Calling All Gladiators

Happy (almost) New Year! The good news is that your fitness center is likely packed to the gills with resolution-wielding exercisers. The bad news? The Writer’s Guild of America is striking, which means that your favorite television shows are on indefinite hiatus until a deal is hammered out between studio bigwigs and Guild leaders. What does this have to do with the fitness industry, you ask? More than you think.

TV has long been a source of ideas for fitness programming. (’Fess up: How many of you have held a Biggest Loser- or Survivor-themed competitions at your facility?) Popular reality shows based on competition are perfect for time-crunched managers to make their own. Now, thanks to the writer’s strike, studios are relying even more on the reality formula to fill empty slots in their program schedule. They’re even dragging out some old favorites, like American Gladiators. The new and improved version of the program, hosted by Laila Ali and Hulk Hogan, debuts Sunday, January 6, on NBC. I’ll wait while you set your TiVo.

If you’re starting to mull ways to bastardize the American Gladiators formula for your fitness center, I’m sad to say that you’re too late. Someone has beaten you to it. The Tribune Chronicle reports that, in May, the American Gladiators Sports-Fitness Training facility will open in Niles, Ohio. I imagine it will be a place where members can act out their long-dormant fantasies of wearing helmets and spandex, and going head to head with muscle-bound opponents.

I find it hard to imagine there is anyone out there yearning to be an American Gladiator — save a few adult males with memories of Saturday mornings watching long-haired dudes with names like Blaze and Firestorm beat the living daylights out of hapless weekend warriors. To be completely honest, I can’t imagine anyone wanting to participate in these kinds of activities sober, but that probably says more about me than anything.

Still, John Ferraro Sr., who is heading the project along with his two sons, assures skeptics that, “It will be fantastic.” The fitness center will offer exercise facilities on three levels. Fitness challenge competitions will be staged between members, and with representatives of other facilities, according to the article.

The Ferraros say they plan to franchise their idea, and believe that people all across the U.S. are chomping at the bit for the kind of campy competition the TV show embraces. “People ask me, why here?” Ferraro told the Tribune Chronicle. “People here are no different than they are in Beverly Hills.” Really? I used to live in Los Angeles, and I have a hard time picturing the gaunt, moneyed shopoholics who haunt Rodeo Drive forgoing their private Pilates sessions for a round of sweaty jousting.

Maybe I’m jaded. Maybe the recent faltering of fitness franchises has hardened my journalist’s heart, and I fail to appreciate the secret desires of the American public to act out their adolescent fantasies. Maybe the next big fitness franchise idea really is found in old TV favorites. I have to wonder if my husband wouldn’t get in line for the chance to wear a leather Speedo and raise a massive sword by a replica of Grayskull Castle.

It might be fun for a day, but is play-acting the way people would choose to get their daily dose of exercise? I suppose anything is possible … but I doubt it.

Don’t Ruin Your –or the Industry’s - Reputation

January is a big month for most fitness centers — a busy time when people join with the best of intentions. During these critical first few months of the year, don’t blow it for everyone else in the industry by using hard sell tactics or ignoring members once they hand over their money.

It is no secret that the fitness industry doesn’t have the best reputation among consumers. People can feel ignored, confused or embarrassed as new members, or cheated when they have a problem with their membership. Remember that Friends episode when Ross tried to quit his gym and they wouldn’t let him? The industry’s reputation precedes you.

The Better Business Bureau ranks consumer complaints by category. The category “Health Clubs” was in the top-25 of U.S. businesses that had the most complaints in 2006 — out of almost 4,000. (In Canada, Health Clubs ranked No. 7!) Health Clubs was also one of the categories that received the most requests from consumers who were looking for reputable companies (in the top 100 of categories requested). Again, people are weary about joining (and they’re doing their homework).

With so many new people coming into your fitness center this January, make them feel welcome not only into your facility, but to the fitness industry as a whole. Get to know new members, ask them how their workouts are going, create a clean and welcoming environment, take complaints seriously, and be up-front and professional about your membership contracts, initiation fees and dues.

People don’t like to feel like they were tricked into doing something, or to find out that someone else got a better deal for the same products and services. Fitness centers, like used car dealerships, have the reputation for “hard selling,” and then leaving the customer out in the cold after the deal is made. We all need to help change this image. When the new year comes around, let’s make new members feel welcome and wanted, and not just one more sucker who helps pay your monthly utility bill.

Are Trends on Track?

Each year in November and December, organizations begin to publish their trends and predictions for the new year. This year is no exception, and, most recently, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) released its 20 upcoming fitness trends for fitness professionals to prepare for 2008. Where did these trends come from? ACSM surveyed health and fitness professionals around the world, and received nearly 500 responses. These fitness experts identified the leading trends that occurred in 2007 in commercial, corporate, clinical and community fitness programs, which will set the stage for what fitness professionals will deal with in 2008. The trends were then ranked, from highest to lowest, in order of importance.

Perhaps the most interesting finding was that ACSM says there is a “new” trend to blend both diet and exercise. Is this really a 2007 trend? This issue has been talked about for years: You can’t be successful in losing weight and maintaining that weight loss unless you combine exercise with good nutrition.

Perhaps the reason fitness professionals believe this is going to be “the big issue” they will deal with in their facilities in 2008 is related to a recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report is based on “a comprehensive survey by the federal government that includes physical examinations” among 4,400 adults ages 20 and older in 2005 and 2006. It shows that “obesity rates in U.S. women seem to be staying level, and the rate in men may be hitting a plateau now.”

Why the change? The researchers say that increased exercise is one possibility. The survey found that “about half of men and women reported getting regular physical activity in 2005, an increase from the rates reported in 2001.” Researchers also believe that adults are reducing consumption of high-calorie and fatty foods. If these results are real, that’s great for our profession and the nation.

The ACSM survey identified as the No. 1 trend the issue of obesity in children and the trend toward program development to combat this. However, the CDC’s childhood obesity rates for 2005-2006 have not yet been released, although the results for 2003-2004 showed they were rising.

Here is a list of the top 10 trends predicted by ACSM:
1. Children and obesity
2. Special fitness programs for older adults
3. Educated and experienced fitness professionals
4. Functional fitness
5. Core training
6. Strength training
7. Personal training
8. Mind/body exercise
9. Exercise and weight loss
10. Outcome measurements

I’m curious to know where these trends fall into what readers of this blog have in store for 2008. Are they on target? And are you seeing more of a trend toward diet programs combined with exercise programs in your facilities?

Are You Selling Steroids?

If a member asked you that question, you’d probably laugh. “Of course not!” you’d say. “Our pro shop sells supplements, not steroids.”

But what if they had the Dec. 5, 2007, edition of USA Today in their hands, which reports about a study showing that “13 of the 52 supplements (25 percent) purchased at various U.S. retailers contained small amounts of steroids, and six (11.5 percent) had banned stimulants”? Well, then you might do something else.

