AEDs: A No-Brainer, Except at the Large Chains

I must be either overly naive or overly trusting. With the possibility of having a heart attack increasing exponentially after the age of 45, and the number of older adult members in health clubs increasing each year, I just assumed that all fitness facilities now have AEDs. Especially in light of the recent laws passed that 1) require AEDs in most public places, including fitness facilities (knowing that exercise increases the risk of cardiac arrest by a multiple of 20), and 2) release individuals who employ the use of AEDs to assist heart attack victims from liability. But, apparently, my risk of having a heart attack is of no concern to certain health club chain operators. Namely: Bally Total Fitness and 24 Hour Fitness.

At least that’s what the family members of Gary Fowler and Richard Eng found out. The sister of Gary Fowler was kind enough to email me about the ruling in the lawsuit on behalf of Fowler against Bally Total Fitness, which she thought might be of interest to the readers of our magazine and blog. And, no doubt, it will be (if you aren’t already in the know), especially because you won’t want to find your own facility in such a predicament.

First, let’s look at the facts about heart attacks. According to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, the majority (or 53 percent) of fitness center members are over the age of 35 (20 percent are over the age of 55). The results of several large studies have concluded that the major risk factor for having a heart attack is age. In fact, if you look at the website Health and Age, you’ll find a chart that shows the results of a 26-year follow-up Framingham Heart Study, which details the sharp increase of heart attack risk after the age of 44. It’s pretty staggering.

And, Bally Total Fitness and 24 Hour Fitness executives know this. But, they have failed to show they care. In November 2005, Fowler collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest and died while exercising at a Bally club in Gaithersburg, Montgomery County, Md. There was no AED on the premises, despite the fact that a Montgomery County ordinance in effect at the time required the installation of AEDs in health clubs. Bally’s attorneys, however, argued that, due to a Home Rule amendment in the town of Gaithersburg, the ordinance did not apply. The judge, James Eagan, disagreed:

“This Court cannot discern any logical reason why Bally would not employ AEDs at its Gaithersburg facilities, considering it was already obligated to deploy AEDs throughout the rest of Montgomery County. Such action on the part of Bally smacks of indifference to the welfare of its patrons. … There is no denying the fact that Bally knew with 100 percent certainty that dozens of its members would suffer heart attacks and die each year, and, instead of pursuing a relatively cheap and easy solution to the problem through the deployment of AEDs at its health facilities, Bally chose to consciously disregard this known risk. That strikes this Court as the very definition of gross negligence.”

And, to show just how blatantly negligent Bally’s decision to not employ AEDs is, a story on Gazette.Net reports that, “This is the sixth case against Bally for failure to have AEDs, and, in at least four of them, Bally settled for confidential amounts.” What I find even more sad is the fact that, according to the report on the Weinberg and Garber website, attorneys for Fowler, “employees did not immediately begin CPR when responding to Mr. Fowler’s collapse; instead, club members, realizing that staff would not do so, performed CPR.”

Weinberg and Garber also acted as co-counsel in the case filed on behalf of Richard Eng, a member of 24 Hour Fitness in the San Francisco area, who suffered cardiac arrest and, due to lack of prompt response, is severely brain damaged and now requires around-the-clock medical care. 24 Hour Fitness failed to have an AED on the premises. And, Weinberg and Garber report that this is despite management’s “knowledge that 20 to 40 of its members were dying of cardiac arrest each year.” What’s worse is that “24 Hour Fitness actually refused an offer, as part of an American Heart Association program, of free AEDs and training in 2001 at its northwest clubs,” says Weinberg and Garber. “The admitted reason: It might have been a basis to argue that all of its clubs should be similarly equipped.” And, even though 24 Hour Fitness requires CPR training of employees, it does not require that employees so trained actually use CPR to help a stricken member.

Again, I may be naive or overly trusting, but I believe, per my conversations with fitness center operators, that most facilities do have AEDs on their premises. But, as a member of a large fitness club chain, if I suffer a heart attack while working out, I won’t hold my breath waiting for help from the staff. Of course, I won’t have to.

Big, Black Boxes of Sin

I don’t know about your members, but I go to the gym for one reason: to watch hot chicks and smokin’ guys shake their stuff. There, I said it. I don’t run for an hour on the treadmill for my health; I do it so I can get an eyeful of scantily clad women lip-syncing to top 40 hits, or bumping and grinding next to a shirtless, scowling rap star. Don’t call the cops just yet — I’m not doing anything illegal. I’m just watching the videos playing on the TVs scattered throughout the club. Those big, black boxes of sin are chock full of sex, I tell you. SEX!

