CLEVELAND — New Year's resolutions, along with pandemic pounds, are driving more people to get back to the gym in 2023. Dan Cullen, a personal trainer at 360 24 Hour Fit, said January always looks different from the rest of the year.

What You Need To Know

  • Fitness centers typically busiest in January as people resolve to get fit in the New Year

  • Gyms saw a significant slump in attendance during the pandemic 

  • Although, the numbers are not the same as they were before COVID-19

“January is always the busiest time of year for gyms and trainers,” he said. 

Patrick Fisher, a member at the same gym, said fitness has always been a priority, even during the pandemic, and worked out at home with items around the house.

“Some of it was probably a little weird and unconventional, using furniture as exercise equipment. Like tables and chairs and other people sitting in those tables and chairs,” he said. 

He, too, noticed more people working out, especially in the past few weeks, but said it’s not the same. 

“This year I’ve noticed it’s a little bit more delayed than past years and even still it’s not quite as many people as it used to be and I think that’s just because of the pandemic and people were down for so long,” he said.

Statistics from Zippia.com show health and fitness clubs lost more than $29 billion in revenue from March 2020 to June 2021, at the height of the pandemic. Revenue from gym memberships has been on the rise, however, ever since. 

Despite there not being as many people as there was before the pandemic, Fisher feels more people staying consistent with their gym workouts. He credited it to people feeling more invested in their health and fitness.

“I have noticed that the people that did come in for the resolution have stayed longer than they would have in the past,” he said.