WACO, Texas (KXXV) — As the Thanksgiving rush winds down, gyms across Central Texas say they are already seeing a familiar trend: the holiday drop-off.
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Cobie Gray, a trainer at Planet Fitness, said the slowdown usually begins as soon as the holiday travel and family gatherings kick in.
“Travel, family, and sometimes, to be honest, people have anxiety coming to the gym,” Gray said.
Trainers refer to the pattern as the holiday drop-off, and they said it has less to do with food and more to do with routine. Once people miss a few days in late November, December can push them even further off track.
“If they get out of routine, they tend to fall off or they tend to just not want to come back, and if they're not coming back, their motivation is going to stop,” Gray said. “Just make sure to get the heart pumping, the blood flowing so your body doesn't shut down because it takes a week for muscles to stop growing.”
Many gym-goers said the challenge is not motivation but time. Holiday travel, family events and longer work hours often push workouts to the bottom of the to-do list.
Planet Fitness member Casey Collier said he still makes it a priority.
“Even when the gym is open for the holidays, there are little time slots we'll try to squeeze in here,” Collier said. “It's usually pretty crowded when you come in on the normal days. As the holidays show up, it's kind of more of a skeleton crew.”
Gray said the solution does not have to be a perfect workout. Even short, simple movements — such as walking on a treadmill for 10 to 15 minutes — can help keep people on track.
“If you're wanting to start in the new year, that's fine, but you should start right now because if you start right now, you have the motivation to keep going,” Gray said.
