Exercise, Dieting Regulars Squeezed Out Of Usual Spots By New Year's Resolution Crowds

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - It's day four of the new year, and many New Yorkers are trying to stick to their new resolutions.

It's making the wait times at the salad bar or the gym unbearable for the regulars, reports CBS2's Natalie Duddridge.

Starting at 11 a.m., a line was already forming, reaching the door at Chopt Salad Bar in Midtown.

"I'm trying to do whole 30 for a couple of days trying to get back on the wagon," said Victoria Leschen. "Ate a little too much cheese over the holiday."

Eating clean is the goal for many, and to keep that promise to themselves, customers said they had to hit their local salad spot early.

To beat yesterday's wait time, that clocked over 30 minutes.

"Yesterday we came but the line was wrapped around so we gave up and we tried again today," said Erin Antonellis. "The line was wrapped around the block. I give it about a month and everything will return back to normal."

The regulars say now they have to wait forever because of these "new" dieters.

"I try not to get too upset about it, good luck to everybody making their New Year's resolutions," said Anastasia Slivker.

READ: Experts Say For Best Resolutions, Focus On Immediate Gains, Not Long Goals

Those same people are also jamming the city's gyms like New York Sports Club.

"A lot of New Year's resolution people," said Tiran Winston of NYSC. "New them, new you 2019. I don't like waiting in line for the treadmill so I'll wait a couple weeks until I can get back to the gym."

Even the city's parks and paths appear to be busier than normal.

"I've been running this every day, definitely a lot more people this New Year's," said Henry Vogel.

Olympian and fitness expert Robert Mandje cautions beginners should to ease in slowly.

"Don't start out too excited, too fast," said Mandie. "A lot of people tend to do that, down the road they're hobbling and abandoning their plans."

To seriously stick to your goals for the long run, trainers suggest a long-term plan like signing up for the city's marathon. Lottery applications open next week.

If You Do Want To Keep The Resolution Going...

There are several digital tools available to help you keep on track toward your goal. Check out:

• 21 Habit: Create your own 21-day goal and deposit $21 in real cash to keep you invested.
• Stickk: A website to make a commitment contract backed by psychological techniques to stay on track.
• MyFitnessPal: Eat, work out and track your progress.
• Happify: A suite of digital tools to improve emotional health.
• Beeminder: Another tracker that works with FitBit, RescueTime, Gmail, RunKeeper and more.