Supplements are a tricky business. In my opinion, getting into the supplement game just isn’t worth it for a fitness facility. Why compete with the corner drug store, where it can sell supplements for much less to a lot more people? Why preach the long, hard road of exercise while simultaneously hawking quick-fix aids like protein powders and “energy” drinks? Sticking to one message is the safer bet.

But there are many fitness centers out there that sell supplements. And, if you’re one of them, you probably want to look a little more closely at your products. Are they FDA approved? Most supplements aren’t.

The researchers didn’t release the names of the supplements tested, and only allowed that they are “best-selling brands.” That doesn’t do much for concerned retailers/fitness center managers who want to clear their shelves of tainted supplements. How exactly can you stand behind your supplements when confronted by that member angrily waiving a newspaper? And how can you continue to dabble in supplement sales when they are, thanks to being largely unregulated, essentially indefensible?

Are You Charity-Minded?

With the holiday season in full swing, fitness centers have moved into charity mode with food and toy drives for those in need. The spirit of the season motivates many to give, but what about when the season is over? Does your fitness center think about charities year-round, or are you too focused on profit?

To give fitness centers a larger purpose, Patricia Laus and The Atlantic Club , Manasquan and Red Bank, N.J., created Clubs for the Cure. The organization is challenging every fitness center in the U.S. to hold a fundraising event between January 1 and March 7, 2008, to support Augie’s Quest to cure ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). The goal is to raise $3 million for Augie’s Quest by March 7.

Fundraising and charity drives not only raise money for a good cause, but they also motivate your members to exercise (as with races, group exercise challenges or other “active” events), and give your facility great publicity and a reputation as a charity-minded organization. No amount of “New Year’s Resolution” ads in your local paper can give you the type of publicity that comes with sponsoring a news-worthy event for an important cause.

So what are you waiting for? Make your own New Year’s Resolution to make your fitness center more charity-minded. It will benefit others, and may have the added bonus of helping your facility, too.

Just Say No to Dues Taxes!

How can government justify taxing health club membership dues, and what are you doing to help put a stop to this? Especially at a time when the obesity epidemic is causing a national healthcare crisis! Federal officials have estimated that treating obesity-related illnesses costs about $93 billion a year, and that was from a report in 2004.

It’s not like government hasn’t recognized the importance of this issue and taken numerous others steps to raise awareness and provide incentives for people to take better care of their health. In 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted that obesity, caused by a sedentary lifestyle and poor nutrition habits, would overcome tobacco as the leading cause of death in the U.S. In 2006, the Health and Human Services secretary announced plans to develop physical activity guidelines, and in 2007, members of the advisory committee who will develop them were announced.

Other industries have also played a role in raising awareness and helping to curb the trend. The media has published countless studies on the benefits of fitness to combat obesity, which is a major cause of death. And, in the past several years, insurance companies have begun offering premium discounts to individuals who work out at fitness facilities. The company that has been most in the news lately is Medica Insurance Company. In 2003, Medica Insurance Company started offering $20-per-month incentive payments to members of fully insured plans who exercised at Life Time fitness centers at least eight times per month. It now also has agreements with most YMCAs and YWCAs in the Minnesota area, and, most recently, it added Curves fitness centers to its plan.

Currently, 25 states (almost half) impose a tax on fitness center dues. (You can view a summary of these on IHRSA’s website.) Yet, in 2004, the IRS approved tax deductions for obese Americans for doctor-approved weight-loss expenses, which include stomach-stapling surgery, approved weight-loss drugs and nutritional counseling. What kind of a mixed message is this?

For now, a few changes have been seen. On November 7, the Michigan Senate repealed its newly imposed sales tax on health club services. Then, in mid-November, the Maryland sales tax bill deleted health clubs after more than 14,000 emails, petition signatures, postcards and phone calls in protest.

This issue should be at the top of the fitness industry’s list to nip in the bud before it’s too late. It’s time for every fitness facility operator to do their part in making a major impact on reversing the tax on fitness center dues. Keep informed, write to your legislators and help be a part of fixing this national healthcare crisis — not just on a business level, but on a national level.

The Bandwagon Effect

It sounded like a good idea.

Curves for Women franchises were springing up like dandelions all over the country. It was no surprise that the “what’s good for the gander is good for the goose” mentality was close behind. Enter Cuts Fitness for Men.

The franchise was an unabashed disciple — some would say copycat — of the Curves’ formula for success. Still, despite a strong push for a ride on the single-sex bandwagon, the concept so popular with women failed when applied to men. “Cuts Fitness for Men advertised their franchise opportunity aggressively, promoted its story continuously through the press and strategic alliance partners, then seemed to go silent all at once,” say the folks at FranchisePick.com. The Cuts Fitness for Men website now simply hawks a Cuts book, as if the whole thing never happened.

So, was the Cuts story a fireworks-like flameout after a spectacular start? Or did the franchise ever get off the ground in the first place?

FranchisePick.com reports that “an April 2006 Cuts Fitness press release boasted that the men-only 30-minute fitness company … had more than 100 franchises open in five countries, more than 200 franchises sold, and expected to sell 250 more franchises in 2006.” The media bought the hype, and proclaimed Cuts Fitness for Men as a hot franchise investment. Entrepreneur Magazine ranked Cuts Fitness No. 17 in its Top 20 New Franchises list, No. 65 in its Fastest Growing Franchises list and No. 300 in its 2006 Franchise 500. “The hype continued through mid-2006, when the company press releases slowed and stopped mentioning the number of units,” says FranchsePick.com. “In September 2006, in an otherwise positive article, the New York Times reported that “67 Cuts for Men clubs have either closed or never opened.”

There’s a lesson in here somewhere. Actually, there are a few of them. The most obvious is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to attracting niche markets. Bandwagons are like any other vehicle: The more weight they take on, the slower they move. But consider the marketing angle. Was Cuts Fitness for Men a victim of its own hype? Its PR was making promises franchisees couldn’t deliver, and a relentless forward surge didn’t allow room for a slow-down or slide-back in its business plan. The end result seems, in hindsight, inevitable.

How strong is the temptation to cash in on someone else’s popular idea? Has your fitness center ever fallen victim to the bandwagon effect? Take it from Cuts Fitness for Men: Sometimes the safest place for a business is on solid ground, waving at the bandwagon as it goes by. Don’t worry too much about missing it; another will be along shortly.

What’s Next? Paw-sonal Trainers?

With the ever-present photos of celebrities and their dogs, and warnings that pets are becoming just as overweight as their owners, it is no secret that pets are big news – and big bucks.

While fitness centers are usually no place for pets, some are offering classes for humans and their canine companions, and some manufacturers are using their products to benefit pets, especially those requiring rehabilitation.

Pet Pavilion in London, U.K., offers yoga for dogs and their humans. Running Paws Athletic Club in New York City offers play time, indoor and outdoor running, and training and agility classes for dogs. Good Dog Aquatic Fitness in North Andover, Mass., offers physical therapy for older or injured dogs. Another facility, Next Step Animal Rehabilitation & Fitness at the Mid-Atlantic Animal Specialty Hospital in Huntingtown, Md., installed a SwimEx 400-OT aquatic therapy pool to aid in dog rehabilitation.

