Exercise in a Pill

What would it mean for the fitness industry if exercise could be gotten from a pill? Well, we might just find out some time in the future. Two drugs are being developed by a group of researchers at the Salk Institute in San Diego. The group is led by Dr. Ronald Evans, an expert on how hormones work in cells, and who has won the Lasker Award, which often tops the Nobel Prize.

The pills trick the muscles into thinking that they have been working out furiously. The first, Aicar, generates more high-endurance Type 1 muscle fibers (those that generate the cell’s energy and are resistant to fatigue) without any exercise. It is hoped that this drug will help people who are too frail to exercise, and those with health problems such as diabetes.

The second drug, GW1516, generates more Type 1 fibers during exercise, allowing exercisers to perform twice as long as they were previously able. Obviously, this one is of great interest to athletes, but it should be known that Evans has already devised a test to detect whether an athlete has taken the drug, and he has made it available to the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Could pharmaceutical exercise be a good thing for our industry? It will give people who take the drugs more energy. And, more energy usually translates into a desire to be more active. On the other hand, the drugs could be used as an excuse for not needing to be more active.

Either way, it’s something we need to start thinking about, as an “exercise pill” is most certainly on the horizon.

Fitness Engineering

With all of the controversy over
genetic engineering, there’s some good news for those who are against it. It appears that scientists may not actually need to alter genes to rid us of the myriad diseases that plague our society. Instead, all individuals have to do is eat right and exercise, and the disease-preventing genes will actually increase, while the disease-promoting genes shut down.

Sound too good to be true? Not according to a recent
study conducted at the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, Calif. The study involved 30 men with low-risk prostate cancer who decided to undergo three months of major lifestyle change in lieu of conventional medical treatment such as surgery or hormone therapy.

This study could have an exciting implication for the fitness industry — especially at a time when it’s reported that fitness facility memberships declined in 2007 for the first time in 10 years — primarily due to people cutting back on expenses due to high gasoline and grocery prices. The implication of this study, however, is that people can’t afford not to be a member of a fitness facility. This is a do-or-die situation — especially for those with bad genes.

The new marketing approach for the industry could be something like, “Wish you could just scrap those genes your parents’ burdened you with? We’re trained to help you genetically alter your chances of getting sick. Sign up now for our program of fitness engineering.”

People are worried about falling victim to diseases such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension and a host of others. A marketing approach that focuses on wellness with research to back it up is a whole lot better than the focus on appearance.