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We鈥檝e got plenty to worry about already. (Photo: Abigail Barronian)

All the Bad Habits We鈥檙e Hanging On to in 2022

New Year's resolutions are for the birds

Published: 
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(Photo: Abigail Barronian)

New perk: Easily find new routes and hidden gems, upcoming running events, and more near you. Your weekly Local Running Newsletter has everything you need to lace up! .

Here at 国产吃瓜黑料, we鈥檙e all for pursuing your best self. We also believe that the path to fulfillment is paved not with relentless discipline, rigorous training plans, or鈥擥od forbid鈥攄iets but with joyful abandon.

This year听gave us plenty of challenges: COVID surges, climate catastrophe, and, to cap it all off, a painfully slow start to the ski season. Why heap more on the plate with a New Year鈥檚 resolution?听This year, as always, we resolve only to loosen up a little, and celebrate听the bad habits, vices, and indulgences that give more than they take.

Driving an Absolute Disaster of a Car

While I鈥檓 writing this, my 2006 Subaru Outback is relatively clean. There鈥檚 a bike stem and vise-grip pliers on the passenger seat, a few rolls of film in the cup holder, and biodegradable glitter inside the console, where a bottle of it exploded. There鈥檚 an ice scraper and a bike pump and a box of meat sticks on the back seat, as well as three helmets and a pair of skis in the trunk, along with my bike shoes, ski boots, three fanny packs, a fly rod and waders, and books I need to return to friends. An amanita muscaria key chain is rolling around under the driver鈥檚 seat. Can鈥檛 forget the rocks and shells in the ashtray, the masks slung around the rearview mirror, or the dinosaur toy glued to the dash. This car hasn鈥檛 seen a vacuum or a wash in at least two years. And you know what? It gives me joy. It makes sneaking in a quick bike ride or tour that much easier, since my gear is all in one place. It鈥檚 pleasant chaos, my mess, and I鈥檒l keep it. 鈥擜bigail Barronian, associate editor

Saving My Run for the Afternoon

When most people hear the word marathoner, they picture someone who dutifully rises with the sun to log their miles before getting on with the rest of their wholesome day. I鈥檝e been a runner for most of my life, but I鈥檝e never been much of a morning person. When left to my own devices, I鈥檒l almost always save my run for lunchtime or the end of the workday. (This past summer was the longest period of time I鈥檝e ever stuck to a consistent morning running habit, thanks to some persistent training partners.) Sometimes, yes, it鈥檚 me procrastinating. But most of the time it鈥檚 that my body feels better when I haven鈥檛 just rolled out of bed, and the midday habit forces me to take a break that I鈥檇 otherwise find a reason to skip. I鈥檝e heard all the arguments for starting the day off right by getting your workout done first, and most of them are… correct. But that won鈥檛 stop me from stubbornly squeezing my run in between Zoom meetings in 2022. 鈥擬olly Mirhashem, digital deputy editor

Stopping for Ice Cream

Anytime I鈥檓 driving north on northern New Mexico鈥檚 Highway 84 to climb, kayak, run, or camp, I stop at Bode鈥檚, the local gas station and general store in Abiquiu, to pick up a green chile burrito and a chocolate malt from the Frosty Cow, the ice cream stand in the parking lot. I鈥檇 love to blame my habit on being seven months pregnant, but let鈥檚 be real: the beloved Bode鈥檚 has been on my route for years. 鈥擜bigail Wise, digital managing director

Leaving Books Half-finished

For the past few years, I鈥檝e set an overly ambitious goal on Goodreads (a site I highly recommend) to read 52 books per year. I鈥檓 not exactly proud to admit that I鈥檝e yet to reach that goal; it鈥檚 just that I have a tendency to pick up a book, get through a few chapters, and put it down. It鈥檚 now late December, and I鈥檓 still 36 books short. I love reading, but I just don鈥檛 have it in me to soldier on through a story that isn鈥檛 doing it for me. Better to hand it off to a friend or a used-book store and keep searching for the one that鈥檚 going to keep me turning the pages deep into the night. 鈥擪elly Klein, associate editor