Obviously, most fitness centers aren’t going to run out and buy a therapy pool to treat dogs. However, the recent surge in products and services for pets does have a place at some fitness facilities. For example, you could offer an outdoor walking class for members (and non-members) and their dogs. Or, you could sponsor a fundraising event that benefits a local humane society or animal organization. You could offer a doggie day care - maybe one that includes “working out” the dogs. This could especially work if you are in a market where your members don’t have young children at home. Finally, you could even offer some type of doggie yoga class.

All of these programs could be fun – and great money-makers for your facility. In any case, you could establish a unique market niche, and attract animal lovers who may not otherwise become members.

Learning a Valuable Lesson in the Fitness Center

Just when your members thought it was safe to go to the gym, it is reported that a series of larcenies at fitness centers in the Ballston and Clarendon areas of Arlington, Va., is being investigated. According to a news release sent out Aug. 9, 2007, from the Arlington County Police Department, at least 10 incidents of stolen wallets and/or credit cards in locker rooms have been reported since June 20. In most cases, those items were taken from unlocked lockers, and the culprits quickly used the credit cards to make expensive purchases after stealing them.

While this string of thefts seems to be limited to the Arlington vicinity, theft in fitness centers is nothing new, and it occurs in facilities everywhere. In January 2004, our publication reported on an FBI investigation into locker room crime in an editorial titled Locker Room Crime Alert. In this operation, the thieves made it a point to not disturb any contents of lockers so that members were unaware that their belongings had been tampered with. All they would take is one credit card from each wallet, and only if that wallet contained multiple credit cards. They would then use the credit cards at casinos to make multiple cash withdrawals until the credit line on the card was reached. This string of crimes began in the early 1990s, and occurred in states all across the U.S., even those that didn’t have casinos.

While one of the perpetrators has been arrested in the Arlington investigation, the others are still up to no good. And, I am unaware of what happened with the FBI investigation, or how many other types of operations are now going on. Therefore, it’s up to fitness center management to let their members know that they need to be extra cautious about their valuables when in the facility. First of all, it would be wise for staff to suggest to members that they not bring any valuables to the fitness center. If that’s not possible, then provide a safe place for them to lock up their valuables near the front desk where they will be supervised by staff members at all times. Or, better yet, encourage members to keep their valuables on them, if possible. If they do store their valuables in lockers, by all means be sure to tell members to lock them!

Other tips for helping your members to avoid getting ripped off in your facility can be found in a recent article in FM titled Locker-Room Crime: The Aftermath.

Making Sense of Staph

At a recent industry trade show, the FM booth had a prime location: right next to Gojo Industries. People flocked to the booth next door with hands outstretched, eager for a product sample. Guess what were they were selling? No, not beer, though the product does give off a faint whiff of alcohol. Gojo Industries sells hand sanitizer and related accessories.

It’s no wonder fitness facilities are enamored with hand sanitizers. The recent drug-resistant staphylococcus aureus outbreak — and subsequent media freak-out — has shoved fitness centers into the same dark corner as school locker rooms and hospitals. Suddenly, working out in a fitness center — where people, God forbid, sweat — is now perceived as potentially dangerous to their health. Therefore, facility managers are eager to show proactivity and awareness of their members’ concerns — and complimentary hand sanitizers are an easy and relatively inexpensive way to accomplish this.

Unfortunately, the industry’s lack of regulation continues to haunt it. According to an article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, “There aren’t any state-mandated regulations or routine inspections of [fitness] facilities, except for those with pools, spas and hot tubs. … And they’re not required to report staph infections, because most infections are very mild and result in skin irritation.”

Still, no matter how mild a rash may be, if a member thinks they got it at your facility, you’re in trouble.

It’s likely that your facility has measures in place to combat infections of all kinds — and it’s also likely that most of them rely on members doing most of the work. You probably have signs endorsing frequent hand washing, towel requirements or services, and available disinfectant sprays. But, what should members expect from you? What are you doing to show members that you take the staph outbreak — and every disease concern — as seriously as they do?

For more information about Staphylococcus aureus, visit the CDC
website.

The Fitness Industry Is No Friend to the Environment

Fitness centers are loud and bright and crammed with equipment that requires electricity. They have pools and showers and hot tubs that require water and heat. They are big boxes with high ceilings that require more air conditioning in the summer than most types of businesses. They have members using water bottles and reading papers and magazines that get thrown away, instead of being recycled. They are, in other words, no friend to the environment.

Are we ignorant about how to “go green”? Do we not care? Is it too much of an effort? A recent industry trade show boasted about 130 seminars for facility owners and managers, but not one of them had anything to do with the “green” craze that is happening in other industries. But, maybe the show organizers actually got it right. One of the keynote addresses, “Healthy People, Healthy Planet,” was about how living healthy (eating organic, walking more, riding your bike to work, etc.) can actually be healthy for the environment, too. This keynote, unfortunately, had a dismal turnout, which makes me think that the fitness industry just isn’t ready to deal with this important issue.

The politics of “global warming” may have turned some people off, but I think that the industry may actually be just too concerned with profits to care about the environment. However, the facts go against this type of thinking. Establishing environmentally friendly practices at your fitness center can actually save you money. Low-energy lighting, solar electricity, low-energy equipment, low-flow showers and toilets, a paperless office, double-paned windows, etc., can all save your facility money in the long run.

There are many resources out there for fitness centers that want to do more. The Environmental Protection Agency offers tips on energy efficiency and renewable energy, water conservation, environmentally preferable building materials, waste reduction and more. The U.S. Green Building Council offers tools and information you need to design, build and operate a green building. And Green Building Solutions gives tips on everything in a building from plumbing to flooring to roofing. In addition, an article in Fitness Management gives specific tips for fitness centers wishing to go green.

The resources are there. Now all the industry needs is motivation, or, possibly, a more sympathetic attitude about what is happening to our planet.

The "Big Fat" Truth About Health Clubs

If knowledge is power, and I believe it is, then fitness facility operators will want to know that their secrets are out. A new book titled, “The Big Fat Health and Fitness Lie,” by Craig Pepin-Donat singles out the fitness industry to show consumers how they have been leading lifestyles of doom by not having the facts about addiction, supplements, diets and health clubs. Yes, health clubs. Pepin-Donat devotes an entire chapter to spelling out the techniques fitness center salespeople use to get consumers to purchase memberships, why they and management couldn’t really care less whether consumers come to the club once they buy, and how much more money, in addition to the monthly dues, it really is going to cost members to accomplish their goals.

But, believe it or not, this is not a bad thing that Pepin-Donat has done. This book is actually good for both consumers and for our industry. Pepin-Donat’s goal is clearly to help the consumer to understand how to lose weight and get in shape, and he does not discourage fitness center memberships. In fact, he encourages them. But, he warns that fitness centers have to earn consumers’ business. “There is nothing wrong with a salesperson trying to help you make a decision to purchase their product or service,” he says. “The only thing you need to be concerned with is how they do it. If the salesperson comes across as being overly aggressive and negative in any way, walk out. If the company cannot at least train their sales force to be professional and courteous, they haven’t earned the right to get your business.”

