I’ve written before about resolutions, and my general avoidance of them, but I’m changing tack this year.
Given that I remain unfit and overweight, and have spent the last 4 years trying a variety of different approaches, none of which have worked, I’m thinking that maybe I should just try a new year resolutions? What’s the harm, right? If nothing else, it’s a time based reset that I can use to start something new, how strongly I am resolved to ‘complete’ it is an entirely other matter.
I don’t want to be too specific though and set myself up with a goal that, if failed, would have a negative impact (learned that lesson many times in the past) so I’m thinking I’ll just focus on doing more moving/exercise than I currently do, which being brutal honest should not be hard as it just means getting off my arse more than once a week.
Now, that does mean I need to have some form of structure and ostensibly that means planning, and that gives me an opportunity to get my geek on so all in all it’s a win-win for me.
Inspired by my wife, who never lets over thinking get in her way (what is that like I wonder!), I’m going to head back to the gym. It makes sense as I’m not getting any younger and need to start working on strength and flexibility to see me through to my dotage.
To the gym! I’m thinking 2 days a week to start, plus some cycling (turbo trainer to start) as well. That might become 3 days a week in the gym, or some other combination but as I have a longer term goal of getting back out on my bike again so the turbo trainer is a good cardio/stamina addition to things.
The goal: A visible change in my body shape by the end of April.
I am trying to avoid the ‘I weigh X so will aim to lose Y’ approach to keep some pressure off, so this is all about moving with some added weight resistance at times.
Of course at this time of year we are all getting bombarded with social media promoting the latest, greatest, exercise routine/app/miracle cure, but having been through (round?) the cycle of gym inductions, weight training sessions, HIIT sessions and more, I thought I’d come up with my own gym routine as I know the basics and I’m not looking for big advancements any time soon.
I did some googling, found a couple of things to start with. I decided to stick to using the fixed weight machines in the gym, I’ve done free weight stuff and will get back to that, but to build some basic fitness/strength I thought I’d start there. The adverts soon followed but that gave me a spark of inspiration.
Why not use AI to help me out?
I gave ChatGPT the following prompt:
“Build me a 25 min routine for the gym. Presume I’ve done a warmup, and have access to the most common machines for muscle exercise. Do not include a cooldown.”
And the response was pretty much bang on:
Here’s a tight, efficient 25-minute full-body gym routine using common machines. It’s designed to keep you moving, hit all major muscle groups, and suit a desk-job body without wasting time.
Interesting that as I’ve been dipping in and out of ChatGPT over the past year it knows I have a desk job, knows I’m 52, and tailored the exercises to suit me.
It produced me a spreadsheet and a single page reference sheet, as well as two variations so I can mix things up every session. Perfect!
So, once the new year rolls around, and presuming I’m rid of this persistent chesty cough I’ve had for the past month, I’ll give it a whirl.
As for being resolved, well I like my chances. I’m not setting targets, and also resigning myself to some days being lighter on weights than others but this is just a beginning, a first step to get me back to my level of fitness before my son was born; slow and steady will win this race and that will be my main challenge.
And I am resolved, I have a 4 year old to keep up with and I feel like I’m at the cusp of this opportunity; pretty soon Daddy won’t be able to keep up, so whilst I’m trying to remove any pressure or fear of failure from this, it’s all being driven by this fast growing boy and my desire to NOT be the Dad who can’t do things with him because he’s just too tired/sore/unfit/fat.
I MAY even try and keep a monthly update going throughout 2026 to track this, and some other bits and bobs, but for now, I have my AI generated workout schedule, a new gym to attend, and my first new year resolution in over a decade!