This is an IHRSA featured article, brought to you by SPORTSMITH. On top of the list of things that annoy health club members is encountering an unoccupied machine with a sign saying, “out of order.” One popular article from Men’s Journal titled “10 Reasons to Dump Your Gym” listed “broken equipment not getting fixed in…
The CDC recommends that kids and teens get 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of physical activity every day. Sadly, only about 21% of 6- to 19-year-olds meet this goal. Instilling healthy behaviors in our children isn’t just great for their health well into adulthood, it can help build a better world. Health clubs and…
As fitness movements go, few have been as explosive as the boutique studio concept. One reason is that studios accommodate a range of fitness programming that capitalizes on red-hot lifestyle trends. With programs like yoga, Pilates, cross training, stationary cycling, heart-rate, boot camp, and HIIT, a studio can concentrate on individual instruction and small-group training…
Should I limit a member’s use of the club if I suspect they have an eating disorder? Be aware that it would be legally risky to do so. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects individuals with eating disorders. If you restrict, or prohibit, someone you believe has anorexia or bulimia from using the facility,…
Colin Grant was destined to be a fitness entrepreneur. After moving to Hong Kong with his family at age 10, he played semi-professional tennis—in the Davis Cup, Junior Wimbledon, Junior U.S. Open, and Junior French Open. As a teen, he founded start-ups in the tennis, entertainment, and coffee businesses. In 2001, he cofounded the Pure…
The constantly increasing demand and reliance on data has affected every industry, including our own. Today, when you walk through a health club and study what you see, it seems that the generation of reports, stats, and metrics is a secondary business—subordinate only to the provision of health and fitness services. This profound paradigm shift…
Despite what the Instagram models and stock image sites would have you believe, working out is not just a young person’s game. More and more adults are continuing to see the benefits of an active lifestyle as they age. Some older adults are even realizing it’s never too late to start their active journey. Joining…
The health club industry in the Asia-Pacific region is robust—with room for growth—according to IHRSA’s recently released Asia-Pacific Health Club Report (Second Edition), which observed 14 markets. Since the report is full of in-depth analysis and statistics, industry stakeholders and enthusiasts can take away at least five key insights into the Asia-Pacific region. A women’s…
HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) is United States legislation that outlines data privacy and security regulations for safeguarding medical information. When President Bill Clinton signed the act into law in 1996, it had three predominant goals—one of which was to standardize regulation of electronic data transmission while protecting the security…
Today, when it comes to fitness, there are few activities that are gender-specific. Women may tend somewhat toward cardio, and men may incline slightly in the direction of strength, but there’s little bias. Personal training, group exercise, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and even the most intense CrossFit workouts—men and women are fairly evenly represented. When…
These days, a frequent topic of discussion is the use of public bathrooms and locker rooms by transgender individuals. While some proclaim that it’s about time that they be granted this right, others are adamant that it shouldn’t be allowed. For the general public, this may be just another debate about societal norms, albeit an…
This article appeared in the print edition of Club Business International in April 2018. Technology has dramatically changed the way that health clubs conduct business. It streamlines operations, optimizes members’ workouts, and has had an impact on virtually every aspect, and every area, of a club. And rapidly emerging technologies—think virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence…