Fitness-center parking lots are packed as people make promises to get in shape for the new year.
Those resolutions often disappear as fast as fudge on Christmas, too.
Krista Hazeslip, fitness supervisor for Cabot Parks and Recreation, sees the trend every year.
“Lots of people have a New Year’s resolution to get more active. The parking lot is full; the cardio room is full; the weight room is full.
“By April, we’ve lost a big chunk of those people,” Hazeslip said.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
“People need to stick with it, not overdoing it so they’re not burned out the first quarter of the year,” she said. “Find something you can do long-term, something that you enjoy.”
Hazeslip said that might be swimming, running, walking or her favorite — group exercise.
“There are so many formats in group exercise,” she said. “I love group exercise.”
She said classes are free with a paid membership to the Cabot facility.
“We have 35 different classes on our class description,” she said. Those include different versions of the same type of class — cycling, for example.
It helps some people to have a routine, such as going to class at 9:30 a.m. every Tuesday.
In addition, the center offers 10 different formats for water-fitness classes. Hazeslip said people do tend to shy away from water aerobics during the coldest weeks of the year, despite the fact that the pool is heated.
“Try different things, too, because maybe everybody doesn’t like Zumba because they don’t like to dance. Just give them all a try, because you might find the one you really love, and it might not be the one you thought initially.”
Personal trainers are available at the Cabot center, too.
“As long as you have the motivation, you’ll continue to work out on your own after that,” Hazeslip said.
The impetus for many people to work out is to lose weight.
Jacksonville Parks and Recreation has an annual weight-loss challenge, which will start Wednesday and end Feb. 28.
Dana Rozenski, recreation-program supervisor for the Jacksonville Community Center, said it’s not too late to sign up. The challenge is free, but people either have to be a member of the Jacksonville Community Center or pay a daily fee. They have an initial weigh-in and have to be weighed six of the eight weeks of the program.
“We don’t do it as a group. Somebody may come in at 6 o’clock in the morning and do their workout; somebody else may come in at 8 o’clock and do their workout. It’s kind of an individual thing,” Rozenski said. “Of course, we do have a lot of people who will be here Jan. 2 working on those weight-loss goals.’”
The winner of the competition gets a Fitbit and a one-month membership to the community center, she said. More information is available at www.cityofjacksonville.net.
Although the facility was quiet Thursday morning, she said it would soon be full.
“We’re usually pretty steady January, February, and then it’s about March, and people think, ‘It’s harder than I thought it was,’ or ‘It’s more of a commitment than I thought.’”
That’s why Rozenski said she encourages people to set realistic weight-loss goals.
“Don’t say, ‘I’ll lose 50 pounds in two months,’” Rozenski said.
A realistic goal could be that instead of eating lunch out five days a week, a person could bring a salad one day a week, or replace one soda a day with water, to start.
Workout goals, in general, need to be realistic, she said.
“Take someone who has never exercised before, and one of their goals is ‘Hey, I want to work out three times a week for 15 minutes a day,’” she said. “That’s a start.”
“Those are realistic goals they can achieve without pulling their hair out.”
Hazeslip and Rozenski said getting a workout buddy can be good for accountability.
“A workout buddy can say, ‘Come on, meet me at the gym. I’m going to be there,’” Hazeslip said.
Rozenski said a workout friend could say, “What did you have for breakfast today?”
Hazeslip said no matter what style of exercise it is, people will keep it up if they enjoy it.
And it helps to stay away from the fudge.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.