About 12,000 students visited the Student Recreation Center this past week to fulfill their New Year’s resolution.

The Rec will see an estimated 48,000 visits in the month of January compared to the usual 28,000 monthly visits — an increase of about 71 percent weekly visits, said Steve Kampf, assistant vice president of student affairs.

“We see two dramatic increases in our facility,” Kampf said. “The first one is the first few weeks of school and the bigger spike is now.”

The Rec is focused on retaining the students by increasing the number of classes they provide such as TRX and Body Pump, as well as featuring climbing walls and personal trainers.

“If [students] have a skilled fitness professional along with them, they can see the health benefits whether it is weight loss, increased energy or reduced stress level that is the motivation to continue on,” said Karyn Smith, University health educator. “Whether it is to take on a new workshop or continue to go to the gym on their own.”

The Rec is hosting 12 workshops that run until the end of February. The next class begins after spring break, Smith said.

“It is great for people to commit to something if they have a goal,” she said.

Because of the increased numbers, going to the Rec may be overwhelming with new student attendance.

To better accommodate students, the Rec’s website has an app allowing users to check how busy it is, Kampf said.

Monday and Tuesday are the busiest days of the week, he said.

“These days are early in the week. Other things come up in the week: people work, have class work and classes,” Kampf said.

Freshman Jessie Pearson said she tries goes to the gym three days a week.

“I like to go to the gym with my friends because I do not want to gain the ‘freshman 15,’”Pearson said.

Pearson said she has gone to the gym off and on throughout the year.

Senior Matt Ballinger said the amount of people at the Rec gets annoying because there are more people taking up spots to play pick-up basketball. He still goes to the Rec because he believes it is important to be active.

Ballinger said he has been coming to the Rec since his junior year to play basketball.

The students’ attitude towards starting the new year at the Rec is consistent across the nation, Kampf said.

“Every health club in the country sees an increase in activity right now,” he said.

“It is important to not jump into anything too fast or too soon,” Smith said. “Start up slow — 20 minutes a day and progressively move up.”