[JackieRn]

My gym actually has stats for monthly attendance and the spike on the graph in January represents 3 times the number of people as February. My fitness classes resume Monday and I am planning to go earlier to make sure I get a spot.

[Vahla]

I've just moved house and will be joining my new gym in the next few days, I don't want people thinking I'm just there for a resolution but I guess I'll prove that when I'm still there in a few months. I've never seen the resolution crowd though so maybe I'll play a game in my head of who's not going to be there next month while I'm exercising.

[midwife]

Originally Posted by RunnerKim

Oh I could have written this post myself. I ran at 7am and I saw a few neighbors who normally don't see me running at 5:30 am every morning. I felt like they were thinking "New Year's Resolution Running". Just to make sure they knew I wore my "Kicked Asphalt - Philadelphia 1/2 Marathon" shirt so they knew I wasn't some resolution girl. LOL.

I used to be a die-hard gym goer and I absolutely HATED January. All the resolution folks would be there and sure enough...by Valentine's day they were all gone and it was the regulars once again.

Ditto Julie & Kim. My diehard running partner and I ran NY Day in the early afternoon and there were bunches of people out. I had this strong desire for people to know we've been running for YEARS and this ain't no resolution!

[JulieJ08]

Originally Posted by midwife

Ditto Julie & Kim. My diehard running partner and I ran NY Day in the early afternoon and there were bunches of people out. I had this strong desire for people to know we've been running for YEARS and this ain't no resolution!

Hehe, I'm glad I wasn't the only one! I felt kinda silly

[junebug41]

So I couldn't sleep this morning and was at the gym when it opened at 7. The crowd was very light, save for the spin class crowd (such a rowdy bunch)

DH just returned and he said it was packed and he was glad he went for a run before that because there wasn't an available cardio machine to be found.

I don't mind going early in the morning or late at night, but DH hates it. I think for the next couple of months he will see it my way!

[Skullarix]

WOW Chicks! I was going to go to the gym in a few minutes.. I hope it's not that packed! I haven't been to the gym for a few days I've just been working out at home and riding my new bike (mobile not stationary)! Now I'm kind of dreading going.

I confess though I worked out New Years Eve and had saved some calories so I could have a beer... I decided I wanted chocolate more! I had a piece of chocolate and went to bed at 12:15 Then I worked out on New Years day too!

[ennay]

Originally Posted by midwife

Ditto Julie & Kim. My diehard running partner and I ran NY Day in the early afternoon and there were bunches of people out. I had this strong desire for people to know we've been running for YEARS and this ain't no resolution!

You should have seen me today. I bought a treadmill even though I swore I never would but my gym closed when it was too icy to run outside so desperate times. Damn I wanted to march around the store with my Marathon finisher shirt to "prove" this wasnt a resolution sale.

[nicolen]

I'm just back from the gym and I have to share this.

There was a guy there, haven't seen him there before and he had the speed on the treadmill set at insanely fast. I mean, the belt was travelling so fast it made me dizzy. He would run for about 10 seconds, feel himself sliding off the end and then hop on the sides of the treadmill for around 40 seconds. And he did this for at least half an hour. I didn't know whether to get a trainer or not, probably should've...

[Tomato]

My Zumba class was packed today as well. I did not even think about people with New Year's resolutions, but that definitely explain it.
I will do my lifting very early tomorrow morning - most people like to sleep in on Sundays.

[grneyedmustang]

The Bally's I usually attend was packed today too. A lot of people I don't normally see in there...

[moon fairy]

Yes, Yes! My gym was packed today around noon hour. I had no elliptical cross-trainers so I had to settle for a treadmill. I hope the new year's rush dies out soon.

[Diva]

Originally Posted by Suzanne 3FC

According to the stats, most will be gone by Valentines

That's good to know. I am having to take a month off from my GYM because Dude needs my car, so I'll be working out here @ home. It's good to know that most of the newbs will be gone when I return!

Originally Posted by PhotoChick

Yeah. I was talking about this exact thing with someone today.

There is part of me that feels really bad for saying this ... because ultimately I really really do think it would be great if more people started working out and stuck with it. But honestly ... I wish all the uncommitted newbs would just get off my elliptical, quit hanging around the freeweights with their cute little spandex outfits and no commitment, and get the **** out of my way. *wry smile*

.

