Weighing in on the new year

With each new year comes a variety of new beginnings, optimism, resolutions and an uptick in gym memberships.

Manager Dean Mauro of Retro Fitness at 1255 Hewlett Plaza in Hewlett said that he notices an increase in people signing up for gym memberships every year in January.

Retro Fitness opened up on Jan. 1, 2013, he said, and in January 2016, 208 people joined the gym.

“You can’t let that one shadow of doubt enter your mind,” Mauro said, of how newcomers to the gym seem to defeat themselves mentally by making excuses to avoid going. He said that most people stick with it to some extent and will not cancel their membership as the year progresses. To anyone considering a gym membership to get in shape in the new year, he says: “You can’t think about it, you have to just go.”

Lennox Barnaby, of Far Rockaway, has been a member of Retro Fitness for two years. “It’s great,” he said of noticing an influx of gym members in the last two Januarys. As for his own goals, he hopes to “keep healthy” by keeping his heart rate high and blood pressure low.

According to the most recent research on Statistic Brain, a market research organization, the No. 1 New Year’s resolution in 2015 was to lose weight, with getting organized and saving money also high on the list. Further studies showed that while 75 percent of people maintain their resolution in the first week of the new year, only 46 percent continue beyond six months.

“There’s no problem with it,” Matt Hausman, 19, of Hewlett, said, of noticing more people at the gym early in January. He has been a Retro Fitness member for roughly two years and plans to uphold his current gym routine in the new year.

In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, people need about three hours of moderate exercise per week, according to U.S. News. Along with increased physical activity comes improved overall health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that the benefits of exercise include: controlling weight, reducing risk of cardiovascular disease and some cancers, strengthening bones and muscles, improving mental health and mood and increasing the chances of living longer.

Have an opinion about New Year’s resolutions? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.