Here Come the One-Month Wonders

It was really busy at the gym yesterday. Normally, at lunch time, I basically have the run of the place. But when I pulled into the parking lot, I could see it was a lot busier than normal. As soon as I got inside, I could see I was right.

And that reminds me that I need to warn you: the One-Month Wonders are coming.

Every January for the past six years I've witnessed the same phenomenon: "resolute" people pour out of their homes to the gyms and rec centers, determined to get in shape, lose weight, lower their blood pressure, whatever.

But then February comes, and where have these One-Month Wonders gone? It's as if January were a mirage and that I had only imagined all those people were exercising with me.

Two pieces of advice here.

1. Avoid the gym on January 3.

Not only is it the first business day of the new year, it's also a Monday, which happens to be the busiest day of the week at just about every gym in the country. If you do decide to work out on the third, do so at your own risk... and don't blame me if you break a rib in the crush of people who are "getting in shape" and swarming around all the exercise equipment.

2. Don't become a One-Month Wonder.

First, it hurts your reputation. I had an ongoing bet with my mom for years. Every September she'd say she'd lose twenty pounds by the end of the year. I bet my mom $20 that she wouldn't. She paid that $20 for about five years until we just quit betting. Now when my mom says she's going to do something that requires some tenacity, I'm somewhat skeptical.

Second, it's bad for your self-esteem. If you resolve to get in shape, and only manage to exercise for 30 days or less, you'll become a One-Month Wonder. And then you won't feel very good about yourself because you'll have broken your commitment, and you'll still be out of shape. Spare your self-esteem and just follow through. Simple as that.

Third, it's bad for business. If you don't know this already, the One-Month Wonders put an enourmous strain on gyms during January. There's simply not enough exercise equipment to go around. But since all the One-Month wonders cancel their gym memberships in February, it's economically impossible for gyms to provide enough equipment for everyone just for the month of January. On the bright side, if you and your friends stick to your new exercise goals, you'll fuel the construction of more gyms to meet the new demand.

Comments

[Meggles]

I'm looking for a FREE online exercise/diet journal... do you know any? or can you recommend one of the paid ones that is a good buy?

[Ryan Healy]

When you say an "online exercise/diet journal," do you mean a place where you can record your personal progress, etc.? If so, you might consider starting a blog. Blogger (see www.blogger.com) will let you start one for free.

The only downside: blogs don't come equipped with weight loss tools like BMI charts, exercise schedules, etc. Plus they don't come with nicely laid out slots for typing in how long you worked out Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday... how much weight you lost last week, this week, etc.

Although I haven't used his web site, I've read a lot about Chad Tackett's web site from a business perspective. It seems like he has a very quality product for people who want to exercise and lose weight. You can take a look for yourself at Global Fitness.

[meggles]

I found a few other good options too that are online, ie accessible from internet anywhere. They all cost however. The best one so far is www.fitnessjournal.org which I signed up for the 30 day trial and so far I"m really liking it. The others I found were www.myfooddiary.com which is less about exercise I think than food. Also www.fitday.com which I didn't really check out. But another that i did was www.justwalk.com. Anyway, I'd love to give a more detailed assessment of them all, but found the www.fitnessjournal.org to be most easy to use, attractively designed and even has a shoetracker to keep track of one's shoes and when they need replacement. Customer response time is great - I suggested a feature request and the guy who runs the site got back to me pronto, friendly and he likes to improve his product so it seems to have a great future if you ask me.

[Macistani]

Dear Meggles,

Check out VirtuaTrainer. It's a little online community I'm starting with the goal of, well, creating a supportive online community for health and fitness.

Hope that helps.