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FIT, NOT FAT |
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Monday, 14 January 2008 |
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Health Clubs enjoy post-holiday weight-loss and fitness resolutions  Cory Falcone of Benton works out on a weight machine at Fitness Unlimited on Thursday. Falcone said his New Year’s resolution is to lose the 30 pounds he gained between Halloween and Christmas.
“This is my New Year’s Resolution,” he said, echoing several other people working out near him on Thursday. “They say I need to be around 220 for my height, so my goal is to do that. I have three kids to keep up with so I need to get in shape.”
Like Page and his counterparts at the gym, many people are joining up at health clubs this time of year, after making New Year’s resolutions to get into shape and lose the extra pounds they have gained over the holidays, several local gym owners said this week.
“October, November and December are always kind of a lull in the season for us, with the holidays, extra events at work, traveling with the family – it affects everyone’s workout schedule,” said Lara Pigue, manager at Fitness Unlimited. “So it becomes very quiet during that time of year as most people get busy and our traffic drops by at least 25 percent or maybe even by half.
“But when the kids go back to school after the holidays, and with the New Year’s resolutions and all, we have new members joining up and the regulars getting back into their workout schedules, it picks back up in January and you can expect traffic to double,” she explained.
Most of the area’s health clubs and gyms take advantage of this by offering specials and incentives to join up during this time of year, Pigue added. Fitness Unlimited, for example, is running a two-for-one joining fee special that expires today.
Express Fitness, on Winchester Road in Benton, is running a special on an upcoming five-week “FIT camp” course. The course is like a boot camp for those just starting to get in shape and who like having the camaraderie of being part of a group.
Tonya Nichols, owner of Express Fitness, said she’s had tons of calls from potential new members interested in starting a workout regimen so they can keep their New Year’s resolutions to get in shape.
“They all call me at the beginning of the year. At the end of the year everyone is busy with holiday activities, partying, family stuff, and everything drops off,” Nichols said. “But then in January we have a huge influx of people – our regular members coming back in and new people coming in as well.
“After the holidays, they get on the scale and say, ‘OK, it’s time to work this off.’”
Activity at her gym, where she is also a personal trainer, increases in January by as much as 80 percent over December, Nichols said.
“We have have members coming back in now that we haven’t seen in months. We’ll tease them and ask them where they’ve been,” she said.
Most people she talks to tell her they have gained between 10 and 20 pounds during the holidays, Nichols added. She recommends a workout program of at least three times a week.
“If they would go to the gym for 30 minutes, five times a week, they would get their results in a month,” she said. “We promote that and a healthy eating lifestyle, but not dieting.”
Dieting is definitely out right now, she added. Exercising and choosing healthier foods for a healthier lifestyle are in, however.
Pigue at Fitness Unlimited agreed.
“It seems to me that more people are embracing a healthy lifestyle,” Pigue said. “People are beginning to take their health a little more seriously and stick it out. It’s a commitment, like your marriage or your job ... A lot of people will wince when they come in and are asked to sign a 12-month agreement, but this is a lifestyle you have to live to remain healthy.”
That is exactly what Cory Falcone is trying to do. The 20-year-old from Benton, who was at Fitness Unlimited on Thursday working out on weight machines, said he gained nearly 30 pounds in the holiday season between Halloween and Christmas.
“I stopped working out, I was eating whatever I wanted, and went off my regular diet,” he said. “I want to build some muscle mass now and start running to try to get that high school football body back again.”
Page, overhearing from his weight machine nearby, chimed in: “Yeah! I heard that.” |
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Razorbacks