Parvati Magazine December 2014/January 2015: Consequence/Beginnings | Page 26

FITNESS

STARTING OUT
Sustainable

A

nother new year is here, with its invitations to make big changes in our lives. Fitness
memberships are one of those things people buy in their New Year’s resolutions, with
great intentions that rarely seem to stick. As a long-time gym-goer, I see the crowds swell,
the classes fill and the cardio machines in constant use beginning around New Year’s
Day. By the end of January, though, the crowds have thinned out.
Who benefits from this state of affairs? The gyms certainly do - they’re getting long-term
money for short-term use. What of the people who made resolutions that aren’t sticking? They remain in the same shape and a few dollars poorer, guilting themselves about
the expensive outfits or gear gathering dust in the closet, likely feeling unhappy or even
ashamed that, yet again, they have not kept up with the change they meant to make.
Albert Einstein is often quoted as saying, “You can’t solve a problem with the same mindset that created it.” This is true with fitness as it is of anything else. If you habitually skip the