Fitness businesses get annual New Year’s boost

Health, fitness and weight loss resolutions don’t wait for the new year in Pahrump. That is a trend that Custom Health and Fitness Assistant Manager Shelby Hughes has seen for the past several years.

Though the second day of 2015 saw an increase of 10 new memberships by 2 p.m., Hughes said many new members start hitting the gym in November and December. The year’s end typically brings in about 50 new members, she said.

“They are trying to get a head start before the new year,” she said. The facility typically sees between 25 and 30 new members during the first week of the new year, she added.

Most new members, she said, drop out of the gym after three months. Though she could not attribute any one specific reason, she has advice for those wanting to improve their health and fitness. Though it has often been said that it takes 21-days to establish a new habit, Hughes suggests giving a health and fitness routine a 12-week window in order to see results.

“Your body is not going to change overnight,” she said. Re-shaping a body takes dedication and consistency. If a fitness routine does not yield results within a 12-week period, she suggests re-evaluating goals and the fitness routine. “Every body is different,” she said. Each person will respond to a new routine differently.

The most important factor in a new health and fitness routine is diet.

“Diet is everything. If you are not feeding your body good stuff, you are not going to see results,” she said. Hughes said that a workout and fitness routine contributes 30-percent to weight loss while diet accounts for 70-percent.

The largest demographic that seeks gym memberships are those that are between the ages of 30 and 50. There is no gender preference, she added, with new members equally split between males and females. The average gym-goer spends one hour working out. If they are taking a class, that time increases to two hours. The most popular classes are kickboxing and circuit training, followed by pilates and yoga.

The most popular day of the week to work out? Monday. “I think people just want to start the week out on the right foot,” Hughes said. Peak hours, when the gym is busiest, is at 6 a.m., between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. for moms with young children, and then again between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. The numbers seem to be split between people who use the facility before and after work, she said.

The facility is busier in the summer than in the winter. Hughes said she would like to see that change. People seem to be busy with the holidays and with family in the winter months and wait until the beginning of summer to really start working out in an attempt to get a “beach body.” Unfortunately that mindset is faulty. “You get your summer body in the winter,” she said.

The all-inclusive facility seems to appeal to their members, Hughes said. Custom Health and Fitness offers a variety of fitness classes, which are free with a membership, together with free tanning and sauna use.

For those who are not inclined to work out at a gym to help achieve fitness and weight loss goals, Hughes said they can work out at home.

Weightlifting or resistance training, combined with some form of cardiovascular activity, will result in faster weight loss, she said. The same rules that apply inside the gym can be adapted in the home, she said.

A second fitness facility in Pahrump, Fitness For 10, located on Commerical Drive, caters to a diverse demographic that consists largely of seniors, according to general manager Jennifer Fox. In contrast to Custom Health and Fitness, Fitness For 10 sees most new memberships, approximately 150 of them, arrive during the first few weeks of January.

Their busiest time of the year is the first few months of the year, Fox said. Beginning in February, new memberships begin to drop off but class attendance does not. Fox attributes the popularity of the facility to the low cost, $10 for a basic membership, and to the number of senior-centric classes such as Silver Sneakers and Silver &Fit.

The second most popular fitness class, she said, is yoga. A consultation with a certified trainer is included with each membership and the facility has three trainers on staff to assist gym-goers in achieving their fitness goals.

Fox has advice for those who have health, weightloss and fitness New Year resolutions; start small. By setting small, achievable goals, such as losing five pounds by a particular date, Fox said people will find themselves motivated to continue with a health and fitness routine.

As a way to encourage a healthy lifestyle, Fox said that the facility will be offering a health awareness fair on May 2. The day-long event will include biometric screening, a 5K run, an obstacle course as well as other activities.

For more information call Custom Health and Fitness, 3640 S. Highway 160, at 775- 537-6061, or Fitness For 10, 2271 Commercial Drive, at 775-751-6683.