Impact Sports and Fitness Director offers advice for holding onto New Year’s resolutions
Jan. 6—With the holidays over and people picking out New Year’s resolutions, many people will decide to start or restart their health and fitness journey by joining their local gym.
At the start of the new year, Impact Sports and Fitness Director Raelyn Racy expects the seasonal increase of people hoping to start their year on the right foot by going to the gym.
“In normal years, January and February, (are) usually our busiest months,” Racy said. “When the weather turns cold and after the holidays are over, people usually start coming in.”
Most gyms expect to see the increased gym attendance to start slowing down after a couple of months. Even with a clear uptick during the New Year, Racy finds that a majority of Impact Fitness members hold on to their resolutions and goals for more than a couple of months.
“I mean, usually our numbers stay pretty consistent year around,” Racy said. “There is that uptick right after the first of the year, but for the most part, we stay pretty busy.”
Racy believes the environment created at the gym by members and staff is the reason the gym has consistent regulars.
“A lot of the gym is social networking,” she said. “We have groups that come in and workout together and kind of the buddy system keeps you motivated. We try to do things to keep people interested and motivated, like our classes and our personal training — our one-on-one personal training. So I think our trainers and instructors do a good job at keeping people motivated.”
Advice from a local expert
With the uptick of visitors at the gym, Racy advises people wanting to avoid the crowds to visit after lunch and before local schools’ ending time or in the late evening before closing. However, she does say a warning that crowds will shift so it may change in a couple of weeks.
For those wanting to lose weight for 2022, Impact Fitness will hold its annual weight loss challenge in February.
Racy wants to remind people to double check their fitness expectations and goals for the new year.
“I say set goals, set realistic goals that you’re sure you can attain and keep going,” Racy said. “Just have a positive attitude, try to find a partner or something that works for you. Not everything works for everybody, so try to find something you enjoy and just keep at it.”
Advice from the Centers for Disease Control
The CDC has created a list of the immediate and long-term health benefits of physical activity for adults. The immediate benefits a person, who performed moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, receives includes improved sleep quality, reduced feelings of anxiety and reduced blood pressure. The long-term benefits a person, who regularly performs physical activities, receives includes reduced risks of developing dementia, reduced risk of depression, lowered risk of heart disease, lowered risk of eight cancers including breast, bladder, colon, endometrium, kidney, lung, stomach and esophagus cancer, reduced risk of weight gain, improved bone health and reduced risk of falls.