How Do You Know it's January?

If I had been locked inside a time capsule for months without any measurement of time, such as a watch or a calendar, I would be able to tell if it is the first Monday in January, simply by walking into the gym at the YMCA. Generally, my workout time is around 1:00 and I maybe share the space with 10-15 other members, so there is no need to wait for anything.  I can get one of my three favorite treadmills (the larger ones with the fans near television #2 so I can watch "Days of our Lives" while running, which makes the time go by so much faster).  I can shoot into the separate padded floor room to do my sit-ups on the stability ball and my kettlebell workout and not have to share it with anyone.

The first Monday in January it all changes for about 4-6 weeks, which is proof that New Year's Resolutions do exist and that fitness is high on the list.  I was once one of those people; the ones who annoyed me today because I couldn't get where I wanted to be when I wanted to be there.  But once I got over the fact that I was being inconvenienced by the New Year's crowd, I realized it was still a positive thing.  Even if half those people quit coming in a month or two months, the desire to be healthy still exists for most people.  The desire is there and it is simply a matter of making it a habit, if only they stick to it that long.  It takes time, but once the good habit is established, exercise becomes something both the body and the mind craves.  Trust me on this if you are considering starting up an exercise program; stick with it.  You will not be sorry.

So for me today, it was a fast warm up walk for ten minutes, followed by an 8 minute run, then 3 minutes recovery, followed by a ten minute run.  The second ten minutes was actually better for me than the first eight.  Then I did 75 crunches on the stability ball while holding a medicine ball, followed by half of my kettlebell workout.  Why half?  I was sharing the room with an older member of the New Year's crowd and I needed the step for the second part and he was in the way and wasn't going to be done anytime soon.  I had already been there an hour, and wanted to get down the Christmas decorations at home, so I cut out. 

Tomorrow, as I already did the grocery shopping for the week, I would like to come home and do some weight work while watching the above mentioned soap.  Then tomorrow night is kickboxing.

Other than that, not a bad first day back into my schedule.  It actually comes with relief as I feel in my safety zone once more. 

I like it there.