Amid a steady whir of elliptical trainers and other exercise equipment at Tim's Fitness Center in Lititz, beads of sweat trickle off reddened faces this time of year as steadily as water dropping from the ice-glazed tree limbs outside.
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Bankruptcies and corporate layoffs might be dominating the headlines, but that hasn't put much of a damper on the traditional midwinter fitness rush at Tim's and other health clubs across Lancaster County.
This is the month the fitness industry attracts the most new members as people take steps to fulfill New Year's resolutions for a more healthful lifestyle.
"Typically, every January around the second or the third, we see a bunch of people start to roll in," said Paul Charbonnier, assistant manager at Tim's.
Josh Eaby sees the same thing as manager of Elizabethtown Fitness Club. So does David Green, manager of Quest Total Fitness, Lancaster.
"Our attendance can increase up to a couple hundred members higher [this month] than in the spring or summer," Eaby said.
That's about a 10 percent increase, about the same the other two clubs expect this month.
Leslie Hostetter, of Lititz, is one of those who have recently swelled the ranks of perspiring members at Tim's.
"I just want to be healthier for the new year," she said last week, her face flushed from pedaling a stationary bike.
"I started Dec. 15. That's when I came home for break" from Boston Conservatory, she said. "I leave on the 19th. I hope I can maintain my new healthier lifestyle when I get back."
Despite having people such as Hostetter join recently, local fitness clubs are also beginning to see a few strains from the economic downturn.
"I had a young lady comment yesterday" about not being able to afford to continue at Quest Total Fitness, Green said last week. "She said things were just that tight for her."
Tom Weaver, owner of Weaver Personal Training Services, New Holland, said he's lost a few clients in the past year because of the economy.
"One client was the manager of an automobile dealership," he said. "He had to drop out because of what was going on. I had a couple of other people who had to drop out because either they or their spouse worked on a commission basis. ... And I had one who was just rattled by the stock market."
Jeff Fisher, owner of Body Extreme Fitness Center, Quarryville, said he's also had people terminate memberships because of the economy.
Eaby has seen some other signs of strain at Elizabethtown Fitness. The midwinter rush, which usually begins in early December, didn't start this year until later in the month, he said, and holiday sales of gift certificates dropped from about 100 two or three years ago to 20 or fewer this year.
"The real test is going to be in March," Eaby said. "We all see the increase in January. It's just how high the turnover rate is when the quarter ends."
Built on bounceTurnover is standard for the fitness industry.
It has the third worst rate of retention of any industry, said Tim's Fitness manager Bruce Mack, citing statistics compiled by the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association.
According to the association's Web site, the average retention rate for its member clubs last year was 73 percent.
Tim's was better than that — about 80 percent, Mack said.
In normal times, economics might not be as big a factor in retention as interest, with membership lagging during the summer when people turn to outdoor activities and vacations, Eaby said, picking up again after school starts in the fall.
Eaby said he's seen members quit and rejoin three or four times in just the few years he's been at Elizabethtown Fitness.
Overall, though, the industry has been growing over the past few years, according to the sports club association, which pegs U.S. membership at 41.5 million in 29,636 clubs at the beginning of last year, compared with 41.3 million in 29,069 clubs two years earlier.
Local clubs and trainers hope to see that continue here. According to surveys, 90 percent of people believe in the health-club strategy, Mack said, but only 15 percent are members.
Cost is one factor. Eaby said Elizabethtown Fitness has had an influx of new members from a $10-a-month restricted-hours membership it started offering about a year and a half ago.
He said the deal has attracted a lot of students who don't mind being excluded in the before- and after-work hours that are the clubs' busiest times.
"Other people are willing to pay extra to have more of an empty gym during those times," Eaby added.
Green also emphasizes the affordability at Quest Total Fitness, saying he might get a handful of members each month who talk to him about quitting because of the cost.
"But what I always tell them is it's just 63 cents a day" to maintain a $19.95 monthly membership, Green said.
Personal attentionAnother large factor in turnover is the level of personal attention, these fitness managers say.
"We take a lot of pride in our customer service," Mack said of Tim's Fitness. "Our goal is to get them emotionally involved" in fitness.
Hostetter said she's been working three times a week with a personal trainer at Tim's, a service that would cost her an additional $150 a month when she returns to Boston.
Jane Snyder-Rauhauser, owner of Absolute Pilates, Lancaster, said her classes and private sessions don't have as high a turnover as health clubs do, in part because of the personal attention.
"The appeal here, too, is not only that but the type of exercise," which one of her clients described as "ballet on the back," along with the quiet, relaxed setting that allows clients to clear their heads and focus inward.
"The bulk of my clients are higher income who can afford the private sessions," she said. "Those people have not been impacted as much [by the economic downturn]. I am fortunate."
Weaver, whose business providing training services also lacks the open-gym component that characterizes fitness clubs, explains how personal attention affects the retention of clients.
"When they have accountability and have to keep appointments with someone who is working with them, it's kind of hard to just give up," he said.
Eaby acknowledges a lower commitment level among some health-club members.
"Certain people who come here, if they come in, great; if they don't, no big deal," Eaby said. "They're the people we're going to lose if [the economy] gets much worse."
Dennis Larison is editor of the business section and can be reached by telephone at 291-8753 or by e-mail at dlarison@lnpnews.com.
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