Sun, The (Lowell, MA)
January 3, 2002
Section: Front Page
More resolute than ever
Health clubs see early New Year's push to flatten those spare tires
DAVID PERRY Sun Staff
And with the New Year comes the health club boom. New Year's resolutions, however fleeting, are sending folks into weight rooms, exercise classes and onto treadmills in search of an improved outer-self. Which sometimes, they say, helps the inner-self, too.
January provides health and fitness clubs with their largest annual boom, say local managers.
"God gave us Mondays and New Year's for one reason -- to get back into doing the right things for ourselves," says Karen Bell, owner The Club Fitness Health & Spa in Lowell. Bell says she's seen more longtime members hitting the club in recent weeks, too, following a lull in the months after the Sept. 11 tragedies. "But the new sign-ups started around Dec. 26. It's like they're even jumping the gun a bit this year."
Bell says people view the beginning of a new year as a time "to restart. Everybody likes a perfect time to do something. There are so many other deadlines in our lives all the time that maybe here's one we can set and not put off -- I will start on Jan. 1."
She says that if a typical day sees five or six new sign-ups, "we'll probably do 15 now." This month, she says, the number of visits to the club normally doubles.
Christie Palazzola, a 20-year-old nursing student from Tyngsboro, joined World Gym in Chelmsford "a couple of weeks ago," hoping workouts would keep her energetic and healthy. Transferring from UMass Amherst to UMass Lowell this semester, she wanted to begin the new year "right."
"New year's is definitely part of it, but you definitely stay healthy and avoid a lot of illnesses by staying fit. And I'd also like to lose a few pounds after the holiday eating."
"People want to start off the new year right, to get in shape," says Mike Buckley, owner of Bay State Total Fitness in Dracut. "But from what I can see, this could probably be one of our bigger years."
In addition to those who resolve to shape up, a post-Sept. 11 America includes "people looking for more of a sense of community," adds Buckley. "That's something we can provide. You meet other people while you improve, and you're in it together."
Buckley says he doesn't typically see a boom in new customers until the second week of January.
"That's when it really hits, when people get up off their butts after the holidays. It's almost always the Monday following New Year's. People always want to start on a Monday. We've had a few, but the big push is coming."
Bell knows the Monday-beginners, too.
"I heard a woman the other day saying she was really upset that this year's New Year's Eve fell on a Monday. She said, now I can't start dieting until next Monday."
Ian Kushner, manager of World Gym in Chelmsford, says the fitness industry has a lot to do with encouraging people to shape up when each new year is rung in.
Yes, many want to get in shape anyway, but the push now "is a self-generated thing, like Valentine's Day is for greeting card companies."
"People are more reflective at this time of year and they make resolutions for a healthier lifestyle. I think this year will be just as big as last year."
Inevitably, though, there's a weeding out period that comes for many whose best intentions fall by the wayside.
"Usually, for every 10 who sign up, we'll keep four who will end up here on a consistent basis. That's probably better than the average. We have good retention strategies."
And Jen Rosa, 14, of Chelmsford, hopes to be one of the four.
She signed up yesterday morning and arrived at World Gym just after 4 p.m. with her aunt and cousin to begin her first workout. A Chelmsford High School freshman who runs track, Jen didn't know exactly where she'd begin.
The dozens of treadmills, where the sleek techno of Daft Punk bled through the sound system, and a series of large overhead television sets flashed news and entertainment? The vast weight area, where lifters of all stripesgrunted and sweated? Some are maintaining heavily muscled and curvaceous bodies, others just beginning to flatten spare tires.
"I just want to stay in shape and be healthy," Jen says. "I just thought it would be good for me. If you're in good shape, you're healthy."
What does she want out of this?
Easy, she says, rubbing her stomach.
"A six-pack."
(c) 2002 The Sun ( Lowell, MA). All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.