I feel the same way! I don't go all dressed in cute Spandex myself, it's always sweats and tee shirts. I leave with my hair a mess and all red and sweaty. Some of the beauty queens in their cute Spandex don't even break a sweat. What's that all about????

[Mrs Snark]

One of my favorite posts in the discussion forum at the triathlon site I frequent is about this very thing. I love it, and I'll quote it here.

We're endurance athletes. We train all year not only outside, but also at the gym and the pool. We can expect some serious crowding in both places for the next few weeks. It happens every year.

Suddenly we have to add 30 minutes to our scheduled gym time because of the "resolutionists". There are no parking places. When you do manage to find one and get to the locker room 10 minutes behind schedule, there aren't any lockers available and the door is blocked by someone trying to remember the way to the weight room. In there, the machines you need to use are all occupied by people in new track suits pushing too much weight with truly horrible form. The bubbler is blocked by someone who is trying hard not to look totally out of their element. You can't get in the pool because it's jammed with people using pull buoys on their arms and kickboards as flotation devices. Half the lanes have people with no goggles and baggy swim trunks down to their knees who can't swim an entire lap.

The whole freakin' place is filled with...with...

beginners.

It's one of my favorite sights. I've never been in a place more full of hope than a gym during the first week of January. It's a place full of people giving action to their dreams. People who for that day are making an effort to be fit, to improve themselves, to live a better quality of life. The effort and courage it takes them to get there that morning is huge. It certainly exceeds what it takes me. I know where everything is. I know the pool etiquette. I know what my workout is going to be and how to use the machines. My stomach is already kind of flat, my calves look like I've had brick implants and I'm not the least bit embarrassed to take my shirt off in the locker room. This is routine for me. These new people will be showing a lot of courage and determination by going to the gym in the next few weeks and they'll deserve my respect. They'll get it.

It wasn't that long ago that I was one of them. During the next few weeks I'll be making an effort to help some of these people feel a little less uncomfortable. Maybe make eye contact with some of them, be ready to give a nod or say hello.

Once we're halfway into February, the crowds will be gone. Parking will be easy. Machines will be available again. The wait at the pool will go away. We know this. We're endurance athletes. We know the reward that comes from sticking through the hard parts.

And from helping others through them.

Doesn't it make you want to go hug a newbie?

[nakedmango]

Originally Posted by Tyler Durden

<Snip>

Doesn't it make you want to go hug a newbie?

Great post!

I have to admit, when I go to my condo gym, I see people there who really don't know what they're doing. Sometimes I offer to help. Really, I want *more* people to workout and be fit, right? So helping them is the best way to achieve that. Don't just hug a newbie, help a newbie!

...Though I might not help a newbie at my super-cool mid-town gym where we all pretend we know exactly what we're doing and don't make eye contact.

[junebug41]

Tyler Durden, I tried very hard to remember your post as I ventured to the gym today, the first Sunday after New Year's. Boy, did I try.

And I did pretty good and felt pretty good (the gym was PACKED), but there were still some observations, and yes, some "ticks":
Observations:
-an unusual amount of men wearing swim trunks.
-the median gym-goer age was noticeably higher (which I thought was great, actually)
and the big one.... I was on the elliptical for 45 minutes. In that time 7 people got on (and off) the elliptical next to me. I thought maybe I had some funk, but DH confirmed that I was smellin' fresh.

And the ticks:
-Now, I am fully aware of how difficult it is to exercise when you're out of shape, but I couldn't help but notice a high frequency of users on the treadmills who were walking at a snails pace and not breaking a sweat. I would probably quit in 6 weeks, too, if I spent 2 hours at the gym everyday and wasn't seeing results (due to inefficient exercising).
-There was "stuff" everywhere. Draped across the carpet and on cardio machine (much like many folk's home machines )
So it did give me something to think about. I realized that people really are motivated and that's awesome, but I think the high failure rate is due to the lack of direction. The trainer on duty "assured" me that everything would be "back to normal" by mid-February, but I couldn't help but think if these "newbies" had some direction and assistance from the staff, that mid-winter drop off wouldn't be so severe?

In the meantime, I'm sticking to my late week nights.