New Year's Resolutions and the need to wait till February to avoid being judged at the gym

I, like many others out there plan to start 2013 by continuing to try to stay healthy. With the holidays came a little extra cash, and thus the ability to be able to afford a gym membership - which had me incredibly excited. Then I hit the wall of hate for the "January Joiner" trend and honestly it just completely left a bad taste in my mouth.

Whether it's Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook - the amount of hate for people who want to try to get healthy by working out at a gym is ridiculous and completely unfounded. Yes, wait times for machines are longer and there are a lot more people in the gym but what qualifies you to think you're more important than someone just starting to work out? Gyms aren't made solely for people are in shape enough to "keep up" and remarks like "get out of the way for fit people" borderline on abusive. Going a gym for the first time is intimidating, you have people who are obviously in incredible shape, and then you have the people just starting out. What floors me is the way that some "fit" people feel entitled to bash newcomers just because they're starting out.

Honestly, didn't you have a first day at the gym? I bet you weren't graceful and lean and had the cardio ability of an Olympic track and field athlete then. Don't make someone who is trying to make progress in their health not want to come back again because you think you're more entitled to use that equipment because you've been there longer. Honestly, a large reason people don't continue to use a gym for more than a month is because of the way that asshats treat them for not being "fit enough". Yes, some people just get lazy and stop wanting to go but honestly who would want to spend their free time being made to feel like a lazy sack of crap because someone doesn't approve of the time of year they chose to take charge of their health?

January. Worse month at the gym. Everyone makes a New Year's resolution to get fit, until they get sore! #JanuaryJoiners
— TEAM-CHRIS (@HandsomeBoyC) December 31, 2012

It's gonna be funny seeing all the New Years resolution people at the gym this week. #JanuaryJoiners 😂😂
— Madeline McFadian (@madddsann) December 30, 2012

Like the Tweets above, terrible grammar aside, January is the "worse" month at the gym? And the last one, it's going to be funny seeing all the New Years resolution people at the gym this week?

What's funny is the double-edged sword that is trying to be healthy. People get called fat and lazy for not working out, but that's what they're met with when they try. It amazes me that fit, in-shape people don't want to be role models for people just starting out but instead want to be a hindrance to them. Of course, that's slightly generalizing, I realize this and there has been support for newcomers among the hate, but for the most part - it's hate that's the main message.

With this "January Joiners" mentality trending, you're enforcing that people should feel bad for using this New Year to make health a priority. You, hating on the fact the "Resolutioners" are here again, could be the reason that someone decides that the gym isn't worth the dirty looks and muttered comments as they try to get healthy.

Like someone commented, "health shouldn't be a seasonal thing" - apparently needless hate and judgement can be.