With a new year, a new semester and a new season of American Idol underway, it is time to see who intends to keep their 2010 workout resolutions and who has already accepted defeat, resigning to a bag of chips on the couch with Simon Cowell and crew.
Each New Year brings the promise of getting fit, staying healthy and losing weight — but when it is twenty degrees outside and the ARC seems ten miles away, getting motivated is half the struggle.
So how can students find the strength to put down the blanket, turn off The Hangover and lace up their Nikes?
Keaton Leach, freshman in Engineering, believes the best way to stick to a regiment is to workout “with someone that can motivate you.”
“It’s difficult by yourself, but if you set up a weekly time to go running or lifting with a friend, then you both feel obligated to show up,” said Leach.
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Olivia Kevin, freshman in AHS, said another way to motivate oneself to get fit in the wintertime is by joining a class you typically would not consider to be a full-fledged “workout”.
“I think it’d be fun to do something like yoga or dancing because it is a lot different than my idea of ‘exercise’ and helps to build strength which is something I could work on,” she said.
Kevin said another way she will be motivating herself this winter is by signing up for the Champaign marathon to take place in May.
By setting a date — and paying the $45 to register — Kevin says there is no backing out now.
“I will be running five days a week and cross training one day a week to make sure I’m ready,” added Kevin.
Getting motivated to work out is one thing, but complaining about it is an entirely different matter.
No one wants to hear how fat you think you’re getting, or how much you should really be running right now rather than stuffing your face with Insomnia cookies. So add that to the list for 2010: No more complaining about working out.
One of the most common complaints about exercising is boredom.
Running around in a circle twenty times can only hold one’s attention for so long, but now that excuse can go straight out the window.
Every elliptical, treadmill, and stationary bicycle machine at the ARC has CABLE. Not wanting to miss the latest episode of Jersey Shore is no longer a reason to skimp out on your 2010 resolution.
Plus, you can also plug in your iPod and watch your own movies or TV shows.
