Daniel Tyler Gooden

LAPLACE – This is the season for New Year’s resolutions. Did you keep more than last year? Did you at least keep them longer? At Shannon’s Health and Fitness Center in LaPlace, people who have made keeping in shape their resolution have been doing just that.

“Usually this is the time that everybody gets going,” said Karen Coburn, fitness director and personal trainer. By the end of January everyone has gotten the kids off to school again, the house is picked up and they’re ready to tackle those resolutions, said Coburn.

Around 80 percent of the population does not exercise regularly. Shannon’s sees a membership jump of around 20 percent in the beginning of the new year.

Looking to fulfill resolutions more people start exercising but burn themselves out by taking on too much too fast, said Coburn. “We try to make sure they don’t run up to the top of the ladder and fall off,” she added.

Coburn’s aim is to help exercisers find step by step program that will not knock them out quickly. Many try to push too hard the first few times and end up hurting themselves. With slower steps it’s easier to stay interested in exercising and not burn out.

“We really try and make them realize that if they still want to be doing this in 2002, they have to take it step by step. They can’t do everything they want at once,” said Coburn. Though it may seem then like getting in shape would take a long time, Coburn said a 45- to 60-minute workout is all that is really necessary, even for a regular exerciser.

One problem Coburn sees at Shannon’s is that many people are hesitant to go to a gyms or clubs, afraid of having to working out beside 20-year-olds with 3 percent body fat.

“Clubs can seem really kind of scary for some people,” said Coburn. Only a very few members are training for different events and are in that kind of shape. Most members are just like anyone else, simply there to stay healthy. “We want to make them healthier. The majority of people who come do so for health benefits,” said Coburn.

So if your dreading a new year of torturous exercise, then fear not. Whether or not you’re headed for the gym, try not to accomplish everything in the first week. If you can take it slow and not overwork yourself, then you may be able to cross getting into shape off next year’s resolution list.