Yancy Sannan, Aquatics Director at the pool at Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township, on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. Justin Guido/Butler Eagle

For as long as she can remember, Heidi Nicholls Bowser, the membership and healthy living director at the Butler YMCA, has noticed that the No. 1 New Year’s resolution has been “getting fit, losing weight — something to do with wellness.”

“That’s why gyms, and the Y is no exception, would have new members joining in January. I call it the ‘January Effect,’” Nicholls Bowser said.

Nicholls Bowser said the Butler YMCA usually expects to add more than 300 new memberships at the start of each year, and there are plenty of activities for new members to choose from.