Some in Valley are serious about health resolutions for ’08

WARREN — The idea of making a New Year’s resolution may seem a bit old-fashioned to some people — similar to, say, stamp collecting or using a typewriter.

The idea that someone would take up the task of changing his or her life just because the calendar reads Jan. 1 might seem a bit hokey.

Just how many people are still losing weight or avoiding cigarettes on Feb. 1, we say.

But to find people serious about resolutions, all you need to do is visit a health club.

At the Global Health and Fitness center on Elm Road last week, it appeared most of the people there had come to reach a goal, even if it wasn’t quite a New Year’s resolution.

For 27-year-old Cortland man Marc Lawrence, it came down to a Christmas present.

A month before Christmas, Lawrence’s wife asked what he wanted as a gift, and the first thing that came to mind was a hunting bow.

As Christmas neared, however, Lawrence started to consider a gym membership instead.

The former Howland High School football player had started to feel a bit self conscious about the nearly 100 pounds he had gained in the last six years.

“I said I could be fat with a new bow or skinny with an old bow,” Lawrence said, as he worked out on an elliptical trainer, a device that works the legs and arms with low impact on Lawrence’s injured knee. “So I’ll be coming here for the next couple of months.”

Lawrence said he doesn’t blame his new bride, but he gained weight after getting married recently. Now the couple is thinking about having children.

“I want to have kids, but I want to be able to chase them around the house,” said Lawrence, a cell phone store manager.