Exercising fiscal fitness can benefit would-be gym members.

By Purva Patel, Houston Chronicle Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Jan. 1--It's a new year, and you've resolved once again to shape up.

And health clubs know it. They're expecting you, touting special offers and discounts to lure you in.

But before you buy a pricey membership, as with any big purchase, shop around and read the fine print.

Gym membership rolls traditionally swell in January, according to the International Health, Racket and Sportsclub Association, which represents some 4,000 gyms in the United States.

The group estimates 10 million Americans will join health clubs in 2005 and more than 1 million will do so in January.

Enrollment jumps at least 20 percent during the first three months of each year at Fit, a downtown gym targeting young professionals, owner Scott Lutwak said. And that's without any special offers.

"We're expecting a huge January," he said. "I think …