“The resolutioners are coming.”
One might hear the phrase whispered among the few gym-goers and exercise-geeks at one’s local fitness center in the early weeks of January. Some of the telltale warning signs might even be there – people captioning their Instagram photos with “new year, new me,” like the quickening breeze rushing through the trees before a thunderstorm darkens the sky above.
But there’s no way to stop it. People have New Year’s resolutions every year, and that means hordes of people will be packing the gyms, crowding the workout machines to make their new goals a reality. May God have mercy on us all.
Even though I’ve painted this apocalyptic picture of “resolutioners,” there’s nothing wrong with them. Hell, I’m one of them too. Setting new goals for oneself whether in the gym or outside it is a healthy thing to do, even if gyms everywhere are a bit more busy.
It can be challenging to keep to those new goals, and as I’ve said with everything, there’s a podcast to help with that – a podcast to help you exercise more, to help procrastinate less and more. Here’s a few I looked at to start this year:
"Simplify"
The purpose of this podcast is literally in the name of the show: to simplify your life. The two co-hosts, Ben Schuman-Stoler and Caitlin Schiller, interview a variety of experts on subjects ranging from relationships to diet to having a better memory. And it is one of the most refreshing podcasts I’ve listened to in a while.
The two co-hosts talk with their interviewees, such as love and relationship columnist Dan Savage, like they’re long-time friends, and the conversations get really, really intimate with the topic at hand.
The advice given really makes sense, which Ben and Caitlin help break down into easy-to-digest bullet points at the end of each episode. Add in the charming acoustic guitar music that plays throughout, and podcast makes for a relaxing, well-produced listen.
Rating: 5 out of 5 earbuds
“Half-Size Me”
Heather Robertson is determined to help people, especially other women like herself, lose weight, and she’s hoping to inspire others to hit the gym and live healthier through her podcast.
The name of the podcast comes from how Robertson battled with weight issues herself and was able to “half” her pants size through exercise and a healthy diet.
This podcast mainly consists of her talking with various weight-loss specialists about the science behind exercise and diet, especially for women. While at times the conversation was interesting and helpful, the podcast sometimes lacked energy.
Robertson has a lot of experience of her own with her personal weight-loss journey, but her conversation and interviews can seem awkward, as if questions weren’t thought through beforehand.
I have a feeling Robertson will become a smoother interviewer in the future with more experience and her background will help her even more then.
Rating: 3 out of 5 earbuds
“TED Talks Daily”
Need a bit of quick inspiration? This podcast is simply a miniaturized version of the “TED Talks” that everyone knows and loves that are easy to listen to during the ten-minute walk to work or class.
This show doesn’t technically have a host, but are simply edited highlights of some of the recent and best TED Talks around the world. Just like TED Talks usually are, the listen can be pretty inspiring and thought-provoking. And with the podcast being so short, one can binge through several in an hour.
It would be interesting if the show incorporated Guy Raz, the host of another TED-Talk-related podcast “TED Radio Hour,” into this podcast also, but the podcast is pretty much fine as is.
Rating: 4 out of 5 earbuds
Liam Niemeyer is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University’s Honors Tutorial College. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. New year, new pods? Let Liam know by tweeting him @liamniemeyer.
