Health Clubs Combining Diet Counseling With Training Programs
Article Source: HealthSnare.com
It's not that there is a lot of good news for the health club industry, but there just isn't any real bad news either.
Revenues for the industry held at $23.8 billion in 2009, only off 2008's pace by 1.5 percent. When you consider the recession, the high unemployment rate and the massive numbers of foreclosures and loan defaults, that's not a horrible statistic, according to industry expert () and former 8 Minute Abs guru Jaime Brenkus. In fact, he even knows why the industry is reasonably healthy amid a weak and floundering economy.
"It's called wellness," Brenkus said. "The industry, as a whole, is shifting its focus from just getting well-defined and fit toward the more general concept of wellness. As people are losing jobs and losing health benefits, they are realizing it is much less expensive to invest in their wellness than it is to pay for doctor visits when they get sick. If people are fit and healthy, they are far less prone to succumb to whatever bug is going around. That's money in the bank for a lot of people, and they get to enjoy a better quality of life, as well."
Brenkus understands that paradigm well, as he is also behind a chain of health clubs called Slim & Fit, which has combined the functions of personal training with the weight loss counseling and meals usually associated with outfits like Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers. Brenkus is currently expanding into new markets around the country, and is already seeing the difference in the members who join.
"With a lot of people, they'll join a gym, and go religiously for a few weeks, and then disappear, and they never get the value out of their membership," he said. "Our members have a high usage rate, because we're not just about making them fit with a personal training program, but we're also about making them fit with our diet program. We're trying to deliver wellness, not just muscles, and that's the trend that kept the industry from tanking during the recession."
Brenkus also thinks that there is another non-traditional health club clientele that could benefit from exercise and diet counseling -- children.
"We are the most obese nation on Earth," Brenkus said. "According to a series of reports from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the percentage of overweight and obese children aged 10 through 17 years old is at or above 30 percent in 30 states. We're completely in step with First Lady Michelle Obama's mission to reduce childhood obesity in the United States, so we think the rest of the industry should do what we're doing, which is create programs that are safe and effective for kids as well as adults. For years, parents have been told that children are too young to work out or diet, and that they could stunt their growth or something silly like that from too much exercise, and that's just a horrible myth. Being slim and leading a fit and healthy life should be something the whole family can enjoy, and not just mom and dad. "
About the Author
Article Submitted By:
Tony Panaccio
Html View
Total views: 8
Word Count: 575
Date: Tue, 25 May 2010 Time: 11:28 PM
Publish/Share this article
To use this article on your site click here to get the HTML code |Remember: The article body, title, author bio and links may not be changed or removed. By publishing this article, you agree to all the terms in our Terms of Service.
Rating: Not yet rated
