Gyms Brace For Battle Of Bulge

Illawarra Mercury

Saturday January 3, 2009

By MICHELLE WEBSTER

AS throbbing New Year hangovers begin to fade, new leaves are being turned over and resolutions made with unshakable grit.

Illawarra gyms are bracing for the annual January rush, with new members jumping on the resolution bandwagon in a bid to shed those extra festive season kilos.

Beaton Park Leisure Centre supervisor and personal trainer Adam Luchetti said despite the initial determination, many people simply weren't committed.

"After New Year we will definitely notice a rise in class size," he said. "But people join up with good intentions in January and then just stop going after a while."

A Fitness First personal trainer for four years, Rachel Denniss said the early enthusiasm often declined quickly unless exercise was made a normal part of the weekly schedule.

"It probably takes about a month for the people who have made New Year's resolutions to start to drop off," she said. "If they get into a routine they have much more chance of sticking to it."

Personal trainer and owner of Attitude to Burn outdoor fitness, Caroline Wade-Martens, said most people failed to maintain a New Year fitness regime because their goals were too vague.

"People set themselves up for failure," she said.

"They need to quantify what they want to achieve. It could be that they would like to go in a 5km fun run or lose a certain amount of weight, rather than just saying you want to get fit or lose weight."

A former NRL player, Adam Luchetti said people could give themselves a better chance of success by not exercising alone.

"If people have a training partner or a personal trainer they are much more likely to stick to it," he said.