Watching Trashy TV

I know that after a long day at my desk or in the mountains, the virtuous thing to do would be to curl up with a book or the latest hot documentary film. But if I鈥檓 being honest, all I really want is to have my friends over to watch the current season of The Bachelor/ette (or Bachelor in Paradise, I鈥檓 not picky), drink wine, and yell at the TV so loudly that we need to turn on subtitles. It鈥檚 a break for my brain and more stress-relieving than any after-work run or gym session. 鈥擬aren Larsen, podcast producer

Hitting Snooze

When you鈥檙e surrounded by hardcore, dawn-patrol-devoted, extra-early-rising coworkers, sleeping past 8 A.M. on the weekend can feel like a guilty indulgence. But we鈥檙e facing a third pandemic year, more remote work, economic uncertainty, etc., etc., in 2022, so I鈥檓 giving myself some grace and allowing my body to sleep as long as it wants. That could mean 9, 9:30, heck, even 10 A.M. on the weekend and 8:30 A.M. on weekdays鈥攁fter all, isn鈥檛 the ability to roll out of bed and walk ten feet to your computer one of the perks of working from home? Next year will be all about finding the good in the bad, and feeling less stressed and better rested in the morning is unequivocally good. 鈥擪elsey Lindsey, senior editor

…And Hitting Snooze Again

I have been sleeping in鈥攗ntil an hour before work and midmorning on the weekends鈥攆or the past two months. I can鈥檛 say I feel much remorse. It鈥檚 been completely restorative to get a full eight to nine hours of rest each night. My 2021 resolution was to work out four to six days each week, and I stuck with it religiously from day one, always knocking out my exercise first thing and often before sunrise. But in November, the pool I swim at closed for repairs, and the darkness of daylight savings and the cold of winter hit me hard. Maybe it was the continuing COVID crisis or a symptom of perimenopause, or maybe I just felt overworked. But as soon as I started sleeping in, I couldn鈥檛 stop. It feels luxurious. Some mornings as I watch the sun hit the juniper trees outside my bedroom window and slowly turn golden, I snuggle deeper beneath my covers and relish the heat and the fact that I鈥檓 totally relaxed. My reasoning: just like there鈥檚 intuitive eating, this is intuitive sleeping. I know I need to get back on the regular fitness bandwagon soon, though鈥攁nd we all know how difficult that is. It鈥檚 my new New Year鈥檚 resolution. 鈥擳asha Zemke, copy editor

Making Coffee in My Moka Pot

After an annual blood test revealed that my cholesterol levels were creeping up, I looked for ways to lower them. Studies show that unfiltered coffee can , which seemed like an easy change to make. I tried drip coffee, and while it adequately delivers caffeine, it is a poor substitute for coffee made in an aluminum Moka pot. Stovetop coffee tastes infinitely better. Plus, there鈥檚 the ritual of filling it, the addict-soothing sound of liquid bubbling up through fine, aromatic grounds, the immediacy of drinking it the moment it is ready. It evokes memories of my time in Europe, where I bought my first Moka pot at an outdoor market beside a train station. I鈥檓 sorry, but that鈥檚 worth a bit of cholesterol. (Also, I won鈥檛 give up bacon either.) 鈥擩onathan Beverly, senior running editor

Destroying Gear

I鈥檓 notoriously rough on my outdoor gear and have destroyed too many bike parts, skis, boots, frame backpacks, and running shoes to count. My gear tends to fail at the worst possible moment and in hilarious fashion, and my poor wife regularly has to rescue me in the car. Why does my stuff break? I blame my size鈥擨鈥檓 six foot three and weigh 190 pounds. Plus, all of my rides or runs tend to be carried out at maximum effort, now that daddy duties and work have compressed my daily window for fun. And finally, I鈥檓 awful at performing routine maintenance, like lubing chains or waxing my skis. My mantra is: ride it hard, put it away wet, and pray it won鈥檛 snap in half next go-around. I do not recommend it.鈥擣red Dreier, articles editor

Avoiding Recovery

In 2022, I听will continue to abuse my body while not treating it to enough recovery. I鈥檓 a dad of two young children now, and while I usually find enough time for a daily bike ride or run, I don鈥檛 often get around to the foam-rolling and yoga sessions that were once integral parts of my routine. Instead I return sweaty and unwashed to my keyboard or the stove and start taking care of business. My body is definitely worse off for it, but it鈥檚 certainly better than not exercising at all. 鈥擶ill Taylor, gear director

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