The mess fitness facilities have made of customer service needs to be cleaned up. Pepin-Donat provides some good, solid facts about how facility operators run their businesses. And, it’s not all negative toward fitness centers. He gives some good explanations for why facility managers do the things they do, for their business’ sake. The key is that by making consumers aware of this, and why, perhaps consumers can get past the obstacles of joining a facility. For instance, he explains why salespeople have the attitudes they do (“Unfortunately, many fitness salespeople do not care about you or your goals.”), and why most facility managers don’t make it a practice to communicate regularly with their members outside of the facility or to get inactive, paying members back to the club to work out (“most clubs avoid sending direct-mail communication to their current member base because there is always the fear of awakening the sleeping giant of members who are not using the club.”).

Consumers need to exercise to lose weight, and Pepin-Donat has clearly painted a picture that one of the best ways for them to do that is in a fitness facility. He is quite frank about what consumers should look for in a facility, making a comparison of the equipment and amenities in a Curves vs. a “quality fitness club,” and, in a separate chapter, decrying the quality of some home fitness equipment and the gimmicks companies use to sell it. But, as he says, “In order to get results from joining a fitness center, you have to use it consistently, and most club joiners never come close.” Because of this, he makes no bones about what it takes to make a commitment to succeed. “If you don’t really know what you are doing and have limited or no fitness experience, joining a club without assistance and guidance can turn out to be a total waste of time and money.” This is where personal training comes in. Pepin-Donat spells out just how much more expensive getting fit at a fitness center can be, and, if consumers are going to buck up for the extra cost, what they really should look for.

Most of you know that the truth told about fitness centers in “The Big Fat Health and Fitness Lie” comes from a credible source. Pepin-Donat is known as a seasoned operator in the health/fitness industry, having operated more than 450 fitness centers in 11 countries. He left his last job in the industry prior to publishing this book, saying, “There is no way I could convey this information while being employed within the health and fitness industry. I would be fired.” And, when warned about alienating an industry he has worked in for more than 25 years, he says, “Why would anyone be threatened or alienated by the truth? The answer is that the truth can hurt the profits of companies that rely on the insecurity and vulnerability of consumers.”

Consumers who read this book will likely not be turned off about fitness facilities. And, those fitness center operators who read this book and are turned off — well, I guess you know why. Either way, this truth could just help you to make some changes in your business where possible. But, more importantly, it may empower you to know that the next person walking through your door may know more about your business than you once thought. You could use that to your advantage — or not.

Threading the Needle

Who is your target market? Is it everyone within a 15-mile radius of your fitness center? Well, you might want to re-think that approach to selling fitness. The trend now is “threading the needle” when it comes to identifying a target market — the more defined and specific, the better.

Just ask Nike, the fitness apparel giant with a global reach and market research dollars out the wazoo. The company is not looking to find broader markets; instead, it’s going smaller. Nike, Beaverton, Ore., designed a shoe specifically for American Indians, called the Air Native N7. And, no, N7 doesn’t stand for Fitness Management’s Nova7 Awards. An article in The London Free Press says, “The N7 name is a reference to the seventh generation theory, used by some tribes to look to the three generations preceding them for wisdom and the three generations ahead for their legacy.”

Nike didn’t just slap on a new name and call it a day. “The Air Native N7 is designed with a larger fit for the distinct foot shape of American Indians, and has a culturally specific look,” says the article. Nike designers and researchers examined the feet of more than 200 people from more than 70 tribes and found that the average shoe width of American Indians was three width sizes larger than the standard Nike shoe. As a result, the Air Native is wider and has a larger toe box. The shoe has fewer seams to prevent irritation, and a thicker sock liner for comfort.

Fitness centers can take this approach to market their facilities to a specific group. Balance Fitness caters to Muslim and other women concerned with modesty in the New Haven, Conn., area. Windows are covered with thick curtains, and women are encouraged to exercise in whatever clothing they prefer. This can range from capris and T-shirts to scarves, pants and long shirts.
Business is good, says Owner Mubarakah Ibrahim. Threading the needle has worked for her, and Nike thinks it can work for them. Would it work for your facility?

Competing with the Home Market

Do you know who your competition is? Because now, more than ever, it may not be just be the fitness center across town. It may also be the homes of every potential member in your market. According to the National Association of Home Builders, a Washington D.C.-based industry trade group, about one-third of new and potential homebuyers cite a home exercise room as either essential or desirable.

People who want a private workout whenever they choose are bringing the fitness center into their homes. Real estate developers and builders say homeowners increasingly are choosing to build in-home gyms as a must-have amenity. “The home gym is one of the top amenities that homeowners want to incorporate into their homes,” says Gabe Pasquale, vice president and chief marketing officer of WCI Communities’ Northeast region, Valhalla, N.Y.

In 2006, 25.7 million Americans said they worked out in a home gym. That is almost a 30 percent increase from 19.8 million in 2000, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, Washington, D.C.

Convenience is the big motivator for these homeowners, but there may be some who are uncomfortable working out in front of other people, or those who simply don’t like the atmosphere of the facility near them: loud music, the “pick-up” crowd, dirty or cluttered, bad customer service, etc.

You obviously can’t offer the convenience of a home gym, so you need to give these potential members something else: a non-intimidating, social atmosphere that offers motivation and results. Emphasize the benefits of commercial-quality equipment, your many entertainment options, results-based programming, experienced trainers, etc. The things they can’t get at home.

Another idea is to create exercise programs that allow members to work out at home a couple times a week, but then encourages them to come into your facility to work with a trainer, participate in a class or use a certain piece of equipment. It could be like home-schooling for fitness: a group of these home-exercisers come in a couple times per week and work out together. You could even offer some sort of discount, or give away T-shirts with the group’s motto.

Knowing your competition is an important part of your sales and marketing program. If your competition is people’s home gyms, don’t think that you can’t compete with that. There are many advantages to working out in a fitness center - you simply need to emphasize your strengths.

Overweight and Obese as Victims?

Two-thirds of adults in the U.S. are either obese or overweight. This is according to the fourth annual report from Trust for America’s Health, titled “F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America.” Just last month, the report was featured in an online article on CNN, calling for a national strategy to combat the obesity crisis. Why? Because, people can’t be expected to handle this problem on their own. It’s not their fault!

Looking at the numbers, maybe we’ve come to a point where federal intervention is necessary. In 1991, only four states had obesity rates above 15 percent. Today, 32 states have obesity rates above 60 percent. The question is, what will federal intervention be, and what would it mean for the health/fitness industry and for society as a whole?

