January 2, 2009

This is such a cliche that I'm almost ashamed of myself for reporting it, but on the other hand, while I'd heard of this phenomenom, I'd never seen it before.

Our gym was packed! The first clue was the underground parking lot. The entrance booth guard arm was up. No one had to take a parking ticket (validated in the gym.) Cars were knotted around one another trying to get out of or into a parking space. This is a six-level underground garage, people ...

It should be said that on any normal day, trying to park there between 8:45 and 9 a.m. is murder. Young women (never good drivers to begin with) are feverishly trying to park while yelling into a cell phone or at their rug rat kids making it hazardous for everyone else. They are determined -- "I will get the front row!" at yoga or spinning class.

There was a momentary lull in people coming in when we arrived at the desk. The little receptionist said, perkily, 'How're you today?" and I replied, "I'm laughing -- these are all Resolution! people" and she grinned in acknowledgement. We both knew that by next week, the traffic flow will have ebbed.

Upstairs the gym floor was equally crowded. My heart sank -- today it would take me 25 minutes to do my 15 minute workout. All of the treadmills were making a rhythmic, thumping sound. (So lovely to hear when it isn't One making that sound.) Oddly enough the annex with all-abs machines had only one person in it. It might have been kinder of me to tell this guy that the abs machine is not going to do much, if anything at all, for his massive beer gut instead of just grinning to myself.

The crowd was mainly mid-30s to late 50s in a variety of clothing. I saw a faded t-shirt (band logo no longer readable) with plaid shorts, black mid-calf hose and running shoes to give you an idea... One could say that many of them looked like they'd been rode hard and put away wet.

But by as soon as next Monday, most of them will be gone, victims of muscle pulls, fatigue, inertia and discouragement. "But! But I went to the gym all weekend! Why am I still fat?"