With New Year’s resolutions still fresh in students’ minds and Spring Break quickly approaching, it’s no surprise that the Student Recreation Center is busier than ever.

“Historically, January is our busiest month followed closely by February and September,” said George Brown, executive director of the University Recreation Center, in an emailed statement. “The usage drops some [by the end of the semester] but we are seeing a far greater number of participants throughout the semester than ever before.”

The Rec Center’s popularity, particularly in the beginning of the year, can deter students from using it. It’s a problem the Rec has tried to fix with ideas like several webcams that regularly feed still images of the weight room and the cardio machines on the second floor to the Rec’s website.

Students can use the webcams to determine best times for use, according to the website. Regardless of whether they use the webcams, the high traffic in January can cause students to carefully plan when they go.

“It makes me think twice before I go. Now, I usually plan ahead,” said Rachel Neal, a freshman from Mobile, Ala. “Usually, I go earlier, when people are in class or still asleep. I wouldn’t want to go around 5 p.m. when it seems busiest.”

According to the Recreation Center’s usage records, Wednesday is the busiest day, and Saturday is the quietest. The peak hours at the gym are 3:30 to 8:30 p.m., during which students might have problems finding free exercise machines.

Parking can also be a problem, but the Recreation Center has lots to the north and south of the building, as well as a lot across Campus Drive, Brown said.

“The upper level of the fitness area where cardio equipment is accessed is the busiest area of the SRC,” Brown said. “This is followed by the basketball/gym areas, the group exercise rooms and the lower weight room area. During peak times, all areas of the building are crowded.”