Canadians have been watching these Olympic Games in record numbers, awed by our country's greatest amateur athletes. But has it been enough to spur Canadians into finding their own inner Olympians?

Dr. Grant Lum thinks it may already have.

The Toronto-based sports medicine physician says patients coming into his clinic confess that watching the Olympics has given them new drive to push themselves a little harder in their workouts.

"People definitely tend to get more fired up about their exercise programs during Olympic years," he told CTV.ca. "Seeing people compete at that kind of high level, I think it inspires people, for sure."

Maureen Hagan, vice-president of operations at GoodLife Fitness Clubs, says she's noticed an "Olympic effect" at her gyms: fewer members coming in because they're watching the action at home.

"But on the flip side, those who are coming in are very inspired," she says. "I teach fitness classes and I'm hearing people saying, 'I've been so inspired by these Olympics to get off the couch. That's why I'm here.'

"Others have been saying, 'Let's dedicate this class to skating and work our legs harder.' People are inspired to do more," she reports.

Amber Zenith of Heavens Fitness in Calgary says there's been huge Olympic excitement at her gym, where one of their personal trainers is married to skier Manny Osborne-Paradis and where a member is married to a member of the men's four-man bobsleigh.

To appeal to the Winter Games lovers in her city, her gym started Olympic-themed classes, including Olympic boot camps. They even have one class called the Super Combined, an intense, two-hour class that combines spinning, strength work and floor work.

"I think there's a different energy in the club from people who are excited about what's going on," she says. "The energy is higher and people are pushing themselves a little bit more."

Silken Laumann knows 'Olympic effect' exists

Former Olympic rower Silken Laumann says she knows for a fact that the Olympics can encourage average Canadians into sport. Her legendary bronze medal at the 1992 Olympics was followed by a huge surge in interest in rowing.

"The change was unbelievable. Rowing was relatively unknown before 1992. My story and the performance of our whole team -- we won four gold medals -- really launched rowing into the spotlight," she told CTV.ca by phone from Vancouver where she's been attending the Games.

Enrolment in rowing clubs doubled, even tripled, she says, and there was huge demand for high school rowing programs.

Laumann hopes these Olympics inspire all Canadians to get moving. But, as a key member of the GoodLife Kids Foundation, she hopes it's young athletes who catch the spirit the most.

"For Canadian kids to see so many exceptional athletes winning medals and their excitement and their joy -- there's no question that kids look at them and see them as role models," she says.

Laumann says she's sure she even inspired an athlete or two, including aspiring rower Kevin Light, who watched her at the '92 Games and then went to welcome her home at the airport.

"He brought me a flower -- I think he was 12 years old. Fifteen years later, Kevin Light won an Olympic Gold medal in the Men's 8 [at the 2008 Beijing Games]," Laumann says.

Dr. Lum thinks Olympics athletes fascinate average Canadians, perhaps because they're so different from professional sports players, who can often seem two-dimensional.

"We get to hear the stories of the athletes, and about how so many of them hold down full-time day jobs and then train for the Olympics at the same time. Like that skeleton athlete, Jon Montgomery – he has a regular job as a car auctioneer," Lum says.

"That's a message that's so potent: these people have everyday lives yet they perform at such incredible levels. That inspires us to think that maybe we can do things with our bodies that we might never have thought about."

Laumann agrees, noting it's often difficult to relate to professional athletes – especially if you're a girl.

"First of all, professional sport is professional male sport. Amateur sport is both female and male. So that's a profound difference," she says.

"But there's something about professional sport that just seems so separate. They're highly paid, they're adults, usually. But they're too dream-like to be real role models in the true sense," she says.

"With Olympians, you hear their story, where they're from, their families, the mistakes they made. And all of that is inspiring."