Gyms usually have their fill in January as thousands of Americans attempt to lose holiday pounds. With East Lansing workout hotspots bulging with a glut of new January members, MSU alumna Emily Zurek noticed the gyms themselves usually shed more clients than the members do pounds when the calendar flips to February.
A new competition, however, might help East Lansing residents keep on track — and on the treadmill. Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Blues Community Challenge, a fitness contest between 10 Mid-Michigan communities, will reward the municipality that logs the most workout miles until March 7 with a $2,500 first prize to be used for health and fitness purposes.
Zurek said any incentive to keep resolution-makers committed will help, and the Blues Community Challenge could provide that extra lift.
“I know that from past experience that you’ll see in the first two or three weeks of January there’s like a million people at the gym and then they all kind of disappear,” she said. “So I think it’s important to continue that routine so you don’t turn into one of those people.”
Kathleen Miller, program coordinator for the East Lansing Department of Parks, Recreation and Arts, said the program holds people accountable for working out because they are part of a team with a reward on the line.
East Lansing Councilmember Nathan Triplett and his wife are participating in the challenge and helping the city maintain its current position at third place. He was on the way to the gym Monday to log more miles for the competition.
With an extra $2,500, he said the city could upgrade sidewalks and bicycle and walking trails, among other things.
“Any of the recreational amenities we offer in the city, they’re great now but they could always use improvement,” Triplett said. “And $2,500 is nothing to scoff at when it comes to improving those amenities.”
Miller said having the competition during the winter will motivate people to leave their couches and head to the gym instead of sitting inside and waiting for warmer weather.
“I think typically people exercise more inside in the winter time because some of us are wimps,” she said.
For Vic Price, a 27-year-old Lansing resident, it’s more difficult to get a gym membership than stick to his New Year’s resolution.
“There’s always a hidden fee that when you start and sign a contract you have to pay like $500 before you even get started,” he said. “I was supposed to (stick to my resolution) this year but it hasn’t been working out so good.”
Miller said she wants to attract college students with the challenge to push people toward their fitness goal.
“We want to get people who are generally more sedentary,” she said. “Younger people are a little more active and can set a great example for those of us who are middle-aged.”
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