Gyms up and down the country will have seen a huge increase in joiners during the month of January as millions take to the treadmill to shift the festive pounds, but as most committed gym-goers have noticed the queue for the cardio machines doesn¹t last long ­ in fact it¹s just six-weeks! Nuffield Health has identified the 8th February as Ditch the Gym Day¹. This date sees the largest drop in usage at the chain¹s Fitness and Wellbeing centres with usage levels returning to Œnormal¹ soon after. The reason for identifying this date is to flag this danger zone¹ and provide some advice and motivation to ensure people don¹t give up on thei goals. There are practical things you can do to get through February.

³Six weeks into your programme is a tough time, you may not have seen the results of your hard work, the cold snap arrives and the sofa beckons. Our fitness teams are on stand-by to help members through this period with free PT sessions, programme reviews and health MOTs, but we¹re keen to flag this to all those who are struggling with New Year Resolutions on the brink of failure.² Research shows that is takes an average of 66 days (9-10 weeks) to form a new habit ­ described as behaviours which are performed automatically because they have been performed frequently in the past. It also takes around 12 weeks to see the results of a new fitness regime which means that by March; gym-goers will be through the tough period, looking good, feeling healthier and making the exercise part of their life. Other usage statistics show that the busiest day of the week to attend the gym is Tuesday and the quietest is Saturday ­ a great day to for a workout when classes are less busy and equipment is free.