Fitness facilities prepare for annual spike in post-Christmas memberships

Area fitness centers are bracing for a spike in new memberships from customers whose New Year's resolutions included shedding those extra holiday pounds.

Alecia Robert, marketing manager for HealthPoint Fitness in Cape Girardeau, said January typically is one of the busiest months for her facility.

"January is a time for a fresh start," Robert said. "There is no better fresh start than to address how you look and, more importantly, how you feel.

"This year we want every day to be resolution day," Robert said. "Small changes add up. Health centers have so much to offer people now. Many like ours have something for everyone, from senior citizens to golfers to students to soccer moms."

The San Diego-based American Council on Exercise earlier last month released a list of top 10 fitness trends for this year. The list said consumers will be looking to arrange their workouts with an emphasis on saving time and money.

Michael Cervantes strength trains Saturday at Anytime Fitness in Cape Girardeau. Cervantes works out four to five times a week.

The list includes cost-conscious workouts at home and fitness clubs, group training and programs geared toward the baby boomer generation.

"Consumers will really look to maximize their workout results while maintaining a close eye on their budgets this year," said the council's chief science officer, Cedric Bryant. "... We will continue to see a trend toward alternative fitness programming and classes as well as a continued growth among aging adults who are choosing to maintain active, healthy lifestyles."

Curves in Jackson is among the area fitness centers planning on offering weight-loss classes in 2010. Owner Kim Jones said 20 people attended the first one-day class offered in September and that she expects the 20-spot class Jan. 11 to fill up quickly.

Jones, who was a nurse for more than 25 years, said she has been a little surprised at the increasing interest in Curves despite the recession. Still, she believes a weight-loss class or a fitness center membership are logical choices to spend money on.

"Exercise and weight loss helps control blood pressure, increase strength, decrease stress and brings blood sugar readings down for diabetics," Jones said. "If a person gets fit and loses weight, he or she can possibly get off medication, and that cuts the costs -- sometimes dramatically -- by itself."

Mary Kinder, owner of Physicians Weight Loss System in Cape Girardeau, said since she opened the center in March, she has had more than 550 clients, including 13 on Saturday. Kinder is considering extending the hours of operation because the waiting room was full most of Saturday.

Offering services such as nutritional and exercise counseling, the business has helped its clients from as far away as Carbondale, Ill., and St. Louis lose about 6,300 pounds.

"New Year's is a perfect time to set that goal to lose weight," Kinder said. "They're so gung-ho the first of the year because they partied and ate the wrong things during the holidays."

Darren Harris, health and fitness manager at Fitness Plus in Cape Girardeau, expects business to be brisk in January and even better in February. He said most people wait until February to get into a routine of losing weight after putting on extra pounds over Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"People must realize they have to take care of their health more, and joining a fitness center becomes a top priority for many in the next two months," Harris said. "Fitness needs to be priority, and if they'll add fitness into their daily calendar like any other appointment, it makes it more manageable.

"Deciding to join a fitness center and lose weight makes sense from a health standpoint," he said. "They're investing in themselves."

bblackwell@semissourian.com

388-3628

Pertinent addresses:

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150 S. Mount Auburn Road, Cape Girardeau, MO

2126 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, MO

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