Fitness is like an addiction, and it can all start with just a small dose of exercise
This year thousands of well-meaning rookies will join gyms and fitness facilities with their resolutions at the ready.
By the end of 30 days, almost half of them will be back to square one, defeated, discouraged and no closer to a healthier life.
It turns out that fitness is just like any addiction: it all starts with a small dose. Too many people make the mistake of leaping into exercise when baby steps are what’s needed.
A study conducted by Pennsylvania State University introduced 25 inactive adults to group fitness slowly by allowing them to ‘dip their toes’ into exercise. The result was that 20 of the group never missed a workout in 30 weeks. Not only this, they lost body fat, gained lean muscle and prevented the chances of developing cardiovascular disease.
But the really interesting news was that 20 out of the 25 study participants never missed a workout – a compliance rate of 98.8 per cent – almost unheard of in studies of this type. So instead of being overwhelmed by it all, feeling sore from overworking unfit muscles and giving up, they actually enjoyed it.
Here are three key things to keep in mind when welcoming your new members and customers into your fitness facilities:
• Start them slow – Don’t encourage them to push their bodies too soon, ensure they feel comfortable about leaving classes before the end during the first six weeks
• Build gradually – Aim towards staying for a full workout as your fitness builds
• Mix it up – Include a mix of strength, cardio and flexibility training
Increasing intensity Despite fitness programmes being highly engaging, the real key is the gradual way in which exercisers adapt to this new routine. An initial six-week period encouraged them to dip their toes into fitness before ramping up the intensity with a six-day-a-week schedule.
The next step on this member journey is to increase the intensity. The idea is that once there is a base level of fitness, getting fitter isn’t about more time, it’s about the level of effort you put in. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is scientifically proven to take your fitness to the next level, using short bursts of work followed by intervals for recovery.
An example of HIIT is a 30 minute LES MILLS GRIT™ workout. Here’s what researchers suggest when you are ready to add HIIT to your fitness schedule: two sessions of HIIT, two of cardio, two of strength and one of core / flexibility (see table above).
Best in class facilities drive more than 50 per cent of their membership base into group exercise classes each week, with group exercise being cited as the biggest influence (49 per cent) on how long people remain a member of the fitness facility.
It’s important to recognise that your customers’ journey starts with the first club interaction. We need to move initial interactions with potential members from product to education, letting them make informed decisions around how they can reach their goals effectively.
Les Mills Smart Start six-week & 12-week workout schedule
six-week & 12-week workout schedule
Here are some great cardio, strength, core, flexibility and HIIT activities you could consider
various activities
Researchers have developed an easy to progress set of recommended activity levels
Recommended activity levels
You should start introducing HIIT training after six weeks of the new exercise programme
HIIT training
Membership tenure is longer among members attending fitness classes
Members attending fitness classes
For more information on the Les Mills Smart Start, or to attend a Les Mills Insight Seminar: +44 (0)20 7264 0200 / [email protected]
Too many people make the mistake of leaping into exercise when in fact baby steps are needed to ensure they stick with it
Panatta brought together four of the most influential figures in bodybuilding history on the
stage of RiminiWellness 2026: Phil Heath, Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman and Hany Rambod. [more...]
CoverMe, the global leader in fitness workforce management, today launches CoverMe PT, an
on-demand personal training platform that connects the right personal trainer to the right
client in under 10 seconds. [more...]
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Precor
Precor promises precision-quality products with steadfast reliability that are inspired by exerciser [more...]
Fitness is like an addiction, and it can all start with just a small dose of exercise
This year thousands of well-meaning rookies will join gyms and fitness facilities with their resolutions at the ready.
By the end of 30 days, almost half of them will be back to square one, defeated, discouraged and no closer to a healthier life.
It turns out that fitness is just like any addiction: it all starts with a small dose. Too many people make the mistake of leaping into exercise when baby steps are what’s needed.
A study conducted by Pennsylvania State University introduced 25 inactive adults to group fitness slowly by allowing them to ‘dip their toes’ into exercise. The result was that 20 of the group never missed a workout in 30 weeks. Not only this, they lost body fat, gained lean muscle and prevented the chances of developing cardiovascular disease.
