Though January is quickly coming to an end, for some, the year is really just beginning. If your New Year's resolution sounded something like, "I'm going to lose 150 pounds this year," now is not too late to start.
If you haven't even entertained a thought like that since the power went out and you flunked your last final, now would be the time. To start, consider your class schedule and pencil in a time that you are going to make it to the gym. Just like you wouldn't skip your human body lecture, you need to train yourself not to skip the gym.
If exercise is something you have only heard about in movies, then trying to force yourself to do cardio for three hours every day is unrealistic. Start with going to Peters Recreation Complex three days a week. When a healthy thought runs through your head, tell your roommate, your significant other or your dog. Just saying it out loud and telling someone else will make you more likely to stick to it. You might even inspire someone else to make healthy choices, too.
Which brings me to another piece of advice: drag some poor soul with you when you work out.
A sure-fire way to make sure you fail to meet your fitness goals this semester is to do something that you don't know how to do, aren't good at or can't stand. If you have no idea how to work Cybex machines, then get a personal trainer or attend a group fitness class. If the thought of running on a treadmill for an hour absolutely bores you to tears, then switch machines every ten minutes or go for a run outside. You can do other activities - but if your boyfriend loves to play racquetball, but resembles Ben Stiller's character from "Along Came Polly," then maybe the rowing machine looks a little friendlier.
Group fitness classes are also an excellent way to introduce yourself to exercise, especially now, at the beginning of the semester when everyone in class is in the same boat as you: they have absolutely no idea what they are doing.
To help students find an idea, the rec is offering a new Friday class: tai chi. And if BOSU (a workout which involves ball exercises to increase balance) or indoor cycling sound like something you want to try, then keep looking for free classes.
There is also the possibility that your New Year's resolution had nothing to do with fitness at all, but instead you want to try to eat better. The rec offers a nutritional analysis for $15 for K-State students and $20 for everyone else with a membership. You can have your diet evaluated, set goals and make plans to change your diet .
One last little tidbit of advice: if you are going some place warm for spring break, I might suggest that you get your butt to the rec now, instead of waiting until March 9 to lose those 25 extra pounds? I realize you might not want to hear it, and I might be "sucking the fun out of your February," but you'll thank me when you look sexy on the beach.
Kendall Hall is a senior in kinesiology and a certified personal trainer at the Peters Recreation Complex. Please send comments to sports@spub.ksu.edu.
