Fitness centers respond to recession with more choices for customers
NUMBER TO KNOW
Health
15
Salmonella infections have not decreased during the past 15 years and have increased YEARS by 10 percent in recent years, according to a recent Vital Signs report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
DID YOU KNOW? People with disabilities are nearly three times more likely to report being denied necessary health care. – World Health Organization
Health watch
FAMILY FEATURES
TIP OF THE WEEK
Re-work your morning routine Morning routines don’t have to be boring or frustrating, and rebooting your routine can have a positive effect on your entire day. Here are some tips to reboot your morning routine. Physical • Eat breakfast. The key
to jump-start your metabolism and kick off your day right is to eat breakfast. But according to a survey commissioned by Emerald Breakfast on the go!, less than 43 percent of Americans eat breakfast daily.
Mental • Re-route your commute. Freshen things up by
taking a new route to work or school. Doing things the same way all the time puts the brain into automatic pilot. Changing things up a bit forces you to pay attention and stimulates the brain. Emotional • Get everything ready the night before. Lay out
all clothing. Sign school papers, pack up backpacks and have them right by the door. Put everything in the same spot near your exit door – don’t forget your keys – so your routine is smooth. – Family Features
exercise routine
Circuit workout for stronger glutes It’s important to burn the fat that covers glute muscles to shed the extra padding, so cardio exercise should be incorporated into butt-busting workouts. Try a circuit: Work out with 15 alternating lunges per leg while holding 5- to 10-pound hand weights. Without rest, transition from lunges to wide squats, and complete 15 in a row. Finish the circuit with one minute of plyometric split jumps to give your heart rate a big boost. Repeat this circuit one more time and you’ll be on your way to a toned backside. – Life Fitness
The right fit Fitness centers respond to recession with more choices for customers By Melissa Westphal | GateHouse News Service
T
he fitness industry today offers a wealth of choices for consumers, including 24-hour gyms, month-tomonth contracts and unique group classes. The industry’s evolution seems to be working, because more than 128 million people worldwide were members of health clubs at the end of 2010, according to Boston-based International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association. New entrepreneurs are comfortable investing in fitness clubs, but they’re wading into a competitive market with big local names like the YMCA. So instead of competing directly with such established clubs, some fitness centers are going in different directions, adding wellness programs and dropping prices in hopes of luring members driven by a national push to fight obesity and cut health-care costs. “I think the one consistent factor is that everybody wants to improve their health,” said Greg Georgis, owner of the recently opened FitMe Wellness in Rockford, Ill. “We recognize that we’re not eating the right food and we’re not moving enough, that we’re not sleeping well and we’re sore. I really suspect people are trying to get some control back in their lives.”
Keeping overhead low Jack and Dan Olson think they’ll be successful in the fitness industry. The brothers are the owners of The Rock Swim & Fitness in Rockford. The building that houses the fitness center has been in their family for many years. Owning the building is sure to cut down on their overall operating costs. Health clubs overall rely on affordable leases, expense management and “modest revenue growth” to survive the recession, according to the Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association. The health club industry generated $20.3 billion in revenue in North
PHOTOS BY STOCK.XCHNG
Owner/founder Greg Georgis (left) talks with Chris Conner (right) while personal trainer Georgi Hauser listens at FitMe Wellness in Rockford, Ill. Photo by max gersh/GHNS
America last year, with 58 million members patronizing 38,000 facilities. Bill Hill, who will manage The Rock, said it will be a full-service gym with free weights, fitness equipment, personal training, group fitness classes and more. Hill is a professional fighter with martial arts training, so he’s bringing martial arts classes to the facility and hopes to build teams and possibly start a wrestling program. The Olsons also plan to market the facility’s pool through fitness classes. Membership will be $24.99 a month, which includes many of the fitness classes, use of the pool and an orientation.
Wellness component a plus FitMe Wellness has seen rapid membership growth since opening, Georgis said. The center combines fitness equipment, nutrition counseling and health management software for its members, and it is also home to Tangerine Wellness, a program previously open only to corporate clients. Georgis said members are attracted to the center’s price point, which is $29.95 a month, and the club doesn’t charge a joiner fee. His goal with FitMe is to make people feel comfortable in a fitness environment in order to help them achieve their health goals. “I designed this facility for my wife and me, my parents and our in-laws – I figured if I pleased all six of us, the general public would be pleased,” Georgis said.
