Every year since my daughter was born (and I went from, for example, snowboarding 40 days a year to 1 day a year) I’ve joined the legions of people who make getting into shape a New Year’s Resolution. At the end of every year since I’ve made that resolution; I find myself saying, quietly, “ok this year I’m really going to get in shape.”

And this past New Year is no different, except I think I identified the problem. Each time my expectation of getting into shape has been going to the gym every other day for the entire year and rebuilding the body I had when I was an active twenty-something. The problem is, and it seems so obvious, is the reason I am no longer active like that isn’t because I forgot to get in shape or didn’t write it down one New Year’s Day and stick it to the fridge; it’s because I don’t have the free time of my twenty-something self. And the moment I think, “this year I’m going to go to the gym every other day and get in shape”, it’s over. It’s absurd that I’ve done this five times (years) now.

As they say, fool myself once, er five times . . . oh never-mind . . .

So this year I made the resolution again: to get into shape. But my expectation is in line with my thirty-something-soon-to-be-forty-something life. I will go to the gym/park/large-body-of-water once a week, and exercise vigorously for at least ninety minutes. Yes, it may sound comical and one of the lowest New Year’s Resolution exercise bars for anyone under the age of 60, but it’s working already!

We’re not even two weeks into 2009 and already I’ve gone to the gym and exercised for a couple hours: basketball, badminton, dips, rock wall, dance dance revolution (yes this gym has it), treadmill, weights. I’m sore all over and it feels great.