The race is on; who will win? It’s our own reality series – who will keep their new year’s resolution the longest?

The holidays are over and it’s a new year. We’re all broke, and we’re back at school – going to classes again and turning over new leaves.

So how many of us made new year’s resolutions? A good majority, I’m sure. And I am willing to bet a majority of them include working out – getting fit or whatever you would like to call it.

I can’t think of any kind of facility anywhere that has the boost in business like health clubs do after the first of the year.

People may resolve to manage their money better, but people don’t all flock to the bank. Even if they do, there are many more banks than health clubs. Maybe students resolve to study more, but the library won’t get crowded until further into the semester.

Of course, in the tradition of people resolving to get fit, Eastern’s Student Rec Center is no different, meaning it’s just as crowded.

In past years, I’ve quit making new year’s resolutions, but this year I decided I may as well try it. I’m sick of my habits – laziness, eating too much junk food, drinking too much pop – the list goes on and on.

So I, like many others, am trying to turn over a new leaf and get fit. Who knows how long it will last? Hopefully with my schedule I can keep up with it. It’s going pretty well so far, and I’m hoping it will remain a priority.

Exercising is important. In the past when I’ve done it and kept doing it, I’ve felt the difference. When I’m stressed out, exercise is a way to get rid of the stress and it boosts my energy, among other benefits. So keeping all this in mind, I ventured to the rec this past weekend – the first time in more than a year I have done so. It wasn’t too crowded since people were still moving in after the break.

I don’t have any morning classes, so I’m hoping the rec won’t be too crowded in the mornings, since that’s when I’ll go. Monday morning was not too bad, though I’m sure the crowds will arrive soon.

How long will the crowds be around? Without a doubt, they will likely thin in a few days, a week, probably a month.

We all have grand visions of keeping our new year’s resolutions, of improving ourselves. But then classes and jobs get in the way or we find other ways to spend our time. Even if we are not busy, we procrastinate. Often I decide to clean when I want to procrastinate on something I need to get done.

The key I’ve found is prioritizing my time. If I can allot a certain time for studying, working out and all my other tasks, it will be 10 times easier to get going. Last semester I did a pretty good job managing my time without the work-out portion.

Another problem I know I’ll have is motivation. Doing the same thing will get boring eventually. But changing up the work out is supposed to help. And setting a goal should be helpful as well.

I’ve heard all of this before. I guess all I can do is just keep going and see where I end up.