Often, annual member surveys (followed by specific mini-surveys) may highlight the real needs of current members, rather than relying on the guesswork and poor feedback from frontline staff. Too often, fitness center operators invest in physical plant and equipment items that have no effect on the overall membership and its satisfaction level. Read more…
“Would it be Jan’s video from home where you can clearly see her Ph.D. in Human Studies and Behavioral Science and her Mensa membership certificate both hanging on the wall, not to mention her several books she’s published by the University Press? Guys, she is playing every one of you like fools. That pet cemetery just cracks me up. Read more…
Summer is a glorious time in most places in our country — vacations, hiking, plenty of time outdoors enjoying what many think is nature’s finest season. But late July and early August also bring problems for the 15 percent or so of people who suffer from late summer “hay fever.” The weatherman recites the pollen count every day, and it soars from midsummer to the first frost, bringing misery to millions.
Read more…
What fitness facility doesn’t struggle with an annual summertime drop in membership enrollment? Cooper Fitness Center did what all facilities would like to do — it found a way to counter the annual slump and, at the same time, provide guests with a great opportunity to try out the facility. Read more…
While the majority of Americans will be eating hot turkey on November 23, the American Cancer Society (ACS) is urging Americans to go “cold turkey” — for at least one day — on Nov. 16.
It’s amazing what a little renovation can do for your business. Just ask the Peggy & Philip B. Crosby Wellness Center, which not only increased member retention as a result of its “Fitness Furbish” redesign, but also bolstered its personal training program by a whopping 500 percent.
The redesign began as an effort to boost the facility’s cardiovascular offerings, per requests from members. To do this meant increasing staff, as well as hardware. The problem, however, was that the existing facility would accommodate neither. “It was an architect’s dream, but a functional nightmare,” says wellness services director Bob Brosmer. “The designers didn’t really understand the fitness market. The place was great-looking, but for it to function the way we hand in mind would entail a lot of work.” Read more…
The above discussion may suggest that we should not utilize target heart rate for assessing exercise intensity. In reality, monitoring heart rate during exercise is important and useful, provided that the fitness instructor and participant understand the concept and implementation of perceived exertion being an essential component of successfully assessing exercise intensity. Read more…
The American Heart Association (AHA) wants AEDs in every workplace and public area. The goal of AHA’s Operation Heartbeat is to increase the survival rate from cardiac arrest from 5 percent to 20 percent by 2011.
Every year, 225,000 people in the United States die from cardiac arrest. Unlike a heart attack, cardiac arrest kills in minutes.
Having an AED onsite provides several advantages: Every minute that cardiac arrest victims go untreated, their chances of survival drop by 10 percent.
Another advantage of AEDs is that they are easy to use; they are designed to be what they are labeled, automatic.These are some things to think about when you aredeciding whether to purchase an AED for your fitness facility.
It is commonly known that exposure to potentially harmful substances, such as drugs, tobacco and alcohol, may interfere with the growth and development of a fetus and may cause congenital malformations, or birth defects.
Most of us are familiar with weight loss so I’m going to use that as an example for this exercise; read through it and then apply it to whatever positive change you are making in your life. The thought a person might become aware of when changing their body could be: “I’m never going to lose this weight.” Read more…