Gym Memberships Spike After New Year

Retailers rely heavily on that ongoing cha-ching before Christmas.

Grocery chains hear those same sounds during the week of Thanksgiving.

But the industry that basks in the afterglow of New Year's Day the most might be fitness.

Gym franchises across Hernando County already are seeing bigger crowds throughout the day and night. It is expected to get even busier in the next few days when people return from vacation and when school is back in session.

"The phones here are already starting to ring," said Denise Tumelty, owner of the ladies-only Contours Fitness of Spring Hill. "When the kids go back to school, we will expect more."

Last year, Tumelty saw membership increase by 50 percent in January. The three-year-old business has about 300 members.

The bigger chains also have robust numbers. Gold's Gym, Powerhouse and Genesis Health and Fitness all have incentive programs to attract new customers and keep them coming back.

Typically, the crowds begin scaling back by early February. A month later, business is back to normal.

"Generally, the first of the year it spikes because of New Year's resolutions," said Powerhouse owner Dan Toth. "People use the holidays as an excuse to take time off. We have a steadier flow during the first quarter of the year than any other time of the year."

Powerhouse is now open 24 hours a day. Tanning beds are accessible for nonmembers, and Toth is waiving the enrollment fee for a limited time. There are also specials available for personal training.

Crowds already had begun to swell at Powerhouse by Wednesday. From late morning to mid-afternoon, the gym had twice the normal crowd, said one employee.

At both Gold's Gym locations, membership already has begun to grow, but owners are preparing for a bigger rush in the next few days.

"Usually, the first week of January is slower than the second week," said Gold's co-owner Ben Leslie. "People are still generally on vacation. Personal training clients will say they'll be back by (Jan.) 6 or 7."

Gold's, like Powerhouse, is offering incentive programs for new and existing members. At the Spring Hill and Brooksville Gold's Gyms, there are discounts on membership and enrollment fees. A new Fit For Life class is being introduced for seniors at both locations. The chain also has one of the largest personal training staffs in the area.

Leslie said the most pivotal day for someone who made exercising a New Year's resolution is Super Bowl Sunday. He has seen several clients crash and burn after one long day of guzzling beer and scarfing down whole plates of hors d'oeuvres, pizza and fried food.

"If you can get people to be good on Super Bowl Sunday, that's important," Leslie said. "That day is a catalyst for people quitting their resolutions. It gets a lot of people off track."

Frank Pastorelli, of Genesis Health and Fitness in Spring Hill, believes more than 80 percent of people who vow to exercise and eat better after Jan. 1 lose interest by the end of February. He thinks too many people underestimate the required commitment.

"They have to look at exercise as if it's a lifestyle choice," he said.

Genesis is offering two free personal training sessions for new members. The sessions include nutritional counseling, a supervised workout and a written exercise plan.

Toth wants his clients to remain committed even after falling off the wagon. He said one day of bad dieting should not be enough to wreck a person's pursuit of a weight goal.

"Just because you have an instance where you slip ... don't let that derail you," Toth said. "It's nice to be in shape. We all want to be body builders, but we still have to live our lives. If you make a mistake, it's not the end of the world."