In the CNN article, Jeffrey Levi, who is co-author of the F as in Fat report, says that a national plan needs to be put in place, much like the federal government’s plan in the event of a pandemic flu outbreak. “People can’t exercise personal responsibility in a vacuum,” he says. Levi cites such examples as government being responsible for ensuring that schools have physical education programs and nutritious meals for children, and local zoning boards providing things like sidewalks to ensure that people have a “place” to exercise.

I agree that physical education should never have been pulled from schools, and we’ve all seen what’s being served in cafeterias. But, giving kids a healthy start is one thing; bailing out obese adults is quite another. If the federal government is left to take charge of the obesity epidemic, we need to ensure that a national plan is aimed at changing lifestyles while instilling personal responsibility at the same time. Overweight and obese adults aren’t victims here, as could be interpreted by Levi’s statement that our society has “created an environment that doesn't make it possible for people to exercise that personal responsibility.” I don’t buy that at all. In fact, I think even if offered free workout facilities and a personal nutritionist, the majority of adults still wouldn’t work out or stop eating junk.

So, what are we really talking about if the government is to be responsible for implementing a national plan? Is it going to come down to subsidized fitness facilities and fitness facility memberships? Because we’ve all seen how well other government subsidized programs have helped to fix problems! That’s just scary.

The dialog has started, so fitness facility operators and professionals, to be sure, should have a pivotal voice. In my opinion, the government’s role should merely be to put national objectives in place, and provide healthy lifestyle incentives, such as tax and insurance rebates. The foremost national objective should be to publicize how much of a detriment obesity is to our society. The CNN article cites a Duke University study that found “184 lost work days per 100 obese full-time employees, versus 14 lost work days per 100 normal-weight full-time employees.” And, it says, the average obese worker has up to 21 percent higher healthcare costs.

Our industry’s role, on the other hand, should be to coordinate efforts with local governments and other organizations, and to make it clear that options are available to individuals in their efforts to be fit and to maintain a healthy weight. Trust me, if being obese felt as awful as having the flu, I’d bet overweight and obese individuals would be exercising their butts off and making a lot healthier food choices to get well.

Let’s not be fooled here. It will always come down to personal responsibility. The effects of a national anti-obesity effort, if approached responsibly by our government, could be good for our industry and all of society, provided we keep personal responsibility at the forefront.

What Fitness Professors Should Know

There’s a mess over at Mesa Community College, Mesa, Ariz., and it’s all about certification. Fifteen part-time fitness professors were fired because they lacked any sort of fitness certification, according to Mesa administration — though the professors claim it’s their age that’s the problem, not their education.

The article says Ann Stine, chairwoman of the school's exercise science department, said, “the department is improving exercise science instruction by making sure fitness teachers have kept up with medicine’s ever-changing body of knowledge. [We] also want them to be trained to help students with complex diseases, such as diabetes.” Sounds good to me. So, what’s the problem?

To bring about this change, a policy requiring professors to earn a personal training certification from one of three companies accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies was implemented. None of the fired professors earned a certification, and were subsequently fired.

It seems cut-and-dry, but college officials aren’t exactly backing Stine. One of the fired professors, 80-year-old Theo Heap, claimed he didn’t pursue certification because Stine didn’t make clear which certifications they should obtain, and the college agreed with him.

But, in my opinion, a professor of fitness ought to know which certifications are accredited and widely respected — no matter how old he is. Heap shouldn’t need anyone to hold his hand and lead him to the best certifying bodies. He should have been doing that for his students. If he was so uncertain about the lay of the fitness certification land, he has no place teaching budding fitness professionals.

There is undoubtedly more to the story, and I’ll leave it to the Mesa officials (and, likely, more than a few lawyers) to sort out that mess. But, making high-quality education a priority is a step every school should take, and stand behind.

Michael Moore’s Personal “Sicko”

Regardless of what you think of his documentary Sicko, or of your political leanings, Michael Moore is a living, breathing example of one way to ease the burden on our nation’s healthcare system: People can take responsibility for their own health and lose weight, which would tackle many health problems at its root.

Two fitness professionals agree. Jim Labadie and Ryan Lee, health advocates in Florida, are challenging the admittedly overweight Moore to live a healthier lifestyle. They created the Michael Moore Health Challenge, and state, “This is about Michael Moore exercising regularly and improving his diet so he can become a better role model for preventative care.”

Being obese can cause a list of health problems, according to WebMD, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, sleep apnea and stroke. And, these problems cost the U.S. healthcare system billions (yes, that’s billions) of dollars each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity and its associated health problems have a “significant economic impact on the U.S. healthcare system.”

A study on the costs attributed to obesity found that medical expenses for overweight and obese people accounted for 9.1 percent of total U.S. medical expenditures in 1998, and may have reached as high as $92.6 billion in 2002 dollars.

Michael Moore may have made some good points in his documentary, but the one thing he can achieve right now is control over his own health, and set an example for others who are overweight. Says Jason C. Brown, founder of CrossFit Philly, a training program and studio in Mt. Airy, Pa., “He’s a billboard for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and all those bad things associated with obesity. He’s preaching about healthcare costs, and he’s directly affecting it.”

When the Greater Good Doesn’t Prevail

Every so often, a law put into effect for good reason ends up undermining the greater good. This was certainly the case when a court ruled that a Santa Rosa, Calif.,-based women’s-only fitness center, Body Central, violated state law by excluding men. And, when owner Shannon Hartnett failed to comply with her settlement agreement, reached in 2004 with the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), to eliminate all advertising that portrayed Body Central as a women’s-only fitness center, as well as provide separate shower and locker facilities for men within two years, the DFEH filed yet another lawsuit in 2006.

To provide some background.… In 1995, the California Supreme Court ruled that private clubs operating as businesses are required to follow state laws against discrimination. California’s law (the Unruh Civil Rights Act, Civil Code section 51(b)) stipulates that businesses have to provide “full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges or services,” and cannot discriminate on the basis of “sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability or medical condition.”

The original lawsuit against Body Central occurred when a man, Phillip Kottle, filed a complaint in 2003 with the DFEH, saying that he was refused membership at the facility on the basis of his sex. California is not the only state in which this has happened. Other states, namely Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Tennessee and Wisconsin, have had similar lawsuits, and now have laws allowing same-sex fitness facilities.

In most instances, there is no question that California’s law is a good one, protecting the rights of its citizens. But in the case of Body Central, the law stands to undermine the efforts made to encourage healthy lifestyles. There are many women who would prefer to only work out with women, and many men who would prefer to only work out with men — simply because they feel more comfortable, perhaps due to a weight issue, or perhaps because they would rather leave the sexual social atmosphere out of their workouts. I’m not saying that all men are eyeing women in the gym or vice-versa. But, let’s be truthful, it does happen.

I realize that the DFEH is required to act on all complaints that it deems violate state law, but it’s hard to understand how Body Central could be so unfairly singled out. There are hundreds of women-only fitness facilities in California, not to mention the recent growth of men-only fitness facilities, that have not had suits filed against them. Yet, they are also in direct violation of California’s or, perhaps, another state’s law.

