In the Grayslake community, you may have noticed a change in the amount of people who go to the gym in January compared to other months of the year, whether it’s one of the local gyms or studios or Grayslake Central’s weight room. Most people assume that this is because of New Year’s Resolutions, with getting in shape and going to the gym being very common goals.
New Year’s Resolutions are a controversial topic on their own because while some people make it a point to stick to what they said the year before, many people fail within the first month. It has been shown that only a small number of people stick to their goal for more than 30 days. When you combine this already-existing controversy with the annoyance of one’s local gym being constantly packed, it brings the correlation of New Year’s Resolutions and gym habits to people’s attention.
A Crunch Fitness worker in Round Lake, Illinois who preferred to not be named said that there is a clear difference in how many people show up to the gym in January compared to other months of the year. “For example, our peak [time] is between 4pm to 8pm and it has kind of extended… so the peak is lasting until 9:30pm” he said. “There are a lot of sign ups, and new faces, and some of them I haven’t seen since I signed them up, you know?” he said. The Crunch employee said that he doesn’t believe New Year’s resolutions tend to work out because they’re mainly motivation-based – but it does depend on the person. Despite this, he says that building the habit of working out is very important. He said “Fitness is the best thing in the world. We need to move, especially today when everybody’s sitting down for multiple reasons… so I really strongly recommend people to come to the gym or exercise in general.”
Owen Gordon, a GCHS sophomore who consistently goes to the gym said that he definitely notices more people going to the gym in January due to their New Year’s resolutions. When asked if he thinks New Year’s resolutions tend to be successful, he said “I think it works for some people, and I think there’s definitely a spectrum of people who stick with it, and some people who just kind of quit after a couple days.” He says that he goes to the gym for personal growth and to be able to see his progress after a few weeks or months, and that the environment he prefers to work in is an empty gym.
Grayslake Central’s gym supervisor and math teacher, Matthew Bridges, said that he doesn’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions, and that they fail way too often. “I would imagine that is because a New Year’s Resolution is too vague, and it’s focused around motivation and not… systems that allow you to achieve whatever results you want,” Bridges said. He challenges students and peers to let their goal for the year be summed up with one word, based on an ideal from John Gordon, American author and speaker. “You know, are you really going to be someone that is motivated to go and work out and exercise… whereas with one word that you can kind of live by, you see it,” says Bridges. When asked if he thinks going to the gym or exercising in general is a good habit to build, he said that it is because it can make you happier, and that if you do have a resolution, stick by his golden rule. “Don’t miss twice,” he said. “If you are someone that wants to begin working out and you miss a day, just don’t miss the next day, and try to have it be something that you kind of live by.”
