At this point in the academic game there are few things to look forward to, scholastically speaking. Unless a new bunch of yet-to-be-completed mega-projects, research papers and volumes of nearly indecipherable reading is what gets your heart racing, the yearly holiday drought spanning from Martin Luther King Jr. Day to the beginning of Spring Break is the most depressing sight on any calendar, regardless of how cute the puppy is.

But there’s hope on the horizon.

The holiday drought proves that students aren’t complete procrastinators, just selective ones. It’s a sure bet that papers, bills and projects will be put off until the last minute, but rest assured, the looming aesthetic predicament of a Spring Break spent chained to shaky thighs or a chubby tummy is a thought so dreadful they’ll be on a treadmill long before Amazon.com sends their textbooks on their merry way.

This mass pilgrimage isn’t just speculation, either. Fitness trainers around Ames have come to expect the early-year fitness revival.

“You have New Year’s-resolution people, but you definitely have a lot of people getting ready for spring break,” said Adam Johnson, personal trainer at Lied Recreation Athletic Center and junior in health and human performance.

Although getting into the gym has long been the one cause that makes healthy hopefuls fall off the fitness wagon, Deb Atkinson, personal training director for Ames Racquet and Fitness, said the not-too-far-off holiday is what makes this time of year good for high attendance.

Johnson and Atkinson are two of many personal trainers and fitness classes available among the rec, Ames Racquet and Fitness and even the Ames Parks and Recreation Community Center.

Their purpose is to help create a customized workout regime tailored to the specific wants and needs of their clients. Not everyone has time for such devotion, but that doesn’t mean rock star sex appeal is unattainable.

Nancy Shaw, public wellness manager for the Ames community center, said that an average of five days per week in the gym complimented with a healthy diet is still the best remedy.

“The best thing to do is not to do it in a crash diet,” Shaw said. “What we see with people on a crash diet is that they gain the weight back very quickly. The healthy way to lose weight is [to lose] one to two pounds a week”

Johnson’s assessment is similar. He said spending more days in the gym for shorter periods of time is more beneficial than fewer days for longer periods of time.

Although all three agreed that a balanced mixture of cardiovascular and strength training complimented by a healthy diet are the best way to go, there are gender specific goals that emerge this time of year.

“Abs are the number one thing,” Johnson says.

“Then for guys it’s the chest, and for women it’s hip bones and thighs.”

Atkinson said that she thinks recently the two sexes have been aiming for a similar degree of toned muscle without looking too bulky. However, she said there is still a divide between the exercises men and women take part in.

“A lot of times when people come in to the gym, the women tend to go the cardiovascular equipment like the treadmill and men tend to go to the weight room,” Atkinson said. “If they swapped there would be a better balance.”

Although a seasonal shape-shift may be the desired goal of many potential Spring Breakers, Atkinson said that working out should be more of a lifestyle change than a seasonal thing, so find something you like and stick with it.