Getting in shape after some traditional Christmas overindulgence tops many resolution lists at this time of year, good business for gym operators – many of whom have seen a lot of new faces in the last few days.

“We do generally see a spike in new memberships in the New Year, as all those resolutions start to take effect,” said Jim Harvey, general manager at Cynergi in St Julian’s. “We tend to see this right through into February too, probably as people wait for their January pay packet before making a commitment.”

But while signing up for that membership may be a valuable first step, sticking the course often proves harder. One study in the US found that new gym memberships in January account for a 30 to 50 per cent increase in volume, but half of all new members quit within six months of signing up.

Mr Harvey said that while the longevity of new memberships varied by club, Cynergi had generally seen good return rates, even on New Year sign-ups, by having an instructor in regular contact with all new members, checking on their attendance and progress.

We’re all familiar with Facebook memes showing busy gyms in January and empty gyms in February

“We’re all familiar with Facebook memes showing busy gyms in January and then empty gyms in February, but for us this isn’t really the case,” he said. “It’s extremely important that our members get the results they’re looking for, because that way they’ll keep their membership active and it’s a win-win situation.”

Not all the fitness clubs in Malta are seeing the same surge in new memberships, however, with a manager at Kinetika in Msida reporting that the gym, which mostly targets students due to its vicinity to the University of Malta, had been “very quiet” since the start of the New Year.

“There’s always a bit of a slow-down around this time, but this year it has been much more noticeable,” she said.

“Most of our new memberships come in October; this time of year is slower because people tend to be on holiday.”

At another leading gym, the manager reported a similar phenomenon, suggesting that people may be unwilling to spend money on a new gym membership so soon after splashing out on Christmas gifts and other expenses associated with the season.

But there may be another reason, tied to a stronger motivation than the New Year: the manager said the gym saw the majority of its sign-ups after Easter rather than Christmas, as people rush to get into shape as quickly as possible before the summer.