Body rehab keeps Tauranga gyms busy

Western Bay gyms have been inundated with membership enquiries and new clients as people try to fight winter weight gain and the results of over-indulging in Easter treats.
Mark Woodgate, one of the owners of Bay Body Fit, said more new members had joined this month than any other month in the past four years.
And the trend was gathering momentum.
"I think it's a bit of people eating too much and the weather getting cooler but, after Easter, we definitely see an influx.
"Mount Maunganui is a beautiful place with a range of outdoor options ... but it's definitely a seasonal place to exercise, and coming into the cooler months, the gym is the ideal place to exercise."
Memberships were also on the rise at Global Fitness Club, said marketing manager Sean Joyce.
"It's definitely increasing at this time of year and it seems to prove popular because people are coming indoors as the weather gets cooler."
Andrew Smith, health club network manager at Tauranga City Aquatics, agreed. He said more people tended to join up around April as they turned their focus away from the beach and towards the gym.
"We see a number of new people who join but, for the ones who have already joined, we see an increase in the number of times they attend, so it becomes more of a regular thing.
"One of the reasons why people come here is because we've got a range of things for people to do and it keeps them occupied and gives them variety."
Mr Smith said overeating at Easter and other holiday periods was often an incentive for people to take action against unwanted weight gain.
"A lot of people after the Easter break, and similarly after New Year, make resolutions and put something into action - generally we see an influx of people around the holiday periods," Mr Smith said.
Some of the most popular workouts were group classes, where people could "meet other people while feeling better about themselves", Mr Smith said.
But for people who prefer to exercise at home, hiring or purchasing personal fitness equipment is also proving popular in the Western Bay.
Andrew Hutchings, of Elite Fitness, said he had received plenty of emails and voicemails enquiring about hiring and purchasing fitness equipment.
He dealt with nationwide enquiries and said compared with other rural centres, Tauranga had a large percentage of people who hired or bought fitness equipment.
"When compared with places such as Southland, Christchurch, the Kapiti Coast or even Dunedin, Tauranga is definitely up there at the top."
Nationally, Mr Hutchings said the company was "absolutely flat-out" with people hiring treadmills, exercycles and cross-trainers - the three most popular pieces of fitness equipment.
Mr Hutchings said exercising in the privacy of your own home was "very appealing".
"People don't like to have to dress up to go to the gym, they might not like people looking at them, and if they're in the privacy of their own home they can train as long and as hard as they like without critical eyes watching.
"Around Easter and this time of year people generally look at themselves and they see they've put on a bit of weight and, whether it's too much beer or too much chocolate, they want to do something about it.
"New Zealanders in general are very conscious about living a healthy lifestyle - they know to eat well, they know they need to exercise and they know they need to put their thoughts into action."