Closing out the 2021 year with New Year’s resolutions on the horizon, many have decided to skip ahead on their fitness promises and have begun to acquire gym memberships already. Brownsburg Fitness, Planet Fitness and LA Fitness are just a handful of the local gyms available to the public, and many students have begun to peruse through the membership options these locations have to offer.

I talked to a few BHS students who have joined this new wave of members about why they’ve taken a sudden interest in gym memberships and fitness.

Senior Evan Morrison talked of his new membership at Brownsburg Fitness and why exactly he chose it.

“All of my friends had already gotten one and had been going there for a few months now. I had previously gotten a surgery on my arm a few months back, so I wanted to get back into the environment of exercise, and what better way to do it then with friends?” Morrison said.

A social tone can be attached to the interests formed by novice gym-goers, as those environments thrive with a sense of community.

“I’ve been going here for almost a month now, and I’m more than happy with where I have come. It makes me that much happier to see where I may go,” Morrison said.

Progress seems to be one of the main sources of fuel for those who aspire to better themselves, and as the gym is a home to exercise, the body itself can be formed to one’s interest in these spaces.

Senior Randy Bailey opened up about his own interests in gaining a membership, both adding to the words of Morrison and offering a new perspective.

“I wanted a membership to better my body. I’ve never been in a gym before, and I would always make excuses as to why I shouldn’t go. Whether it be money, transportation, time, I never made space available for the gym. Before I go off to college, where I intend to work out with my roommates, I want to gain some experience in the gym,” Bailey said.

This new acceptance of the gym has sprouted up among the masses, with many individuals seeking out a weight room or treadmill for all types of reasons. No matter the purpose behind this resurgence, it has become apparent that gym attendance is on the uptick, and until it ends, more memberships will be bought, more excuses will conclude and more progress will be made, both in body and in mind.