If our industry is going to help the population get fit and, in the process, reduce the burden on healthcare costs caused by obesity and sedentary lifestyles, operators of single-sex facilities might be well-advised to be proactive about this issue, rather than waiting for the DFEH to come knocking on their doors. There is certainly a greater good to be gained by allowing these facilities to exist than to ban them.

Attention Fitness Center Managers!

Ahem. I have an annoucement.

Attention fitness center managers! Your services are no longer needed. Please proceed in an orderly fashion toward the exit, and best of luck in your future professional pursuits.

If this announcement doesn’t fill you with joy — if, in fact, it makes you just the slightest bit angry — don’t shoot the messenger. I only realized fitness center managers were on their way out the door after reading an article about a new kind of manager — the non-human kind — making its debut in one of the largest chains in the business. 24 Hour Fitness, San Ramon, Calif., purchased RetailAction, a software application manufactured by Reflexis Systems Inc., Dedham, Mass., that promises to “boost operational productivity and consistently execute its corporate strategy in all of its more than 375 clubs in 14 states.”

24 Hour Fitness also believes its new, automated managers will actually help make members happier and more satisfied. “We are confident that integrating labor scheduling, task management and compliance management will enhance customer experience significantly at our clubs,” says Dan Benning, senior vice president of operations for 24 Hour Fitness Worldwide.

In light of the renewed focus on making fitness centers a hub of social activity that extends beyond sets and reps, am I alone in thinking that this is a strange step for an industry leader to take? How can a bunch of fitness center employees working at the beck and call of a computer effectively serve the needs of a notoriously unpredicatable group of fitness center members? Call me crazy, or just old-fashioned, but I have a hard time imagining a workforce happy to be micromanaged by a computer chip.

Will ‘Roid Rage’ Happen at Your Facility?

With two recent deaths in the pro wrestling world related to steroid use, and the scandals in baseball and the Tour de France, the fitness industry should get a wake-up call. Although most fitness center members don’t use steroids, human growth hormone or testosterone, some do — especially athletes and serious weightlifters. Even child athletes have been known to use steroids to increase athletic performance. Some estimates suggest as many as 7 percent of high school students have used steroids.

This number should shock you, especially if you work with child athletes. And, a quick search on the Internet reveals that it is surprisingly easy to buy steroids without a prescription.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the major side effects from abusing anabolic steroids can include liver tumors and cancer, jaundice, fluid retention, high blood pressure, increases in LDL (bad cholesterol) and decreases in HDL (good cholesterol). Other side-effects include kidney tumors, severe acne and trembling. In addition, there are some gender-specific side effects. For men, shrinking of the testicles, reduced sperm count, infertility, baldness, development of breasts and increased risk for prostate cancer. For women, growth of facial hair, male-pattern baldness, changes in or cessation of the menstrual cycle, and a deepened voice. For adolescents, growth can be halted prematurely. This means that adolescents risk remaining short for the remainder of their lives if they take anabolic steroids before the typical adolescent growth spurt. Scientific research also shows that aggression and other psychiatric side effects may result, including extreme mood swings and manic-like symptoms leading to violence.

While these symptoms and statistics may seem out there for the mainstream fitness industry, I assure you they are not. I know at least one woman at my fitness center has taken some sort of male hormone in her life. (Either that, or she is a post-op sex-change patient.)

So what are fitness professionals to do? To start, your facility should have clear and posted rules about selling steroids while on your property. You can also post warning signs in your locker room about the dangers of taking anything for enhanced athletic performance. Your trainers should also know the signs of steroid abuse, and warn clients about taking them. The last thing your facility needs is a member harming themselves or others because of “roid rage.”

Let the Fun Begin! If It’s Practical...

The idea of making fitness fun has been talked about for years. Many companies have taken note of the trend, and in the past several years, many entertainment products have been brought to the market and featured in FM. Playstations and Xboxes were added to some cardio equipment in the past several years. And, products like Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution, Cateye’s Game Bike and Cybex’s Trazer were introduced. But, while these products are great, most are single stations which make them impractical — providing a workout to one member at a time vs. to a group. Could that be changing?

Recently, Nintendo joined the ranks of those companies that are offering fitness entertainment products. An MSNBC article, Tired of spin classes? Try Wii workout station, published July 24, featured a Canadian health club, Studio 55, in Vancouver, B.C., which now has a Wii workout station. “Clients at the health club are encouraged to use the Wii as part of circuit training, warm-up or cool-down, with the system set up in a 400-square-foot theater room with a large projection screen,” says the MSNBC article.

Now, Ninento is developing a new system called Wii Fit, which the company plans to release in 2008. Wii Fit is a video game that allows individuals to perform different forms of activities, from yoga to aerobics. From the looks of it, facilities could house this system in a group exercise setting, and allow members to follow along.

As people become more in tune to being entertained during their workouts, fitness facility operators need to bring these types of products to their members, just to stay competitive. But, manufacturers will need to start looking at how these types of products can be most cost-effective and practical for fitness facilities. So, for those of you who have wanted to add the entertainment element to your menu of exercise options, the future could be promising, and practical.

Dangerous Trash

Do you like to dig in the trash? Me neither, but if you had some time on your hands, lived in North Texas and didn’t mind the smell, you could have found enough personal information to steal the identities of dozens of people. If you’re in to that sort of thing.

And you’d owe it all to one company: Life Time Fitness Inc.

Life Time Fitness in Fort Worth, Texas, was hit with a lawsuit after investigators found more than 100 records with customers' personal information that were dumped in publicly accessible trash bins in six different North Texas locations.

It seems Life Time Fitness discarded the personal information of people who had discontinued their memberships by simply tossing them in the trash. Nothing was shredded. Nothing was blacked out. No effort was made to protect (or respect) the sensitive information contained on those discarded documents.

Now Life Time Fitness says it intends to work with the Texas Attorney General's office to ensure that members' sensitive personal information is properly protected. Sounds like too little, too late, to me.

What is your club’s process for discarding (or, better yet, destroying) personal information? Identity theft isn’t just the subject of a techno thriller coming to a theater near you. It’s a real concern for people who put their personal information into your hands — whether or not they’re still paying dues.

Tanning Has No Place in the Fitness Industry

I don’t know the actual statistics, but I do know that there are still fitness centers out there that offer tanning beds to members. And, there are always several tanning bed companies represented at industry trade shows. My question is, why?

Indoor tanning used to be thought of as “safer” than being out in the sun, and tanning bed companies still try to make that claim. However, the American Academy of Dermatology, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Cancer Institute, among others, have all declared that UV radiation from artificial sources, such as tanning beds and sun lamps, is a known carcinogen.

Dr. Whitmore, Associate Professor of Dermatology, Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md., says, “Indoor tanning uses UVA radiation, which leads some in the industry to claim that indoor tanning is a safe alternative to outdoor tanning. However, most salons’ bulbs still provide a significant amount of UVB radiation, in addition to UVA. Both types of ultraviolet light, whether from sunlight or indoor tanning light, cause various types of damage in the skin that may lead to skin cancer and should be avoided.”

