Christmas is full of a lot of things: Food, family, presents, chocolates and much more.
Unfortunately, it isn't usually associated with lots of exercise.
That’s where the New Year comes in.
According to Forbes Health and Statistics surveys, the second- and third-most common resolutions are to exercise more and eat healthier respectively.
Many locals in Prince George seem to be following in the footsteps of millions of others and are looking to improve their health this New Year.
Gyms in Prince George have noticed a rapid and significant increase in memberships and visitor rates with many being swamped almost every day with traffic.
These following gyms have noticed significant increases in new visitors and members over the New Year:
- Golds Gym has seen two new membership sign-ups per day and a significant increase in visitors since the New Year.
- Anytime Fitness has seen a 25 per cent increase in foot traffic and six new membership sign-ups a day.
- Orange Theory has seen an increase in sign-ups of about 300 per cent in the past 10 days with 1-4 new people signing up every day.
- Prince George Family YMCA has seen a 10 per cent increase in both foot traffic and signups.
- The Fitness Collective saw a 10 per cent increase in memberships, with a 15% increase in visitors
A surge of visitors and new members of gym goers is a welcome sight for many in the industry, said YMCA centre manager Shannon Johnson
“What we try to do here when we see this influx, we try to engage people in the activities and the programs that we have to offer here so that it is easy to see the value of their membership," Johnson said. "So over the last couple of years, we have noticed more people are taking an interest in their health and wellness and that they value their gym membership as part of their lifestyle in helping them achieve their goals, their health and wellness goals.”
This new surge of visitors as noted by several gyms usually lasts around 3-4 months, with global statistics showing that approximately 80 per cent of new gymgoers quitting around 4-5 months after their initial signup.
Community is also an important part of keeping gymgoers resolute, Johnson, said, noting that many making good on their New Year resolutions often stay because of engagement and involvement with the community at the YMCA.
