Market Survey: 56 Percent of U.S. Gym Members Dread the Return of the New Year's Resolution Crowd

A new CouponCabin.com survey reveals that 65 percent of U.S. adults plan on making fitness-related new year's resolutions this year. Eating healthier, getting in better shape and losing weight top the list, followed by exercising more at home and outdoors, eliminating certain foods from diets and going to the gym more. But some current U.S. gym members aren't thrilled about it.

More than half (56 percent) of current gym members at least somewhat dread the new year's resolutions crowd, i.e. the group of people who make fitness-related resolutions and crowd the gym, take up machines and leave scarce equipment available. Fifteen percent report they completely dread the new year's resolution crowd.

More than one-in-ten (11 percent) U.S. adults have signed up for a gym membership as a new year's resolution and quit before the year was over, up from 7 percent who said the same last year. Women are more likely to quit in less than a year than men, at 14 percent and 8 percent, respectively.

Eighty percent of those who have quit the gym within a year quit within five months, with 4 percent saying they quit in January and 14 percent quitting in February.

"Getting healthy is a common resolution for many people, and a fitness center often plays a big role," said Jackie Warrick, president and CEO at CouponCabin.com. "Sometimes, though, cost can be a concern when it comes to gym memberships. More than half of the people we surveyed said they spent more than $26 per month on fitness-related expenses last year, which can add up quickly. Get creative and consider low-cost fitness options around your house and community to help save money."

For many people, their 2013 fitness budgets will remain in line with 2012. Nearly three-in-four (73 percent) who spent money on fitness-related expenses last year plan to spend the same amount on fitness-related expenses in 2013 that they did in 2012. Sixteen percent plan to spend more and 26 percent plan to spend less in 2013.

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Coupon Cabin from December 17 to December 19, 2012, among 2,309 adults ages 18 and older; the 2011 survey was conducted online from December 15 – 19, 2011, among 2,646 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

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( SportsOneSource Media )