The Proverbial Resolution

By Gordon Hughes 

HAPPY SPORTSWOMAN getting ready for a workout and tying shoelace in fitness center.

How much weight did you gain over the holidays? That’s a question that 8 out of 10 Americans ask around January 6th — once they have worked up the courage to step on a scale. That’s when they make the traditional New Year’s Resolution “gotta do something about these extra pounds and inches.” The first thing that goes through anyone’s mind who is over 21 and under 65 is “what will I look like in a swimsuit?” That is if they have the courage to look at themselves in the mirror.

So, over the years there is a post-holiday tradition which calls for signing up at a local gym. I looked into what I call a “gym” but are now referred to as “fitness clubs.” Did you know that there are at least 11 gyms located in our West Village? That means there is absolutely no excuse to not hit one of them. No guilt intended. They run from big brands like Equinox on Greenwich Ave. to Pure Barre on Bleecker St., one of the oldest gyms in the Village, and then the most intriguing of all, Zen Girl Fitness. 

The point is, with most of these fitness establishments there is a surge of business around the first week in January. Then over the next few weeks there is a mass exodus of customers leaving the gyms to the regulars who are thankful the rookie defeatists have fled. All of them sore, limping and with absolutely no results. 

The other approach is dieting. Well, that is hard to do too. It may be worse than working out. But maybe not this winter, not with eight prescription drugs now available that boast weight loss as a side effect. I am most certainly no doctor but it is my understanding that most of the drugs, which must be prescribed by a doctor, are prescribed to help with other ailments and that weight loss is a side effect. God knows Americans are smart, so why work out or cut back on those pesky calories when you can simply take medication to chase away the unwanted pounds? Again, not a doctor but to be on those meds for the rest of your life, or at least until you no longer care about weight loss, seems questionable. Long term effects? No one knows for sure.

Now there are diet programs where meals are actually prepared for you. There are meals you can pick up at your local grocery store or that are sent to you once you signed up for a variety of programs. I like the TV commercials that tell you how much you can lose in a week and then close with a shot of a piece of chocolate cake. Yummy. 

So where does that leave all of us who have had so much dining mirth and merriment over the holidays? Probably a common-sense approach that will take several months to see results — like next April. An approach that does not deprive or create anxiety. An approach that simply cuts back a bit on calorie consumption. An approach that lets you enjoy the West Village by bundling up and walking along the Hudson River with or without your dog, partner or pal. Something like doing simple exercises in your apartment, like we were forced to do during Covid when all those 11 gyms were closed. 

Take a fun approach. Cut the wine to five nights a week and cocktails to the weekends. Some valiant folks go dry for the month of January. That is too much Spartan living for me but I have friends who do it. The main thing is “DO NOT DEPRIVE YOURSELF.” Get into a comfortable routine and just look absolutely fabulous in April. Now you just need a tan.