Health Clubs,
Exercise & Weight Loss
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Summary
In the United States there are about 18,000 health clubs operating today. A substantial share of them offers some kind of weight loss plan, in addition to just exercise. The reality is that most people that join health clubs are there to lose or maintain weight. The industry’s trade group "IHRSA" further reports that 32.8 million Americans are paying dues to be members of health clubs. Of these members, 51.6% are women. IHRSA reports that the big growth segment today is people over age 55, more of whom are exercising for quality of life concerns, not to lose weight.
Approximately 9,265 health clubs in the U.S. today are
estimated by BestDietForMe.com to offer some form of weight loss or nutritional counseling program (about 52% of all clubs).
Health clubs such as Ballys Fitness, the YMCA, Curves and
others find adding weight loss to be a "natural" for members, since the dieter has access to exercise facilities and expertise, as well as nutrition information -- a combination that’s rarely available at the typical commercial weight loss center.
According to Club Industry magazine... "Many club owners spend almost no money on paid advertising. One owner says that 90% of his new customers are referred by current or former clients.
Health clubs also recognize that they need to offer programs for pregnant women, the excessively overweight and older people. Nutrition service vendors say baby boomers will demand a greater variety of weight-management products, as they grow older and heavier.
Another telling quote: "We have all of them here in the area: Jenny Craig, Diet Center, Weight Watchers," ...But we don’t see them as competition. We get a lot of referrals from them because they see us as offering the exercise component they don’t. When we opened seven years ago our marketing strategy was to go to each of the commercial weight
loss centers and offer to give talks on exercise and weight loss."
Exercise is NOT a primary component of most weight loss programs. There’s a big void between Jenny Craig, for example, and health clubs, say club owners. The health club is in a unique position to work with one of the weight loss clinics. For example, when one purchases a Jenny Craig diet program they could get a membership in a health club.
Some clubs hire a professional counselor or train an existing staff member to provide nutrition information. At other locations, a registered dietitian (RD) or nutritionist offers counseling, then gives the club a percentage of fees in exchange for free office space. Other strategies include homemade or turnkey programs, or simply selling non-prescription nutritional supplements and weight loss aids. Yet another alternative is to join forces with a commercial weight
loss center.
According to consultants and industry insiders, fitness clubs are only beginning to aggressively market themselves as weight management and nutrition centers.
Consumers sometimes talk about the Curves diet, for example. There really is no
specific Curves diet since this is a health club chain. Club Industry reported that many club owners are focusing on current members to launch new weight
loss programs. While media attention builds interest in the program, the "facilitator" (group leader) is the main reason why people stay with or leave the program (The same is true for popular group leaders in commercial diet programs).
Health club industry consultants also estimates that 50% of health cubs today offer some type of weight loss program, and they point out that they run the gamut in style, content and price. Frequently, they’re not called "diet" programs, but "nutrition" programs. All such programs are based on proper nutrition coupled with exercise. Personal trainers are getting involved as well, being bundled with a club’s nutrition program.
According to consultants, the most successful programs are found in health clubs where nutrition, fitness and weight management programming are the central themes to all other member activities. The typical price for a 12-week program with one-on-one counseling usually ranges from $129-299. Most health club owners undervalue their weight management programs. However, most clubs discover that the price of their weight management plan, in addition to the cost of a membership, still comes out less than fees charged by the large commercial
weight loss clinics.
Consumer Protection: Things To Watch Out For
January is the biggest sign-up month for health
clubs (and weight loss programs). The consumer's motivation to shed those
unwanted extra pounds gained during the holidays is never greater. Health clubs
know this, and play upon it with their sales tactics. Many will try to sell you
expensive lifetime memberships or at least, multi-year memberships.
According to Healthy Weight
Journal, and Theresa King and Matthew Clark at the Brown University School
of Medicine, about 50% of exercise program participants drop out during the
first 3-6 months. The most common reasons for relapse include injury,
followed by work demands, lack of interest, no time, family demands,
end-of-sport season, bad weather, and stress.
The reality is that most people start with good
intentions but as the months pass, they get tired of the routine or the
facility, and go to the health club a lot less frequently, or not at all. This
is human nature, and is predictable. So why spend thousands of dollars for a
lifetime or even 2-year contract when you KNOW that you probably won't be
working out six months from now?
Many consumers have had major hassles getting out
of such contracts, so the industry is changing. A lot more chains now offer
month-to-month, pay-as-you-go plans, usually for $20-$30 per month. This is the
better choice for just about everyone, in BestDietForMe analysts'
opinion.
According to a
Club Industry magazine’s survey: “Today’s Club Members,” conducted by
Marketing Development Consultants for Universal Gym Equipment, members
rate a club’s location as the single most important factor when deciding which
club to join, followed by pricing and available equipment.
The most popular time to work out is from
4-7 pm (35% of members), and the second busiest time of day is between 9 am and
noon, when nearly 20% of members work out. Members spend an average of 1-1.5
hours at their clubs. Nearly 80% use stair climbing machines, making it the
most popular piece of computerized equipment. About 20% of members would like
their clubs to offer chiropractic care, physical therapy services, and nutrition
testing.
Checklist - Before Signing Up
- Is the health club located within a 10 minute
drive of your house? If it's too far away, you won't go as often.
- Inspect the facility and machines carefully. Are
there enough machines to accommodate everyone, even during peak workout times
(weeknights after 6 pm)?
- Is the staff friendly, knowledgeable, and
available?
- Is the price right for your budget?
- At your first visit, did you get a high pressure
pitch to sign up for a long-term contract?
- Are the machines well maintained and
operational?
- Is the locker room clean?
- Do you want a women-only club to feel more
comfortable and less self-conscious than working out with lots of guys around.
- Is there a variety of different classes
available, so you stay interested (yoga, pilates, spinning, etc.)?
If you answered yes to most of the above, chances
are you've picked a good club.