OK, so the previous paragraph is not entirely true. I don’t actually go to the gym to watch music videos. I do run on the treadmill for my health, but I’ve only clocked an hour once and that nearly killed me. But there is a group of concerned — no, HORRIFIED — students in Utah who are doing whatever they possibly can to get that filth off two area Gold’s Gym closed-circuit televisions.

I promise you, this time I’m not kidding.

Five “organizations that fight pornography in the community are upset with the videos at the gym and say they have collected nearly 1,000 signatures on a petition calling on Gold’s Gym to quit showing the videos,” reports KSL5. Dallen Johnson told the KSL5 reporter, “I’ve had to leave, honestly! There have been four times I’ve run out of the cardio cinema because of racy and inappropriate things being shown, things I personally view as pornography.” You know, there are certain shoe displays so alluring that I view them as pornography, but I’m not demanding that the stores take them down. I just want a discount.

Jesse Yaffe says the injustice goes even further. Not only does Gold’s broadcast porn, but apparently those sadists force him to watch it. “Once you are a member here, you basically don’t have the choice anymore,” Yaffe told the reporter. “You’re forced to watch indecent material because it seems everywhere you go there’s a TV.” And you thought your members wanted entertainment options!

Gold’s Gym officials in Utah, bless their hearts, are taking the time to listen to the students’ complaints. “Gold’s says music helps to energize people who are there to exercise, and say they don’t want anyone to be offended at the gym during their workout experience,” reports KSL5.

However, it seems the offenses don’t stop at lascivious videos. The students have demanded that Gold’s install blinds on the group exercise room because the exercisers’ “dancing” is “very provocative.” Unless the cocktail-loving ladies from Flirty Girls Fitness have stumbled into a Gold’s by mistake after a wild night of pole dancing, I fail to see how group exercise could be so provocative it should be behind closed doors.

Don’t get me wrong. Some people prefer a more modest environment to work out in, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Heck, we’ve written about facilities that cater to those people. But it’s my opinion that Gold’s should stay strong. A club should not change to accommodate the few — nor should it do so in a manner that suggests all of its other locations are doing something wrong or indecent. If the students are unhappy there, then Gold’s should refund their money and send them on their way.

And I’m not kidding about that, either.

‘Biggest Loser’ Results Unattainable for Most

If ever there were a television show that would make you feel good about yourself, it’s The Biggest Loser. Unlike the usual stick-thin actors who are on TV, participants on this show are obese, and are shown struggling with their weight just like most “normal” people. The show also highlights the dangers of being overweight, and may inspire viewers at home to get on the exercise bandwagon.

However, the benefits of the show, at least for viewers, stop there. With Season Five in full swing, there are many copy-cat competitions being held around the country in fitness centers, corporations and among friends. And, although everyone agrees that losing weight is difficult, not many people know what really goes on behind the scenes of The Biggest Loser. What they don’t know can hurt them.

What viewers don’t know, according to an article published in the New York Times, is that contestants on the show work out up to five hours per day. They spend an hour or two on resistance training, an hour on a high-intensity cardiovascular exercise, and up to three hours walking on the treadmill, using the elliptical trainer or riding a stationary bike. Combine that with a low-calorie diet (1,100 to 1,500 calories a day for the women, and 1,500 to 2,300 calories a day for the men), and they are bound to lose weight. Lots of it.

Viewers at home may become discouraged when they see contestants losing up to 30 pounds per week, while they are only losing 2 pounds. Says the article, “If you’re losing 2 pounds a week and you’re watching The Biggest Loser, you probably think your diet is going horribly. If you lose 2 pounds a week and you’re not watching the show, you probably think your diet is going great.”

The show, which offers a feel-good story about fat people changing their lives, can actually be quite depressing for some viewers who are also trying to lose weight.

If you offer a Biggest Loser-type promotion at your fitness center, make sure you point out the differences between reality TV and actual reality. If members have unrealistic expectations, that could lead to drop-out if those aren’t met — or, worse, unsafe practices to try and lose those unwanted pounds.

Today’s “B” Session: Club Service (Still) Sucks

I cancelled my gym membership today. It shouldn’t have taken me so long to take this step, as I’ve been thinking of cancelling for more than a year. But, I kept thinking “things” at my club would get better.

I’d been a member of this facility since I first moved to the area, almost six years ago. When I joined, it was a small facility located within a physical therapy clinic. Because of its size, the facility had a kind of local appeal to it, and I got to know the owner, the fitness director and a couple of the trainers. A few years later, the owner decided to build a new 20,000-square-foot facility next door. The original fitness director and trainers went their own way, and new faces were hired. With the new facility, there was more opportunity to provide additional types of programming, such as aquatics, racquetball and group exercise, and, I must admit, I was excited. I run outdoors and have my own weights at home, so I only use the facility for two reasons: 1) when the weather is intolerable, and 2) to participate in group exercise and maybe swim a few laps now and then. With this new facility, I would definitely be spending more time there.