Fitness centers are a place of “health and wellness.” They should offer sound fitness, nutrition and weight-loss advice. Many even offer ways to reduce stress, such as mind/body fitness and massage. Where do tanning beds fit into this picture? Why would a place that claims to offer healthy advice also offer a service that is known to cause cancer?

An article published in FM even suggests that members who get skin cancer from a tanning bed at a fitness center could potentially sue the facility.

The fitness industry should stay out of the tanning business. Places that promote healthy lifestyles should not also promote cancer-causing agents.

The Childhood Obesity Fight Is Ours

For how long, exactly, are we going to keep saying that a healthy lifestyle starts in the home? Before we realize, that is, that no matter how much and how long we say it, it isn’t going to happen. It’s unfortunate, but most parents aren’t helping their kids lead healthful lifestyles — not by example, anyway — and neither are the schools, so it’s up to fitness professionals to step in and do it for them.

Our publication has been talking about the need and opportunity to provide youth fitness programs at facilities for years, and I know many are doing so (see the stories on youth fitness on the FM website). But we haven’t yet scratched the surface of what needs to be done. Recently, a story appeared on the MSNBC website titled Private gym for teens aims to address obesity. It’s a great concept for a gym, especially in light of the fact that IHRSA reports that, since 2005, approximately 1 million kids ages six to 17 have worked out with personal trainers. Obviously, there is a desire by kids to get healthy. Unfortunately, even though this facility, Overtime Fitness, has been open for close to a year, it still isn’t turning a profit, and it is now opening its doors to adults to supplement its revenue stream.

What’s even more unfortunate is the criticism these types of facilities are receiving from some professions and organizations. For instance, the Overtime facility, once a virtual reality flight simulation center, features video games that inspire movement, such as boxing, dancing, jumping and bike riding. But critics contend that using video games “won’t necessarily compel kids to keep exercising as they grow up.” I say, get them moving, let them see what it’s like to be healthy, rather than obese and lazy. My guess is, in the long run, that’s the way they’re going to want to stay.

Another critic, Ann Cotten, director of the Schaefer Center for Public Policy at the University of Baltimore, doesn’t think it’s fair that kids who have money should be able to have a facility to work out in, while low-income teens “who are at highest risk of obesity, diabetes, asthma and other health problems” can’t afford it. Hey, we have to start somewhere! Sure, it would be great to have public- and private-funded facilities where all teens could benefit. But, let’s look at the business reality here. To their credit, the managers of Overtime are asking Google Inc. and other local businesses to fund scholarships, and the facility is waving the $109 fee this summer.

I hope this facility, and others like it, make it. And, I hope that those people who criticize these efforts to help fight the youth obesity epidemic are proved wrong, and thus silenced. If your facility offers youth fitness opportunities, I commend you for stepping up to the plate, and hope to hear what you’re doing so others may follow suit.

Key Board Security

Whatever happened to cat burglars? They were the Cary Grants of the burgling profession, suave and sophisticated, gliding into fancy soirees to delicately lift a heavy jeweled necklace off Grace Kelly and make off with her fortune.

Now, they’ve been replaced by a new breed of burglar: the less elegant, but just as effective car burglars. The Venice Gondolier Sun reports that car burglars are sly and swift, walking into fitness facilities to casually lift members’ keys off a key board and make off with their keys, cash and ID.

Lifestyles Family Fitness, Venice, Fla., and a local YMCA were targeted, and both provide a master key board where members can leave their keys before working out.

Gondolier Reporter Tommy McIntyre says, “Police advise members who use fitness centers to keep their car keys with them while working out, if possible.” I don’t know about you, but the sound of car keys jingling in my pocket doesn’t exactly motivate me to train longer. Heck, I don’t think my gym shorts even have pockets. But, thankfully, the Venice police offer a solution for that particular wardrobe shortcoming: A waistpack.“If the waistpack is not comfortable while working out, throw it over your shoulder as you go from machine to machine and set it down where you can watch it,” the article suggests. Sounds convenient for members. Keep track of your heart rate, your hydration and your valuables.

Why don’t these facilities provide a safe, secure area for members to leave their keys while they’re working out? Are key boards, fannypacks or gym shorts with pockets really the only options?

Does your facility use a key board? If so, why? And how do you keep it secure?

Expect the Unexpected

Several years back, when I walked into my fitness center, the front desk staffer told me that the facility was closed for a few hours because a nest of bees was found in the women’s locker room. Yikes! I didn’t get the story on how it was discovered, or if anyone had actually gotten stung, but a situation like that could be costly for a business (an injured member, loss of business, reputation, etc.).

Another unexpected emergency happened recently at a fitness center in Immokalee, Fla. The Immokalee Sports Complex was closed for three days when a leak was discovered in the chlorination tank for the pool. A hazardous materials team was called in, and three staff members and a contractor who were exposed to the vapors were taken to a hospital. A clean-up company determined that the chlorine tank was contaminated by an acidic solution.

While these two situations may seem extreme, they did happen at fitness centers, and can happen at yours. In fact, you need to be prepared for any number of strange occurrences – both in terms of member injuries or to the actual building itself. And while you can’t possibly prepare for every scenario, you can (and should) have a risk-management plan in place.

Do you and your staff members know what to do in an emergency? For some tips on how to create an emergency plan, search FM’s Article Archive for "risk management" or "safety."

Making Your Members Feel Safe

In Fort Smith, Ark., in a six-month period, female members of Bodies for Christ fitness studio allege they were sexually assaulted and raped at the facility by James Clayton Solomon. The local newspaper refers to him as a “bodybuilder.”

He is also the club’s owner.

Solomon was arrested twice for his crimes; once on suspicion of two counts of rape, and again for two counts of second-degree sexual assault on two women. All of the alleged crimes were committed at Bodies for Christ.

These women were betrayed on several levels. First, by the club’s name. “Bodies for Christ” implies that the facility is somehow associated with the Christian faith — a belief system which does not advocate sexual assault, the last time I checked.

Second, they were betrayed by Solomon. Instead of providing his members a safe, comfortable place to exercise, he used the club as his own personal hunting ground. He met the women at his club, and he attacked them there.

People have a long list of reasons why they don’t exercise. Money, time, energy and commitment are huge obstacles for potential members to overcome before they sign on the dotted line. The last thing you need is for potential members to add “distrust” and “fear” to that list.

Solomon is clearly the exception to a rule, and his fate lies in the courts. But his actions can have a very negative trickle-down effect on clubs everywhere. It is a club’s responsibility to provide a safe environment to exercise. Are you doing all you can to make members feel safe at your club?

AEDs: The Life You Save Could be Your Own

Most of you have heard by now that it is a good idea to have an automated external defibrillator (AED) in your fitness facility. In fact, many states require AEDs in fitness centers, including California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New York, Louisiana, Oregon, Arkansas, Indiana, and Washington, D.C.

