New Year rush to join the gym? It's better to wait until spring

After over-indulging at Christmas, thousands will be poised to sign up for a traditional January gym membership.

But joining the gym a bit later, in the spring, could reduce the risk of wasting money for some people who might end up going 50 per cent more often as a result.

A study of more than 1,700 people who signed up for a year's gym membership found they were more likely to stick to exercising if they joined in the spring or autumn.

People who joined in these seasons went to the gym about 4.5 times a month on average - the equivalent of once a week.

But those who signed up in winter went only about 2.9 times a month, based on the average of everyone's attendance in the study.