But, to my dismay, rather than working out at the new facility more, I began to go less. First, it was about familiarity. I didn’t seem to know anyone anymore, and none of the staff seemed to care who I was. And, I wasn’t the only one. On two different occasions while running on the treadmill (due to inclement weather), I had to provide assistance to people who were clearly at a loss about how to operate the equipment. One woman stared at the console so long that I jumped onto the side rails, took of my headphones and asked her how I could help. She just wanted to know whether she should use the pre-programmed options, and how. Another woman tried and tried, unsuccessfully, to figure out how to turn the personal television screen on until, once again, I removed my headphones and told her how to do it. Where were all the employees? And, why didn’t these people get any sort of orientation on how to use the equipment?

I could get over the staff issues, however, if it meant I could participate in some fun group exercise classes. Unfortunately, the facility failed to hire any real group exercise instructors, and instead relied on personal trainers to fill the void. We all know that personal trainers do not make great group exercise instructors. And, to top it off, their most exciting classes are weight training and boot camp. There are no fun dance classes that offer high-energy excitement, which is what I want — and, I discovered in conversation with other participants, that’s what many of them want, as well. (See my blog, “Where Did the Fun Go in Group Exercise?”) So, I emailed the fitness director to voice my concern, and even made some suggestions, including attaching some of the articles we’ve published in the magazine. Can you believe that I wasn’t even given the courtesy of a reply?

For the past eight months, I’ve used the facility exactly three times — twice due to inclement weather and another time to try another group exercise class, which was disappointing. At $39 a month, I’ve calculated that I paid $104 for each of those visits. Those are some expensive workouts!

So, you may be asking, what am I going to do now in the event of inclement weather? Well, I’m joining a chain fitness facility (I won’t mention which one) that just opened last month. It may be 10.1 miles from my home versus 4.3, but I’ve been told by a couple of friends that the facility offers some really fun and exciting group exercise classes taught by real group exercise instructors. Heck, I figure if I’m going to be ignored anyway, which I surely will at a large chain, then at least I’ll get some good workouts in for my dues! And, guess what, it’s cheaper, too!

What I can’t get over is the fact that I would have expected this kind of poor customer service from a large chain, but, given the history of the facility I just quit, I didn’t expect to be treated the way I was there. If you’re an operator or fitness professional at a locally owned fitness center, you need to ask yourself whether you have members who feel like I do, and if you do, I suggest you take a long, hard look at how you can improve your customer service, your staff and your programs.

Do You Negotiate?

It’s a famous plot device in nail-biting hostage movies: A stone-jawed president says, “We do not negotiate with terrorists!” — leaving the hero to figure out how the heck to get those hostages back (one of whom, naturally, is his wife/girlfriend/child) without giving an inch. In the movies, things usually work out, thanks to lots of explosives and a studio system that requires happy endings. But, in real life, no-negotiation policies don’t always end happily.

So, do you negotiate? On your membership prices, I mean. To be honest, I wasn’t even aware that this was a possibility until I read a blog entry by a woman looking for advice on how to find a good deal on a fitness center membership. Her readers advised her to negotiate the membership fee, and claimed the only type of facility that won’t bite is YMCAs/YWCAs/JCCs.

Reading this, I couldn’t help but feel foolish. I’d compared membership fees before, and I always seem to get the short end of the stick. Some self-satisfied schmuck on the treadmill next to me pays half of what I do a month, making me resent him, the club and my own lousy business sense. I dread going to car dealerships for the same reason — playing hardball with a salesman is not my idea of a good time — and I don’t want to feel the same way as a fitness facility prospect. And, by the way, the enlightening blogger has a book deal, so you can bet she’ll reveal her own gym search experience in print before too long.

Interestingly, with two large chains and a YMCA competing for her business, the blogger chose the Y — and for reasons that had little to do with the membership fees. It was about the way she felt in the facility, and how she perceived the Y’s commitment to identifying and meeting its members’ needs.

So, maybe negotiating on price isn’t the answer. Maybe fitness centers can afford to play the role of stone-jawed president and focus on building an atmosphere that members want to pay to experience. And, you don’t want your members to feel like I did for not negotiating a better deal for their own memberships.

Consumer Reports Takes on the Fitness Industry

If you read my blog entry from a few weeks ago about the Better Business Bureau, you may see a pattern: how outsiders view the fitness industry. Now, the ultimate in consumer guides has, for the first time, rated fitness centers. Consumer Reports recently released its guide for consumers (your potential members) on the types of facilities that rate the best, and what to look for when deciding where to join.