What you may not realize is that having an AED could save your own life. In a strange twist of fate, one of the inventors of the AED had his life saved by one about 30 years later.

Chris Nefcy, an electrical engineer and software programmer, served as a consultant when First Medic created the first AED for public use. While playing basketball at PRO Club in Bellevue, Wash., in 2006, Nefcy had a cardiac arrest. Two club staff members started CPR, then hooked him up to an AED, which got his heart going. Says Nefcy in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, “I think it’s a cool story that something I helped build saved my life years later.”

While you didn’t help build the AED, having one in your fitness center could end up saving a life — even your own. Do you have a life-saving AED story from your fitness center? Do you even have an AED?

For more information on AEDs in fitness facilities, go to Fitness Management’s Article Archive.

Beating the Competition the Smart Way?

Competition is good for business, right? That’s what most businesses will tell you. Albertson’s wants Stater Bros. and Ralphs to open up across the street to make the area a supermarket hub. Jack-in-the-Box wants McDonald’s and Carl’s Jr. to open up next to it to create a fast food alley. So why, then, is it that fitness facility owners don’t seem to view competition in the same vein?

Recently, Mark McPeek, owner of the Bay Area Athletic Club, Coos Bay, Ore., filed a suit against Southwestern Oregon Community College, which opened a $7 million fitness center in October. The suit alleges that the college is using the school’s non-profit status to gain an unfair advantage over private clubs in the area. The college charges $10 less per month for its membership than Bay Area Athletic Club.

This profit vs. non-profit battle has been raging for decades. But, is it necessary? I certainly won’t dispute the argument that one facility has to pay its bills while the other’s bills are footed by the public. This discussion isn’t about the right or wrong of that issue. What I would like to point out is, this issue continues to be battled in courts, with no apparent long-term resolution. So, rather than the continuing legal battles, perhaps fitness facilities that feel most threatened by this competition need to focus on how they can survive on their own merits, despite the profit/non-profit model.

I would suggest that these facilities would fare quite well against non-profits if they honed in on something that made them stand apart, thus competing based on expertise, programming, service, etc., rather than mere dues rates. We’ve done enough reporting on non-profit facility programs and services in Fitness Management to know that they often can’t compete against facilities that offer first-rate service and programming. Sorry, non-profits! No offense, but the for-profits that make an effort to stand apart from the competition seem to do a better job.

Near my home, there is a Stater Bros., Albertson’s and Vons grocery store — all within 1 mile of each other. I’ve tried them all, and I’m loyal to Vons. Why? Because I can’t visit the grocery store without being asked by employees, at least two or three times, if I’m finding everything I need. I can’t go to the meat counter without an employee stocking the shelves and telling me what’s on special that day. Sometimes, the weekly sales ads that come in the mail tell me that Albertson’s has a better deal on bagged salads that week. Well, the way I see it, the deal I would have gotten on the salad is probably going to be a wash after the deal I get on service and other items on sale at Vons.

Want to bet that most fitness consumers wouldn’t feel the same way about a $10 difference in dues, if there were a real difference in the facilities?

Hiring Gone Wrong

When hiring staff for your fitness center, there are many things to consider: experience, friendliness, hours available to work. But what about citizenship, criminal history or the potential for being creepy? An LA Fitness in the Phoenix, Ariz., area apparently didn’t care about those last requirements, considering it hired an illegal immigrant who was caught spying on women in the locker room.

According to a news item from the East Valley Tribune (May 25, 2007), a man “believed to be an illegal immigrant” who was a janitor at the East Mesa LA Fitness broke into the facility’s ceiling and watched women as they changed. Police also said that he fondled himself while peeping and, on one occasion, stole a woman’s cell phone from her gym bag. The man, Francisco Salgado Martinez, was charged with voyeurism, burglary and theft.

So, how could this have been avoided? LA Fitness should have first determined Martinez’ ability to legally work in the U.S. Next, a criminal background check should have been performed, since voyeurs tend to have committed this same crime in the past. Finally, there should be safeguards in place to keep staff members from having access to the ceilings or walls around locker rooms. At the very least, employees should be accounted for during work hours, since this guy obviously committed the crimes when the facility was open. For more information on hiring and staffing, check out past articles from Fitness Management.

Can you guarantee that something like this won’t happen at your facility? Are you thoroughly screening your employees, and then keeping an eye on them while they are in your facility? Your members expect privacy and safety while in your fitness center. If something like this happened at my fitness center, I would simply quit. I’m sure many of your members would do the same.

Do You Discount?

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota recently conducted a study that revealed two things: Your facility’s convenience/proximity is important to prospective members, and discount programs fuel memberships.

Check out the article for yourself. It’s OK – I’ll wait. … You’re back? Good. This discount program stuff was news to me, but some facilities are apparently already knee-deep in discounts, like the Southwest Area YMCA, Eagan, Minn. Executive director Gussie Monks says, “We have seen the discount program as a huge incentive driving people to join and work out more, with the support of their jobs.”

The statement is interesting, as is the study, because it doesn’t make much of what is likely a big deal to you: Unless you want to eat the cost yourself, discount programs require the support of a member’s employer.

It sounds like a good deal for the employer. Employees who used a fitness center at least eight times a month for at least nine months throughout the study year were healthier than non-participants. Their claim costs were 17.8 percent lower (after adjusting for health status), emergency room visit rates were 38.7 percent lower and hospital admission rates were 41.4 percent lower.

But, the discount program was also a boon for the facilities. Part of the study involved a survey of Blue Cross’ 4,000-plus employees; 43 percent of responders who said they use the discount program also said they joined a fitness facility because of the discount.

Do you have relationships with local employers to offer discount programs? Has it helped your business? I suspect there is more to this arrangement than meets the eye, but it sure looks good on paper.

All In the Family

It’s been a long time since the hysteria of gays coming out of the closet has surfaced, and quite frankly, I thought most of us were pretty much over this whole issue. Live and let live. Heck, even the military was able to turn the other cheek about gays with its “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

But, as is life, not everyone is able to keep from criticizing, judging or condemning others whose behaviors and/or lifestyles are different from their own. Many business owners even feel the need to set policy that will force others to conform to their way of thinking. This has been, and is still, the case in the fitness industry.

Just recently, a suit was filed against the Rochester Athletic Club by a lesbian couple who share the same last name and are raising a daughter together. The suit claims that the couple was discriminated against when denied a family membership because the couple is not “legally” married. This is not the first time that this has happened in our industry. In January 2006, it was reported that a Detroit same-sex couple, together for 18 years, were considering legal action against the Warren Community Center in Warren, Mich., after being told that Michigan’s constitutional ban on gay marriage made them ineligible for a family membership. And, back in 2002, another same-sex couple raising a daughter together were denied a family membership at the YMCA of Middle Tennessee.

Is it right for fitness facility operators to decide what the definition of “family” is? If our industry’s goal is to make our society healthier, while at the same time reaping profits from it, should we care whether a family consists of two men or women versus a man and a woman? My vote is no.