Calendar turns, calories burn for many in the suburbs
If the Sunday morning crowd at the Park View Health and Fitness center in Mundelein is any indication, a lot of folks see the new year as a chance to reboot their health habits.
Dozens of sweat-soaked people, pumping, pushing, and climbing, dab their foreheads with white towels. From the beeping calculators logging burned calories to the squeak of basketball shoes on the wooden court, the sounds of fitness fill the place.
"It's been absolutely crazy in the last few weeks," says fitness area manager Adam Stavros. "We can hardly keep up with the towels. There are lots of new faces. It's been incredible."
For some, Jan. 1 is just a day on the calendar. But for others, the new year offers a fresh start.
"I told myself this is the year I'm going to get fit," said Sherrill Randau. The 50-year-old from Mundelein broke her foot last summer and had a fall a couple of weeks ago.
"Both my doctor and chiropractor say now is the time to get in shape," she said. "I bought myself a membership here for Christmas. Now, I'm here religiously, almost every day."
Not surprisingly, health and fitness resolutions dominate the annual lists.
There are 142 million overweight adult Americans according to the American Heart Association. Of those, 67 million are considered obese. But resolutions can be daunting and some people just avoid them.
"I don't make resolutions because I've never been able to keep them," said Matt Willman.
A salesman for Hart Schaffner Marx, the 46-year-old from Mundelein says he incorporates workouts as a part of his lifestyle instead of setting specific goals.
"I try to get to the gym at least a few days a week to play basketball, lift weights or use the elliptical," he said. "I just work around my work schedule."
But not everybody at the gym is trying to lose weight.
"My resolution is to gain 20 pounds this year," said Ivan Chatman.
The 27-year-old from Mundelein might be the only one in the place who wants to tip the scale higher.
"I'm 180 pounds now, I want to bulk up to 200. I have a high metabolism and it's hard for me to keep weight on. I think I can do it."