ORANGE, Conn. (WTNH) — The New Year is here and with it comes New Year’s resolutions. Many people pledge to get in shape and lose weight. This is the busiest time of year for gyms.
“I want to continue coming every day and just pretty much staying healthy and fit,” said Louis Ardolino, who was working out at Crunch Fitness in Orange on Friday morning. He started his 2016 with some cardio. Though he’s not a new gym-goer he see lots of new faces there in January. People’s resolutions to get in shape lift gym membership sales at this time of year. Managers don’t just see run of the (tread) mill resolutions to lose weight after the holidays.
“Group fitness is one of our most popular things,” says General Manager Kaleigh Johnson. “Or we’ll get people who want to weight train and just build muscle and tone.”
Crunch has a retention plan to try to keep new members coming. If you are new to the gym trainers recommend starting slow with some cardio, then working your way up based on your progress and comfort level. Trainers will work with you and keep track of your progress.
“They can actually see what their progress was,” says Personal Trainer Connor Mascia. “The look on their face is just awesome because then they actually have the physical proof in front of them that they got better.”
Some gym-goers have reached their fitness goals in the past, and that has kept them coming back.
Their plan for the New Year was to stay on track and keep running, pedaling and lifting through 2016, changing their routine as they see fit.
“I don’t normally come up with something new for New Year’s,” said Scott Malota, a Crunch member. “If there’s something I really want to deal with I deal with it right then and there. I don’t wait until New Year’s.”
Not everyone who joins a gym stays committed, however. Gyms typically see a spike in memberships around New Year’s Day, but it doesn’t usually last through the year.
“You see new people at this time of the year,” said Ardolino. “They tend to taper off at the end of January.”
Gym managers estimate that just over a quarter of the people who commit to coming to the gym stick with their resolutions.
