Set a goal that FITs your life

The thing about New Year's resolutions is that you either keep them, or fail at the attempt. Succeed or fail. That's too black and white for me. I prefer a certain vagueness in life.

I did once make a list of resolutions. It was Jan. 3, 1973. I know that because the date sits atop the lined white school paper torn from a spiral notebook. I have kept it among my personal possessions all these years.

I didn't need to lose weight. I didn't need to quit smoking, but the list of resolutions I made as a 14-year-old boy included two that zeroed in on a healthy fit lifestyle.

Resolution 3. "I resolve to really work hard at every basketball practice."

Resolution 7: "I resolve to play tennis every Saturday as soon as it gets warm."

Too many everys: every Saturday; every practice. I did play a lot of tennis that spring and summer. But that list was the last list of resolutions I ever penned. I'm too much the commitment phobiac; committed to the vagueness.

Here's what I recommend when it comes to resolutions: Don't do it. Set goals instead. For instance, rather than just working "hard" at basketball practice, I could have resolved to "take 10 shots in every game and make four." Not too lofty. My playing time would have increased had I been hitting eight points each game. I could have been a star.

FIT, the Register's new quarterly health and fitness guide, puts a focus on resolutions made by three area women in its first issue. The magazine supplement that debuts this week, and the spring, summer and fall issues of FIT later this year, will follow their efforts at maintaining their resolve.

Agenda Bonner shares her story of her already successful efforts to exercise regularly and lose weight; Sarah Roberts, a circulation manager with the Register, works to put the brakes on her smoking; and Teresa Castile's resolution is to balance motherhood with her own personal educational goals. All three have agreed to share with readers the challenges they will face and the coaching from professionals they receive throughout the year.

FIT, Firelands In Training, is all about self-improvement, making goals and finding ways to keep them. No publication equals the depth and breath of FIT when it comes to information about local wellness opportunities. The magazine provides the skinny on area gyms, trainers, healthy lifestyles and a fitness calendar useful for veteran gym rats or novices in training.

Reporter Chauncey Alcorn also will write about his gym routine to reclaim the "six-pack" he had during his glory days at the University of Toledo. His "Keeping Abs" column will keep tabs on his progress.

FIT has been the buzz in the Register newsroom since we first got the go-ahead for the new magazine. Reporter Brandi Barhite serves as editor, and she's developed a lively approach that readers will find useful and engaging. The magazine's content is reader-driven and also driven by the advice and counsel of local professionals.

Get FIT. The first issue will be a supplement in Tuesday's Register.