The ratings are based on responses from more than 10,000 ConsumerReports.org subscribers who answered an online survey. Responders rated fitness centers on classes, crowds, locker rooms, billing issues and more. In addition, Consumer Reports sent 12 mystery shoppers to branches of the major chains in nine states. (To view the entire report, you must be a Consumer Reports subscriber.)

Results found that members don’t need a big, fancy facility to be happy. Responders gave higher marks to YMCAs/JCCs, community centers and corporate fitness centers than to most of the big chains that were rated. Yoga, Pilates and dance studios also outscored most of the chains.

In addition to the type of facility members preferred, they were asked about membership fees. Among respondents with paid memberships, 16 percent had a problem with their contract or fees, such as an unexpected dues hike or inability to suspend their membership temporarily. And, many members had difficulty canceling a membership. Thirty-eight percent of respondents who had canceled their membership in one of the big chains had at least one problem, such as receiving bills after cancellation, or excessive time and effort to cancel.

Should you care about this report? Absolutely! Even if you are not one of the big chains reviewed (Bally’s, Life Time Fitness, Curves, Gold’s Gym, 24 Hour Fitness, LA Fitness and Town Sports International), your category of facility is most likely included (independent, YMCA, corporate, etc.). Also, the guide gives tips to potential members on what to look for in a facility, including staff, cleanliness, value, equipment and programs.

Now, in addition to cars and vacuum cleaners, Consumer Reports helps customers make informed buying decisions about fitness centers. The industry should take guides such as this to heart, and find out what current and potential members want and need in a fitness facility. According to this report, it’s not all about brand or having the best equipment. Members are happy with great service, a good value and fair business practices.

It’s Not My (Weight) Problem

This is the week of New Year’s resolutions. Hoards of people who want to lose weight will join a fitness center, determined to achieve their weight-loss goals. The problem is, these people are only a fraction of those who really need to make that New Year’s resolution. Because most people who need to lose weight refuse to believe they are overweight; they are in denial. The tragedy about this is it’s not just adults who are in denial about their own weight; these adults are also in denial about their children’s weight — a problem that is destined to cause a ripple effect among generations to come, exacerbating the U.S. obesity epidemic.

What can fitness professionals do about this? Well, one can only help those who are willing to help themselves, right? But, perhaps more individuals would be willing if we had more segments of society making sure that these people own up to the fact that they are, indeed, overweight.

According to a recent study by the National Consumers League (NCL) reported on by Medical News Today, there is a “startling disconnect between the way people perceive their weight, and their actual weight category based on the body mass index.” The NCL study of 1,978 U.S. adults reports that “52 percent of respondents referred to themselves as overweight, and only 12 percent as obese, severely obese or morbidly obese. But, based on actual BMI calculations using self-reported height and weight information among the 96 percent of respondents, … 35 percent are actually overweight, whereas 34 percent are actually obese, severely obese or morbidly obese. Among respondents who are obese according to BMI, 82 percent consider themselves to be simply overweight.”

Another survey reported on by MSNBC on December 24, found that many people in the U.S. whose children are obese do not see them that way. The survey of 2,060 adults, which collected children’s height and weight from their parents and then used that to calculate BMI, found that, among parents with an obese, or extremely overweight, child ages six to 11, 43 percent said their child was “about the right weight,” 37 percent responded “slightly overweight” and 13 percent said “very overweight.” Yet, based on what the parents reported, 15 percent of the children ages six to 11, and 10 percent of the children ages 12 to 17, were obese.

Unfortunately, according to the Centers for Disease Control, while there are an estimated 66 percent of U.S. adults who are overweight (33 percent) or obese (33 percent), the Medical News Today article reports that the NCL study showed that only 12 percent of U.S. adults say they have ever been told by a doctor, nurse or other healthcare professional that they are obese. In addition, it points out that individuals’ denial about their weight may also be a result of the social stigma associated with being obese: “Most U.S. adults (61 percent) report … that obesity is considered taboo in society today, and half attribute the condition to a ‘lack of will power.’” Parents’ lack of forthrightness about their kids’ weight can also be attributed to this problem. “Because of the social stigma, it’s not something that parents are willing to admit to readily,” says Dr. Goutham Rao, clinical director of the Weight Management and Wellness Center at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

While the social stigma associated with obesity is clearly an issue, this cannot be made an excuse to ignore the problem. It’s one thing to hurt ourselves, but to hurt our children, too?

As an industry, we can be a part of helping these individuals. By understanding the denial about weight, perhaps fitness professionals can implement some awareness programs alongside the New Year’s resolutions programs planned this year. Even a marketing campaign discussing this trend of denial and how fitness facilities can help — no stigma attached — might help bring some of those who really need to make a New Year’s resolution into your facility this year.