Business & Tech
Resolving to Get Fit Could Backfire
Every year, people make New Year's resolutions and join a gym. Every year, trainers at the Mount Vernon Athletic Club watch those same people drop out by mid-March.
After the high of Christmas and New Year's Eve, people will resolve to do things differently in 2011. It's the same every year. Some New Year's resolutions are financial, some are organizational, but a lot of the time they're fitness related, which means January is busy season at the Mount Vernon Athletic Club.
"It gets crazy, wicked crazy," said trainer and Operations Manager Gretchen Thompson. "Everyone comes in with their New Year's resolutions and typically they want to lose weight and get fit."
Thompson said during the month of January, their parking lot will be packed and the machines in the gym well-used. But unfortunately, when most people resolve to make a change, they aim a little too high and are disappointed with their progress.
Find out what's happening in Mount Vernonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"As of January first you see a lot of new people and come mid-February people really start to fall off, you lose a lot of people," said trainer Leslie Fajfar. "Start slow, start where you are comfortable and don't overdo it because you are going to run yourself into the ground. By mid-February you aren't going to want to do it anymore."
The trainers say it's much better to work out twice a week all year than six times a week for an intense month or two. They say the key is to make a lifestyle change, not start some sort of crash workout program.
Find out what's happening in Mount Vernonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"Don't overdo it when you start working out. Do a measurable goal, do something that's obtainable," said Thompson.
Despite folks' good intentions, trainers say by February and March the Mount Vernon Athletic Club will look a little less frenzied. Trainers say if this winter is particularly cold, people will drop off even faster. They say bad weather is most people's favorite excuse to avoid hitting the gym.
People in Mount Vernon have all kinds of ideas when it comes to New Year's resolutions, but when it comes to making a lifestyle change, one citizen said she has the right idea by leaving resolutions out of 2011.
"I tend to think the things I'm going to stick to, I don't need to make one day to stick to it," said Sam Barnes. "I should do it all year."
