Bermuda’s gym owners are limbering up for a post-festive season membership boost.

For — as restaurants and bars brace themselves for a traditional downturn — gyms see an increase in numbers as people aim to shed holiday pounds and get fit for summer.

Karen Magnum, of Magnum Power Force Gym in Hamilton’s Church Street East, said: “January is always our high season — people come in and start signing up.

“Everybody eats a lot and drinks a lot over Christmas and January is the time to get fit and healthy.”

Ms Magnum added, however, that personal goals drive whether new customers stick to their programmes or drop out.

She said: “It really depends on their long term goals. If they’re making a New Year’s resolution or a lifestyle change.

“I always recommend 100 days, then you make it a habit.

“You get people who start and stop, then there are those who are dedicated and there every day or even two times a day.”

Ms Magnum added that January to April were “the high season” for people to get in shape.

She said: “We have the summer coming and there are a lot of people who want to get for summer and bathing suit season.”

She added that fitness competitors, who have shows in April and August, also kept the gym busy, while professional boxer Nikki Bascome, who is sponsored by the gym, trained there when he was on the island.

Ms Magnum was backed by Sue Pell, manager at Court House Squash and Wellness, who operate in Hamilton’s Victoria Street and recently opened Court House West in the new Belvedere Apartments block off Pembroke’s Pitts Bay Road.

Ms Pell said: “With the new facility, a lot of people have their New Year’s resolutions and are heading to the clubs.

“We haven’t done any reports in the last few days, but our phones are ringing and we’re doing a lot of show-through as well.

“We also have quite a few corporate wellness companies who want their staff and employees to stay healthy.”

Ms Pell added: “There has always been that trend in this industry — people have New Year’s resolutions, they want to lose five pounds. They either do or they don’t and they drift away.”

But she said: “By encouragement or the personal trainer’s reaching out to them, we’re really trying to keep that motivation going.

“A friendly face at the front desk is always good — they recognise people when they come in and recognise that they have made the effort to do that. A lot of it is about relationship-building.”

Ms Pell added that the two gyms could offer different experiences and broadened exercise options for customers.

She said: “They like the idea there are two gyms available and that they have opportunities to mix their routines up so they don’t always do the same thing. Choice is good — it stops them from getting bored.”