• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, December 30, 2010

While marketers can always count on vows to "exercise more" to be right up there with "lose weight" and "quit smoking" this time of year, there are signs that Americans really are looking to celebrate economic recovery with a little more time at the gym. A new survey from 24 Hour Fitness reports that 72% of consumers say they hope to exercise more in the New Year.

Younger people are more gym-bitious: 81% of adults 25 to 34 say they expect to be more active this year, compared with 73% of those in the 35 to 44 age group, and 65% of the 55 to 64 crowd. No matter the age, weight loss is the main motivation, with 36% saying that shedding pounds is their No. 1 goal, while 35% say their main motivation is simply looking better. That's good news, since the latest Gallup data says only 38% of people it polls report having exercised or had a lot of physical activity in the past day, and only 27% get the recommended 30 minutes or more of exercise five days per week.