Health
15
Salmonella infections have not decreased during the past 15 years and have increased YEARS by 10 percent in recent years, according to a recent Vital Signs report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
DID YOU KNOW? People with disabilities are nearly three times more likely to report being denied necessary health care. – World Health Organization
Health watch
FAMILY FEATURES
TIP OF THE WEEK
Re-work your morning routine Morning routines don’t have to be boring or frustrating, and rebooting your routine can have a positive effect on your entire day. Here are some tips to reboot your morning routine. Physical • Eat breakfast. The key
to jump-start your metabolism and kick off your day right is to eat breakfast. But according to a survey commissioned by Emerald Breakfast on the go!, less than 43 percent of Americans eat breakfast daily.
Mental • Re-route your commute. Freshen things up by
taking a new route to work or school. Doing things the same way all the time puts the brain into automatic pilot. Changing things up a bit forces you to pay attention and stimulates the brain. Emotional • Get everything ready the night before. Lay out
all clothing. Sign school papers, pack up backpacks and have them right by the door. Put everything in the same spot near your exit door – don’t forget your keys – so your routine is smooth. – Family Features
exercise routine
Circuit workout for stronger glutes It’s important to burn the fat that covers glute muscles to shed the extra padding, so cardio exercise should be incorporated into butt-busting workouts. Try a circuit: Work out with 15 alternating lunges per leg while holding 5- to 10-pound hand weights. Without rest, transition from lunges to wide squats, and complete 15 in a row. Finish the circuit with one minute of plyometric split jumps to give your heart rate a big boost. Repeat this circuit one more time and you’ll be on your way to a toned backside. – Life Fitness
The right fit Fitness centers respond to recession with more choices for customers By Melissa Westphal | GateHouse News Service
T
he fitness industry today offers a wealth of choices for consumers, including 24-hour gyms, month-tomonth contracts and unique group classes. The industry’s evolution seems to be working, because more than 128 million people worldwide were members of health clubs at the end of 2010, according to Boston-based International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association. New entrepreneurs are comfortable investing in fitness clubs, but they’re wading into a competitive market with big local names like the YMCA. So instead of competing directly with such established clubs, some fitness centers are going in different directions, adding wellness programs and dropping prices in hopes of luring members driven by a national push to fight obesity and cut health-care costs. “I think the one consistent factor is that everybody wants to improve their health,” said Greg Georgis, owner of the recently opened FitMe Wellness in Rockford, Ill. “We recognize that we’re not eating the right food and we’re not moving enough, that we’re not sleeping well and we’re sore. I really suspect people are trying to get some control back in their lives.”
Keeping overhead low Jack and Dan Olson think they’ll be successful in the fitness industry. The brothers are the owners of The Rock Swim & Fitness in Rockford. The building that houses the fitness center has been in their family for many years. Owning the building is sure to cut down on their overall operating costs. Health clubs overall rely on affordable leases, expense management and “modest revenue growth” to survive the recession, according to the Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association. The health club industry generated $20.3 billion in revenue in North
PHOTOS BY STOCK.XCHNG
Owner/founder Greg Georgis (left) talks with Chris Conner (right) while personal trainer Georgi Hauser listens at FitMe Wellness in Rockford, Ill. Photo by max gersh/GHNS
America last year, with 58 million members patronizing 38,000 facilities. Bill Hill, who will manage The Rock, said it will be a full-service gym with free weights, fitness equipment, personal training, group fitness classes and more. Hill is a professional fighter with martial arts training, so he’s bringing martial arts classes to the facility and hopes to build teams and possibly start a wrestling program. The Olsons also plan to market the facility’s pool through fitness classes. Membership will be $24.99 a month, which includes many of the fitness classes, use of the pool and an orientation.
Wellness component a plus FitMe Wellness has seen rapid membership growth since opening, Georgis said. The center combines fitness equipment, nutrition counseling and health management software for its members, and it is also home to Tangerine Wellness, a program previously open only to corporate clients. Georgis said members are attracted to the center’s price point, which is $29.95 a month, and the club doesn’t charge a joiner fee. His goal with FitMe is to make people feel comfortable in a fitness environment in order to help them achieve their health goals. “I designed this facility for my wife and me, my parents and our in-laws – I figured if I pleased all six of us, the general public would be pleased,” Georgis said.
