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Fitness clubs in Lacey and Tumwater reported record turnout after Christmas Day, with some fitness club members saying they were disappointed they couldn’t pump iron Christmas Eve evening.
By Monday, many of those longing for a workout could wait no longer and filled fitness destinations such as at Lacey Ultimate Fitness Center on Lacey Boulevard and The Valley Athletic Club in Tumwater.
About 400 people pushed through the doors at Lacey Ultimate Fitness Center the day after Christmas, owner and manager Gary Briggs said, and he expects more on New Year’s Day.
“I saw a good surge in customers before and after Christmas,” he said. “Fitness becomes a focus this time of year.”
Briggs, who played a role in turning the former Briggs Nursery property in Olympia into a mixed-use development known as Briggs Village, opened the fitness center last September after buying another fitness business on Sixth Avenue in Lacey. He then moved Sound Body Fitness to the Lacey Downs Plaza and opened the 18,000-square-foot Lacey Ultimate Fitness Center. The business is open 24 hours a day.
Recent fitness trends at his business include a growing interest in Zumba, a dance/workout class that can attract as many as 40 people per session, he said. Briggs said the center turns the lights low and cranks up the music to add to the sessions’ popularity.
There’s also an emerging understanding among members that nutrition and eating right are just as important as working out, he said. He also has a number of customers who exercise during off hours, such as at 2 a.m., likely because they work for a hospital or in some other profession with unusual hours. It’s always surprising to see the lights on and an upbeat atmosphere in the middle of the night, Briggs said.
C.J. Hodges, 31, of Lacey tried to work out on the evening of Christmas Eve and was disappointed he couldn’t. Still, he was back Monday, ready to resume his daily routine. Hodges, who joined the fitness center about 45 days ago, said he’s set on losing 50 pounds next year.
Irene Holmes, 39, of Olympia, too, would’ve exercised sooner after Christmas but wasn’t feeling well, she said. She returned this week to resume her goal of getting her weight down to 150 pounds from 220.
Business also surged at Tumwater Valley Athletic Club the day after Christmas, said Candace Hampton, one of several managers at the club.
About 116 members checked into the club soon after it opened at 7 a.m., and 235 others used the club between 9 and 10 a.m., she said. Both figures were higher than last year’s numbers. Exercise demand comes from teachers and state workers who are off this time of year, as well as college students on winter break seeking to shed the “Freshman 15,” Hampton said.
During Christmas Eve, many members sought out the most difficult exercise classes, such as cycling classes or “body attack,” so they could lose 700 to 1,000 calories before enjoying their holiday meal. The Valley is closed on New Year’s Day, and Hampton said that always upsets members who can’t return to the gym as quickly as they would like.
It’s the day after New Year’s Day that things get busy at the Tumwater club, she said.
“That’s when our chaos begins,” Hampton said.
Rolf Boone: 360-754-5403
rboone@theolympian.com
www.theolympian.com/bizblog
