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5 ways to get the upper hand on your 2020 fitness goals

5 ways to get the upper hand on your 2020 fitness goals
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Jovan Abernathy is an international marathoner and owner of Houston Tourism Gym. To claim your free tour, contact her at info@tourismgymhtx.com. Follow her on Twitter @jovanabernathy. Instagram @TourismGymHtx. Facebook @TourismGymHtx

January is the time that everyone is thinking about getting healthier and losing weight. What new fitness goals do you have for 2020? I am often asked for tips to getting a jump on goals. Here are some tips on how to get ahead of the curve on your 2020 fitness season.

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Personalize your workout clothes.

Do not be afraid to be yourself in your workout clothes. If you think of the outfits that you wear the most, your workout clothes should be in the top three. If you have new fitness goals, you will be spending a lot of time in your workout clothes. Don't be afraid to personalize them and add colors. Make sure that they are appropriate for the activity that you are doing and that everything fits right. You will be suprised at the difference this will make in your attitude towards your workout.

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Replace old running shoes with new ones.

People who are new to fitness often miss the importance of this one. Shoes wear down and go bad over time. Even if they are not being used as often as you think, the material that the shoes is made of goes bad. It makes me cringe when I ask someone when was the last time that they got new shoes and they reply with 5 years. YIKES! It is time to replace the shoes. Your whole body will thank you for it.

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Get an accountability partner.

I do not know many people who are so disciplined that they can do everything alone. Even if you are, who wants to? That is no way to live. An accountability partner is a perfect workout complement who can keep you on track and can help you step up your game and set higher goals. Do not be surprised if you see your goals achieved much faster. Just chose wisely.

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Keep track of your metrics.

I do not care how you do it. You can invest in a pencil and a notebook labeled workouts, download an app, or buy a device like a FitBit that keeps track of all that, just keep track of something. Honestly, i say do it all. I have found some books of my workout notes in my closets in the past and have found them useful. It would be useful to track sleep while you are sleeping though.

Cross train with your running.

Choosing one or two more exercises helps with so much. You do not get bored. Choosing an activity that helps develop a different muscle group or skill like yoga for flexibility, strength training, and boxing for cardio and balance. Either way, it keeps it interesting and you get to meet a different set of people with different interest than your runner friends.

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Start taking supplements.

Maybe you are still young and can get revved up naturally. However, if you are anything like me and need a little help, a supplement is just the thing that your need to get going and see some results. Confused with all the choices? Start with a multivitamin. This will give you some energy and is the building block of all other supplements. It will keep you from being sick from gym born illnesses like the flu. Next to add, are fish oil pills, calcium pyruvate, and alpha lipoid acid are a great combo. That is not even getting into creatine and all that.

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How all signs point to Astros having another gear to hit

Jeremy Pena and Isaac Paredes have been the Astros' best hitters. Composite Getty Image.

It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.

Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.

What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.

His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.

The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.

And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.

Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.

But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.

Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.

And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.

For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.

Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.

We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!

The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!

*ChatGPT assisted.

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