Even if it often turns out to be an exercise in futility, many of us answer the call to tweak our lives and ourselves around this time every year. Maybe using the Web this year can help.
One of the most popular New Year's resolutions is to get in shape. The Web is replete with fitness sites, whether you want to tone up here and there or do a complete body make-over.
* http://www.fitlinxx.com gives you a couple of neat options. You can track your performance online if you work out at facilities, including several YMCAs around town, that offer access to FitLinxx technology that records what you do on what machines. Those who don't have access to a FitLinxx-powered facility still can log on, set up a training program and track their workouts.
* http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner helps you find a workout buddy and offers fitness-related articles.
* http://www.24hourfitness.com, in addition to catering to 24 Hour Fitness club members, has a variety of online fitness tools that help you monitor your success and keep an eye on areas needing a little improvement. You can even calculate the number of calories you're burning for a specific activity.
* http://www.sickbay.com/netsweat helps put together a fitness plan and offers exercise video clips for specific body parts.
* http://thriveonline.oxygen.com/seasonal/new_year/resolutions/weight.html takes you through all the steps from assessing your current situation, body and self-image to making it happen.
http://www.asimba.com helps design a program and log your workouts. It will e-mail your day's regimen too. You also can place it on your personal digital assistant via AvantGo (http://www.avantgo.com).
A note on exercise sites: Be careful when assessing your "healthy" weight. Most of the programs don't take body frame into account.
On the topic of health, smokers worn down from butting heads with the powerful and smug nonsmoking establishment can check out several sites on the QT.
A couple of good ones are http://www.quitnet.org and http://www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9910/htm/smoke.htm. They help you construct a smoking cessation plan whether you wish to go the self-help or group route. They aren't preachy, and you can do this without having to announce it to your beraters.
Maybe it's your car that needs more attention in 2001.
At http://www.mycarpage.com, you can build a maintenance schedule for your vehicle based on personal driving patterns and manufacturer recommendations. You also can keep track of your complete vehicle history, including service dates, mileage and notes on other details, and you can keep up on multiple vehicles.
Similarly, http://www.carcarecity.com helps track the times and mileage of your vehicle's maintenance needs.
Both sites send e-mail reminders when it's time for a common service.
Along the same lines, http://www.cyberwrench.com can give you some ideas on what that annoying noise might mean and how much it could cost you.
Maybe you want to work on fiscal fitness. Whether debt-reduction or retirement planning is on your agenda, you can get guidance online. This doesn't take the place of a good human financial advisor, but it does give you some common language and concepts. The Quicken site offers some handy tools. You can do a reality check on your financial health at http://www.quicken.com/saving/checkup. There's also a debt-reduction planner that can help you figure out how to attack the huge credit-card bills you racked up during the holidays. The questionnaire takes about 15 minutes.
IVillage (http://www.ivillage.com) also offers several tools and articles that can be useful in planning your approach. Plus there's an online support group for compulsive buyers. While you're hanging out there, stressed about bills, try keyboard yoga at http://www.ivillage.com/diet/tools/yoga.
Relaxing can help ease some anxiety about your social life. If your resolution is to get those relatives to stop hounding you about when you're going to get married, you can stop at a few of the myriad relationship sites.
If you're looking to branch out and meet new people, you could log off and go out. But if meeting by modem is more your speed, you can check out several sites. At http://www.ivillage.com/relationships/onlinedating, you can find relationship advice and compatibility tools. There's also an online dating primer with safety suggestions. It points out that looking for love online has an old-fashioned feel with a high-tech twist: practicing the art of romantic letters, like the grandparents--or great-grandparents--used to do. This page also includes discussion boards for those wounded in relationships. It links to partner Match.com, which features listings of potential dates.
For tips on honing your dating skills, you can turn to http://dating.lovingyou.com. This Web page includes the ever-useful pickup lines you never want to hear or hear yourself say, plus tips on how to end a disastrous date and how to piece together a broken heart.
