As I rolled into the health club yesterday morning around 8:30, I had to hunt for a parking spot. I wondered why there were so many cars in the lot; briefly thought maybe some new spinning class was starting up. Then, it suddenly dawned on me – it was the first Monday in January!
All the “New Year’s Resolution” people would be crowding the parking lot and making it harder to get treadmill time for a couple weeks.
Once inside it was easy to spot the “regulars” and the “resolution people.” I saw quite a few familiar faces, and noticed lots of new ones.
There was the guy, probably around my age, toddling around the workout floor in a pair of cutoff pants – they appeared to be something like Dockers, just sawn off at the knee with a scissor – held up by a leather belt; a faded print shirt; and a brand-new pair of dazzling white Nike shoes. You could tell this guy is not a regular on the health club scene. No socks; just feet in those new shoes, and I’m betting that this morning he’s nursing a whole bunch of blisters on his sockless feet.
There was the lady, looked to be mid-50’s, in pretty good shape actually, in brand new top-of-the-line workout duds, perfectly coiffed, makeup on, leisurely riding an elliptical, head swiveling left and right to see who was there to be seen. I’m guessing her tan didn’t come from a beach.
There was the retirement-age couple, looking at the machines on the periphery of the workout floor, waiting, as it turned out, for their hired-gun trainer to explain what they were and how they worked. There was a lot of that going on, for people who’d joined a health club for the first time, no doubt vowing to “be more fit” in 2011.
The spinning class in the big studio adjoining the workout floor was full of earnestly peddling newbies; the dance-step workout studio downstairs looked to be at or near capacity.
Ah, the first week of January at the health club. Most of ‘em will be gone before Valentines Day.
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