiping. If they're going to gossip, why not get some exercise in.

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  3. Great post and a good reminder! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thanks for reading and commenting! Happy running, Tami!

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  4. I still wear clothes that look brand new and my latest (gifts) are name brand. But I don't belong to a gym...I'm too cheap and I wouldn't use it. But the same goes for running outdoors. I always get a twinge when they're running on my path. Lol. Then I remember I took someone else's path when I started. :) go new exercisers! Be old exercisers one day!!!

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    1. I hear you. I love seeing new people out and about - either at the gym or on the roads/trails running. Thanks for the comment.

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  5. Love this. There are so many negative sentiments and jokes about newbies out there, but we were all starting fresh at one point too. Would we have wanted someone to mock us and tell us to leave the gym?? NO! Thanks for keeping this in perspective.

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    1. Thanks for comment and compliments. Happy running, Alicia!

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  6. Right on! I try to remember (and occasionally gently remind others) that we're all slow or out of shape compared to someone, and shouldn't be quick to judge.

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    1. Thanks for the comment. And you're right: we're all a work in progress :)

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