.....and the beginning of a new year

This is somewhat original......

Twas the day after New Year’s and all through the gym

The machines were all filled with those getting slim

The prices were lowered; “join now for a buck”

And the manager smiled in light of his luck

Registrations were booming, with members anew

Signing up for a year, sometimes signing for two.

With stairmasters humming and treadmills all used

I wondered what got all these people enthused

Their footfalls resounded as the new members groaned

With legs, arms, and abs they wanted all toned

They filled up all classes; like aerobic pilates

They said to themselves, “we’ll all look like hotties”

They did squats, they did lunges, they ran and they spun

Their faces looked focused, but it didn’t look fun.

As I looked o’er the crowd to find space for my gear

No room for my miles was my growing fear

But a treadmill I found, way down at the end

with a yoga class view; watch them stretch and then bend

And over in one corner, a newbie named Fred

Who stood out from the crowd; he was dressed all in red

His hair was a tussle, his cheeks all puffed out

His breathing was heavy, as he moved all about

He was doing a circuit, one machine then the next

And his face would turn redder every time that he flexed

He lifted and grunted with a trainer named Beth

And we spoke for a moment when he stopped for a breath

Like many new members, he’d put on some pounds

With parties and eating during Christmastime rounds

They needed to come off; he’d started his diet

Would exercise help?  He decided to try it.

On treadmills, on weight bench, On Stairmasters, too

On ellipses, on cycles, he was pushing on through

He panted and strained until after an hour

He finished his workout and went down to the shower

Some exercise finished, the crowd started to thin

But equipment refilled as a new wave came in

Fresh faces and feet replaced those that were tired

But the goals they pursued were the same all desired

It’s fitness they want, a goal I understand

But these crowds at the gym were not what I had planned

As I finished my workout I pondered a shift

Perhaps I should find a new place I could lift

I said to the owner “You’ve got quite a crowd”

And he leaned to me close, so to not speak so loud

“Don’t worry”, he said, with his tongue in his cheek,

“It’s New Years Resolutions; they’ll be gone by next week”