Star Struck Style

Today’s new moon in crowded Capricorn is a lot like January in the gym: with so much going on, it’s difficult to focus on the one thing that will really keep you working out all year long.

Yes, I’m talking about knee health. Capricorn rules over the knees. Capricorn is also a Saturn-ruled sign with a natural sense of gravitas. I always talk about Capricorns feeling heavy when they’re not. I always talk about myself feeling heavy when I’m not. It’s just the way the universe has made us.

But unless you’re grossly overweight, your knee health isn’t going to be impacted by your size as much as it is by the activities you choose to do in the gym — regardless of your own sign. People are too hard on their knees in the gym. They normalize wear and tear caused by overuse injuries. They even normalize knee replacements. I’ve been a fitness trainer for over three decades and I still have the knees of a mountain goat. Your body is only going to wear itself out when you allow yourself to wear it out.

So, what I’m going to tell you might not be the most-encouraging news you’ll hear all year, but it might be the wisest. If you are doing things in the gym that hurt your knees, stop doing them. Find something else to do. This new moon in Capricorn signifies a power day where recognizing your limitations and putting yourself on a more prudent path is favored. Maybe that means less working out and more dieting, or vice versa. Maybe it means choosing the pool instead of the treadmill, or yoga instead of Zumba.

Just resolve to figure it out. If you need to seek professional help to figure it out, resolve to do that, too. You’re not going to get another day like this again for a long, long time.