Industry Issues/Trends
Excellent Customer Service in the Digital Age
What has changed with customer service in the last decade, and certainly in the last five years? The intersection of customer service and technology. Nowadays, clients interact more with devices, apps and platforms than they do with a live person. In many instances, these online interactions make for rapid, efficient service.
Cultural Appropriation in Yoga
Yoga teachers will already be well aware that the yamas are one of the eight limbs of yoga. According to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the word yamas can be translated as “abstinences”; in other words, these are things yogis should avoid doing (Satchidananda 2012).
Virtual Group Fitness Classes
Exercising in front of a television, computer screen or mobile device is nothing new. Since the advent of VHS tapes, fitness programs have offered users an opportunity to get their sweat on whenever they choose in the comfort of their home. Over the past several years, however, fitness facilities have leveraged new technology to offer virtual classes on-site in hopes of luring exercisers out of their living rooms and into the group exercise room.
November 2019 Question of the Month: Supporting the Next Generation
What are you or your facility doing to support the next generation of fitness enthusiasts? Are you offering any kids’ physical activity programs at schools or other off-site community locations? Are you providing programs free to local youth—or, if fee-based, what are you offering and how are you reaching potential clients? Please share your success stories.
We want to hear from you! Email executive editor Joy Keller, jkeller@ideafit.com.
Complex Training: Pairing for Power
If you work with athletes, you’ve likely run into the challenge of how to incorporate power components into their already-packed training schedules. Whether you’re working with a clutch outfielder, a center or a lineman, your client’s athletic skills need refinement, and power is one aspect that requires attention. Trainers typically program resistance training to develop strength and plyometric drills to improve speed.
How to Prepare for Shopping’s “Busy Season”
As the holidays approach, so does the three-day Super Bowl of Shopping.
Black Friday (Nov. 29), Small Business Saturday (Nov. 30), and Cyber Monday (Dec. 2) are all circled on any good bargain-hunter’s calendar.
Enticing them can mean a chance to bolster your retail sales. AND, if you present the right deal, you can earn a customer who will return again and again.
Providing Excellent Customer Service in the Digital Age
Outstanding customer service has always been the number-one way to attract and retain customers, clients and members. In recent years, the notion of great customer service has changed as a result of high expectations from informed consumers. This switch has occurred in large part because people can “connect” with a company easily and quickly through a multitude of channels, both offline and online.
Get Out of the Red!
Is your fitness business not performing as well as you’d like? Maybe your fitness facility is experiencing too much turnover, so you’re constantly training new staff instead of taking time to grow your business. Or perhaps your clients are leaving, and you’re losing money because of it. Challenges like these are tough for a business owner. The good news is that you can turn things around. The first step is to determine exactly what your problem is. The second step is to create a plan for change.
Embrace the Future of the Fitness Industry
The fitness industry has never been so exciting, and there is so much renewed interest in wellness and our collective desire to seek optimal health. The concept of a “traditional gym” has slogged it out for about 50 years, starting in community halls and evolving into big-box gyms, budget clubs and boutique studios. Adjacent industries—such as entertainment, health, athleisure, franchising, food and hospitality, social media and gaming—are investing money.
October 2019 Question of the Month: Fitness Misinformation
How do you or your facility handle the issue of health and fitness misinformation? Since client education is critical in setting realistic expectations and achieving fitness and wellness goals, we want to hear how you’re tackling this issue,what creative solutions you’re using and how your efforts are being received. Please share your success stories.
We want to hear from you!
Social Media Influencers Give Inaccurate Health Advice
Have you been frustrated by bad health and fitness advice doled out by social media influencers? You’re not alone, and if you sense that much of the popular online health information is wrong, you’re right! A recent study of key U.K. social media influencers’ weight management blogs—presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Glasgow, Scotland, in April 2019—showed that most influencers were not reliable weight management resources.
2019 IDEA® World Convention: Igniting Passion With Purpose!
Purpose, passion and people! The fitness industry is all about forging relationships that lift others up. Fitness professionals have energy to spare, and they are dedicated to mentoring new generations of pros, networking with peers, and motivating clients and participants every day.
The Market for CBD Products Is Booming
Passage of the 2018 Farm Bill opened America’s doors to hemp agriculture, from which cannabidiol (CBD) is derived. Since then, there has been a flood of CBD-infused foods and beverages hitting the market. (CBD that is extracted from other cannabis plants, including marijuana, is technically illegal on a federal level.) Everything from coffee to sparkling water to protein powder can now be found with CBD, and a recent survey reports that roughly 40% of U.S. adults ages 21 and over are willing to give these products a try. In 2017, U.S.
Cycling Workstations and Productivity
Your clients likely include deskbound workers who feel they can’t exercise. Well, maybe they can! A recent research review found that cycling as you work at your desk may be a good way to avoid the hazards of office inactivity while simultaneously improving productivity.
The Weight Debate: Obesity and Health Risks
Think of it as the point-counterpoint discussion on obesity: Is the healthcare profession overemphasizing the negative consequences of extra weight? What are the risks? Is the focus on obesity helping or hurting our clients?
Beat the Summer Lull at Your Fitness Business
Summer is here, which for many fitness businesses means downtime at their studio or gym. As a studio owner myself, I’ve experienced what seems like “The Endless Summer,” too.
Long gone are the days of resolutions and defined schedules. Instead, clients are away on vacation, taking care of kiddos on summer break, spending more time outdoors—and, for some, all of the above.
How to Optimize Your Fitness Site for Sales, Not Just Visitors
Nowadays, a top item on an entrepreneur’s to-do list is building a website. It’s no secret that consumers do their research online before making a purchase decision. They search for information about fitness services and then weigh their options, comparing what you offer to what your competitors provide.
So, yes, your business needs a website.
Reaching Millennial Moms
Are you leaning into the rise of millennial moms? These women are part of a generation that’s expected, as of this year, to surpass baby boomers as the nation’s largest age demographic. The 83 million 17- to 36-year-old “millennial” men and women in the United States—combined with Generation Xers—account for 80% of the fitness dollars spent in clubs (Lexington Law 2019; Les Mills 2017). Already fitness consumers, millennial women are becoming mothers.
2019 IDEA World Nutrition & Behavior Change Summit
There’s hardly anything more satisfying for many professionals than getting out of their own heads and feeding their minds with new ideas and skills. The sheer pleasure of immersing oneself in the waters of knowledge for even a few days each year can make an ocean of difference over the course of a career.
Not So Fast: Questions to Ask Before You Accept That Fitness Class
Too often, yoga and group fitness instructors are so eager to teach that they say yes to any class they can squeeze into their schedule. Tatiana Kolovou, MBA, owner of Ethos Cycling in Bloomington, Indiana, is among those who believe you shouldn’t undervalue your skills in order to do something you love. “There are many jobs that have strong purpose, and the individuals who do them have passion, and many of them make a lot of money,” Kolovou says.