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Why I’m Rejecting My Usual Fitness Resolutions in 2021

Gripped by more pressing emotional issues alongside the chaos of 2020, for the very first time in my life body goals suddenly seem trivial and out of touch….

“I’m going to be here twice a day until I lose this,” said a woman, squeezing her right oblique on the beach in Santa Monica. “It’s just me, my Peloton, and raw food until my boyfriend jeans hang loose again,” said another. “I’m on my way to losing ten LB’s this month after a 5-day celery juice cleanse followed by strict Keto,” one more exclaimed. “Here’s to a new year and a new me!”

These women were all me, every year come January 1, when I would double down on my weight loss and fitness commitments. But it didn’t take a new year’s resolution to keep me striving to be the skinniest, prettiest, and most miserable version of myself. Back in Houston, Texas, I was born this way, with a personal trainer mom who ate appetizers as a main course and a father who was spinning at 5:45 in the morning, five days a week, before Soul Cycle was a thing.

As a 43-year-old recovering bulimic, anorexic, and over-exerciser, I usually struggle at this time of year, trying to dodge the “new year, new you” mania. But in 2021, I’m turning down the volume on the #weightlossgoals in a next-level way after my lingering eating disorder struggles were overshadowed by a dark COVID depression that I fought on the daily. According to a recent study, my case is not unique. Sleep troubles, lethargy, hopelessness, and other symptoms of depression have more than tripled in U.S. adults since the pandemic began.

“Oh fuck, not this again,” became my morning mantra. Constant clenching of my jaw resulted in nagging neck pain—or maybe it was the staring, swiping, and scrolling on screens for 99% of my waking hours. The worst part was the loneliness and isolation that intensified all my other ailments. I knew I was taking a turn for the worse when I ceased texting friends, posting on Instagram, and deleted all dating apps. Why bother? I couldn’t even muster a smile with my morning cup of possibility. There was no possibility.

Gripped by more pressing emotional issues alongside the chaos of 2020, for the very first time in my life body goals suddenly seem trivial and out of touch. New research assures me I’m not alone in my inclination towards externally-focused resolutions instead: more Americans say they’re aspiring to save money for the future (62 percent) or learn a new skill (50 percent) rather than committing to going to the gym or losing weight. Robyn L. Goldberg, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and author of The Eating Disorder Trap, confirms that her clients are “throwing out the resolution rulebook, and shifting from health, diet, and fitness to boundaries, connection, and peace of mind.”

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Entertainment

A$AP Rocky Turned An Entire Manchester City Kit Into His Album Rollout

A$AP Rocky at South by Southwest 2019
Photo: DannyB Photos / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

A$AP Rocky doesn’t do album rollouts quietly, and this one recruited an entire Premier League club to help. Manchester City, PUMA, and Rocky teamed up on a limited apparel run tied to “Don’t Be Dumb,” his 2026 album, timed around his September 5th show at Co-op Live.

The centerpiece is a long-sleeve PUMA King jersey in black and archive gold, with “DON’T BE DUMB” running down the sleeve and AWGE branding worked in throughout. A bold “MANCHESTER” graphic covers the back. Fans could also add limited “A$AP 11” name-and-number printing onto the club’s actual Home, Away, or Third kits, while supplies lasted at retail.

There’s a players-only version too, and it never went up for sale. That one sticks closer to City’s usual sky-blue identity, with its own sleeve detailing and back graphic — the kind of piece that exists purely because a handful of people got lucky.

The whole rollout kicked off with a one-night pop-up on September 4th, when PUMA turned a spot in Manchester’s Northern Quarter into a pop-up cafe for the night, mixing football, music, and street style into one room before the wider release hit the stadium store the next morning. Some of those jerseys even came with golden tickets to the concert or that Saturday’s match.

Rocky has called the project true to his own design language, and it’s not even his only club collaboration this cycle — a similar drop with AC Milan landed around the same time. At this point, the line between fashion week and matchday has basically disappeared.

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Entertainment

Quavo And Lids Are Going All In On Atlanta With Their New Cap Pack

Quavo photographed in 2019
Photo: Finish Line / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

Quavo has never been shy about his hat obsession, and Lids just gave him another outlet for it. Their new “Atlanta” pack drops September 12th, marking another round in a partnership that’s been running strong since 2019.

The collection is a love letter to the city, spread across three very different caps. One mashes up pinstripes, script lettering, and Braves branding into a single design, working navy, red, white, and light blue into the mix. Another goes the opposite direction entirely — fully iced out in crystal detailing, done up in black and red, with both the Falcons and the Braves showing up in the design. The third strips things back to an old-school “ATL” trucker cap in red, white, and gold, the kind of understated piece that lets the city’s name do the talking.

None of this is new territory for Quavo. He’s talked before about waiting on hat releases as a kid, and that same excitement seems to be what’s kept this partnership going years past most celebrity collabs. His earlier Lids run leaned on one moment — the Braves’ 1995 World Series win — but this pack pulls from the city’s whole sports history instead of just one highlight.

Lids has called Quavo one of the rare voices who can blend music, fashion, and sports without it feeling forced, and this drop backs that up. Given how fast his past releases have moved, Atlanta might want to set an alarm for September 12th.

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