But the really interesting news was that 20 out of the 25 study participants never missed a workout – a compliance rate of 98.8 per cent – almost unheard of in studies of this type. So instead of being overwhelmed by it all, feeling sore from overworking unfit muscles and giving up, they actually enjoyed it.
Here are three key things to keep in mind when welcoming your new members and customers into your fitness facilities:
• Start them slow – Don’t encourage them to push their bodies too soon, ensure they feel comfortable about leaving classes before the end during the first six weeks
• Build gradually – Aim towards staying for a full workout as your fitness builds
• Mix it up – Include a mix of strength, cardio and flexibility training
Increasing intensity Despite fitness programmes being highly engaging, the real key is the gradual way in which exercisers adapt to this new routine. An initial six-week period encouraged them to dip their toes into fitness before ramping up the intensity with a six-day-a-week schedule.
The next step on this member journey is to increase the intensity. The idea is that once there is a base level of fitness, getting fitter isn’t about more time, it’s about the level of effort you put in. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is scientifically proven to take your fitness to the next level, using short bursts of work followed by intervals for recovery.
An example of HIIT is a 30 minute LES MILLS GRIT™ workout. Here’s what researchers suggest when you are ready to add HIIT to your fitness schedule: two sessions of HIIT, two of cardio, two of strength and one of core / flexibility (see table above).
Best in class facilities drive more than 50 per cent of their membership base into group exercise classes each week, with group exercise being cited as the biggest influence (49 per cent) on how long people remain a member of the fitness facility.
It’s important to recognise that your customers’ journey starts with the first club interaction. We need to move initial interactions with potential members from product to education, letting them make informed decisions around how they can reach their goals effectively.
Les Mills Smart Start six-week & 12-week workout schedule
six-week & 12-week workout schedule
Here are some great cardio, strength, core, flexibility and HIIT activities you could consider
various activities
Researchers have developed an easy to progress set of recommended activity levels
Recommended activity levels
You should start introducing HIIT training after six weeks of the new exercise programme
HIIT training
Membership tenure is longer among members attending fitness classes
Members attending fitness classes
For more information on the Les Mills Smart Start, or to attend a Les Mills Insight Seminar: +44 (0)20 7264 0200 / [email protected]
Too many people make the mistake of leaping into exercise when in fact baby steps are needed to ensure they stick with it
The UK's four Chief Medical Officers have published a refreshed edition of Physical activity
guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers' report, updating the evidence that underpins the nation's
physical activity recommendations and placing greater emphasis on strength, balance, reducing
sedentary behaviour and, for the first time, supporting people taking weight loss medications.
Places Leisure has exchanged contracts to build and operate a flagship £60m water and leisure
destination on behalf of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.
The Republic of Ireland will become the latest market in PureGym’s expanding international
portfolio, with the first launch planned for Dublin in 2027.
Anytime Fitness opened more than one club a day in 2025 and is on track to maintain this rate
of growth this year, as parent company Purpose Brands targets further international expansion.
The £33.9 million Leighton Leisure and Community Centre has opened in Leighton Buzzard, UK,
creating a next-generation public leisure, health and wellbeing hub for the local community.
Walnuts Leisure Centre in Orpington, in the London Borough of Bromley, has reopened following
a £17m transformation designed to secure the long-term future of the public leisure asset and
reposition it as a community wellbeing hub.
The Gym Group, has announced that it's sustained positive trading momentum has continued
through the first half of 2026 and the company remains confident about the outlook.
Luxury boutique Pilates and wellness studio, X-Club, officially launches a
4,000sq ft flagship at
Marylebone on 16 July Built around X-Club’s four pillars of wellness – mind,
movement,
nutrition and therapy – the facility features two group exercise studi
Panatta brought together four of the most influential figures in bodybuilding history on the
stage of RiminiWellness 2026: Phil Heath, Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman and Hany Rambod. [more...]
CoverMe, the global leader in fitness workforce management, today launches CoverMe PT, an
on-demand personal training platform that connects the right personal trainer to the right
client in under 10 seconds. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Precor Precor promises precision-quality products with steadfast reliability that are inspired by exerciser [more...]
