• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

It’s early January, which means fitness facilities are packed, with the New Year’s resolutions crowd taking over the machines. 

Bars might be slightly less busy, undoubtedly affected by the Dry January resolution, at least for the month. 

As usual, health and fitness are taking center stage in Americans’ New Year’s resolutions. 

Sixty percent of U.S. adults plan to set resolutions this year, and health, fitness, or exercise is the most popular focus, according to the 2025 Fitness Resolutions survey by the Health & Fitness Association. About 96 million U.S. adults plan to prioritize health, fitness, or exercise in 2025. Other leading resolutions focus on money and finances (49%) and nutrition and diet (44%).

“Among Americans prioritizing fitness, 50% aim to build muscle or strength, 44% want to establish a regular exercise routine, and 42% seek to improve mental health through physical activity,” according to the Health & Fitness Association. “Gyms, studios, and health clubs play a pivotal role in achieving fitness aspirations. Nearly nine-in-10 adults (88%) prioritizing fitness consider access to fitness facilities to be important to achieving their 2025 goals, and 61% rate it as very important. Looking ahead to the new year, 58% plan to maintain existing fitness memberships, while 23% aim to join a new fitness facility.”

Planet Fitness, which recently raised its monthly rates to $15 from $10 — still a bargain compared to upscale gyms like Equinox — is seeing an uptick in members interested in strength training, which is changing gym culture. 

“On a recent tour at the company’s headquarters in Hampton, N.H., Colleen Keating, the chief executive, walked past the old-faithful treadmills and pointed to the dumbbells and weight machines people use for chest presses and to build their quads, glutes and hamstrings,” according to The New York Times. “The changes may shift how people think of Planet Fitness, which has nearly 2,800 locations and about 21 million members.”

Dry January is said to have begun in the U.K. in 2011, but has since snowballed into a worldwide resolution by an increasing number of people. For some, the abstention stretches beyond the month.

"Some research indicates that younger Americans are generally drinking less than prior generations,” according to NPR. “A Gallup poll released last summer reveals that the percentage of Americans who say they drink alcohol fell to a record low. Only 54% of Americans said they drink alcohol, according to the analytics company, which has tracked Americans' drinking habits since 1939. That's one percentage point under the previous record low in 1958.”

Athletic Brewing Company is among the brands bringing back a January campaign, according to Marketing Daily. And bars and restaurants are amping up their “mocktail” offerings. 

A “Dry January Fest,” a showcase of the bubbling interest in non-alcoholic beverages, attracted hundreds of attendees, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting. 

Another consumer trend is “Damp January” and “Zebra Striping,” which encourages moderation and more mindful alcohol consumption. The tendency toward generational moderation is influencing alcohol brands.

“Think of the booze industry like a department store,” according to Forbes. “The Boomers were the full-price, loyal shoppers, buying everything at a 400% markup. They delivered insane profit margins through sheer, unadulterated volume. The new generations? They’re the savvy shoppers waiting for the 60% off sale. They're still buying, just not at the breakneck pace of their parents and/or grandparents. The industry isn’t going broke; it’s just being forced to offer a discount on the monumental markup of the past. Brands can still thrive; they just can’t bank on the hazardous, three-martini-lunch consumption of yesteryear.”