Many people will rush to join a gym to work off their Christmas excesses and begin a new health regime. Nicole Matthewsworks out the pros and cons of such New Year resolutions.
A New Year, a new me. This year many of us will join the gym in January full of good intentions.
After attending religiously for a month, excuses start to come up and we go a little more sporadically. Guilt starts to creep in which finally succumbs to apathy and we give it up. Sound familiar?
In Ireland every year in January, hundreds of people join the gym and of this figure it is estimated that only 20 per cent will keep it up. In today's time-poor, cash- rich society there is always a good reason not to go to the gym so what are the options available for the many who want to start the New Year with a realistic plan that they can maintain throughout the year?
For those suspicious of the gym you don't have to sign up for the year straight away. Many gyms will give you a free trial or you can pay per visit.
Killian Fisher, chief executive of the Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management (ILAM) which represents the leisure industry, says that according to a report produced by Deloitte last year 9 per cent of the Irish population were members of gyms and fitness centres with the majority of these in Dublin.
"This 9 per cent only measures the amount of people signed up to gyms and does not measure their frequency in going. Signing up is the easy part while retaining customers is the difficult part.
"This can be seen from current retention rates in Ireland which are 20 per cent. This means 80 per cent of customers defect, according to our figures," says Fisher.
Jackie Skelly, founder of Jackie Skelly Fitness, says it is the customers who often set unrealistic goals for themselves which leads many to be disappointed.
"Joining a gym is not a quick fix as many people think, but rather is about setting achievable goals and being assessed properly from the outset," she says.
For many after Christmas even the thought of joining a gym is strenuous so it is advised to start off correctly.
"We offer free personal training sessions and trial sessions and hold on to some 65 per cent of our members through proper induction and communication with members on an ongoing basis," says Skelly.
Michelle Ballantine, sales manager, Crunch Fitness, says many people join the gym in January as part of their New Year's resolution but not very many continue to use it.
Fisher says gyms have to focus on motivating the people who need it most.
"About 20 per cent of the population who join the gym will keep coming back regardless and the other 20 per cent will drop out regardless. The key segment here is the 60 per cent in the middle which is the group that needs to be motivated through the staff encouraging them and phoning them," says Fisher.
For many first-timers to the gym there is also the pay-as-you-go option offered by the Markievicz and Loughlinstown Centres in Dublin and Leisureworld in Cork. Prices per visit range from €5 off peak up to €10 during busier periods.
If feeling braver after a few visits, many centres will then offer monthly or quarterly membership. These include the three pay- per-visit gyms above, the Carraig Court Health and Fitness Club in Cork and the West Wood centres in Dublin.
When joining a gym it is important to do your homework as this industry is self regulated so Fisher advises people to look for the white flag in gyms.
"The White Flag is awarded to gyms and fitness centres that pass the quality standard on all areas including staff training, water quality in pools, hygiene, maintenance and customer care. They are awarded annually so re-audits are done ensuring standards are maintained," says Fisher.
Another alternative which is the closest thing to a "quick fix" is the 30-minute workout offered by gyms such as Curves which promise a full body workout in half an hour in an exclusively female environment.
For those still resolutely against the gym, yet who also want to get fit and keep it up throughout the year there are a range of alternative options.
Cathy Soraghan created Women on the Run in 1996, a personal training class for those who simply "don't have the time".
Soraghan, a qualified trainer with 13 years' experience, operates from her studio in south Dublin or goes to clients' homes and caters for groups and one on one.
"I combine everything from the best of regimes using aerobic and pilates to giving a one-hour workout. It initially started out for women on the run who are trying to combine work, family, home and kids but now I offer cookery courses with the GI regime and life coaching," says Soraghan.
Prices start from €35 per half-session to €75 for a one-hour session.
Yoga is still a popular activity for many, with options ranging from the more physical ashtanga to hatha yoga. There is also Bikram yoga for those who feel up to the challenge. It involves a 90-minute workout in a hot studio. All trained staff are listed in the Irish Yoga Association.
Finally, the preferred method to many of the stars - a gym to yourself that is open 24 hours a day and comes to you? Yes, turn your home into a gym.
It is advised before purchasing equipment to start small using bags of sugar as weights and build up your resistance slowly rather than buying heavy equipment which will lie idle.
"I would say that the amount of home exercise equipment lying dormant in people's homes is huge because it is more difficult when someone is trying to motivate themselves on their own with no programme worked out for them," says Fisher.
Skelly says there are no cons to joining the gym and that if you are inducted properly and set realistic targets then the likelihood of staying is much higher.
Whatever exercise you decide to start in the New Year, Ballintine advises people to test and try several options until you find something you enjoy doing that you can keep up throughout the year.
"Pedometers are a good idea and ideally people should be walking 10,000 steps a day, but start out small and build it up so if you're doing nothing 5,000 is a good start," she says.