Sorry I haven't blogged lately. It's been very hectic at work, handling a million tasks and meeting deadlines right before I go on vacation Friday, Aug. 22.
As of right now I'm working on an article about the benefits of technology in health clubs and whether technology can attract/retain customers. If anyone knows anything about the subject matter, please contact me before Sept. 15.
Thanks and see you later.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
China Olympics: A look behind the ever-breaking Olympic Record
Science Daily posted an interesting article Wednesday on what's behind an olympic record.
The article begins:
"The world-record pace for the marathon continues to improve for both men and women. For men, the record pace for the marathon is now about as fast as the record pace for the 10,000-meter run just after World War II. Today, champion athletes are running more than four times farther at speeds of well under five minutes per mile."
The article goes on to cite that part of it may be thanks to the overwhelming abundance of fitness clubs and cultural pressures to reach higher goals. But that's a debate that the industry might have to consider some other time.
China Olympics: A 21st Century China
Just for the record, the 2008 Beijing Olympics began today.
It's incredible how far China has come along with it being one of the very few communist countries. I have seen the making of the two buildings (the Bird's Nest and the Aquatic Center) in Beijing. Such an amazing architecture.
We'll keep an eye out for any news regarding our athletes, including Amanda Beard, who appeared as our cover girl for the American Fitness July/August issue of 2006. And of course, we'll keep an eye out for the usual news of steroids use, new world records and more political unrest.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
IHRSA Lobbies for Physical Activity
IHRSA Calls for Greater Focus on Preventing Physical Inactivity, Chronic Disease, and Chronic Healthcare Costs
BOSTON- August 5, 2008- The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) announced today that it has urged the Republican and Democratic national committees to adopt pro-prevention and healthy living language in their official party policy documents when the national party conventions convene in Denver and Minneapolis – Saint Paul.
“We strongly urge both parties to seriously address the culture of physical inactivity in this country that has led to epidemic levels of obesity and chronic disease,” said Joe Moore, president and CEO of IHRSA. “Not only have sedentary lifestyles taken a tragic toll on Americans’ health, but it also has driven up the cost of healthcare to all-time highs. Prevention must be a priority in both party platforms if we are to curb the cost of treating chronic diseases that inevitably arise when too many Americans lead sedentary lives.”
For years, IHRSA has been urging national policy makers—both on the Hill and in the Executive branch—to focus greater attention on increasing levels of physical activity in America, advocating practical, innovative ways to encourage Americans to exercise.
“IHRSA is urging the Democratic and Republican parties to adopt policies that will encourage Americans to be more physically active in order to reduce both the incidence of chronic disease and national healthcare costs,” Moore continued. “These policies should be part of a comprehensive program of preventive healthcare.”
Physical inactivity contributes directly to obesity and ultimately to chronic disease. Diabetes, heart disease, asthma, cancer and other chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States and account for the more than seventy five percent of dollars spent on medical care. They affect the quality of life for 133 million Americans and are responsible for seven out of every ten deaths in the United States. In fact, the U.S. Surgeon General has cited the lack of exercise and poor diet as a leading cause of death in America today, second only to tobacco.
“More than sixty percent of Americans fail to engage in the levels of physical activity that would bring them important health benefits,” said Moore. “If more Americans exercised regularly, we’d have lower levels of chronic disease in this country; we could better management diseases once they do occur; and as a country, we’d benefit from substantial savings in healthcare costs.”
In its letters to both the Democratic and Republican parties, IHRSA cited a study recently released by the Trust for America’s Health that demonstrated that an investment in disease prevention of $10 per person per year could save the United States $16 billion a year in healthcare costs within five years. “Prevention” was defined in the study as improved nutrition, smoking cessation and the promotion of physical activity. This report reinforces the estimate given by the Centers for Disease Control in 2005 that projected savings of $25 billion a year in healthcare costs if every American adult exercised on a regular basis.
Proposals for a More Physically Active America
IHRSA also is encouraging both parties to support two innovative and practical programs that currently are under active consideration in Congress and which have received broad support from numerous business and health promotion organizations throughout the United States:
The Workforce Health Improvement Program (WHIP) Act
This program will enable employers to provide subsidies to employees to enroll in fitness programs—without that subsidy being taxed as additional income to the employee. In a recent poll, 78 percent of Americans maintained that they would exercise more regularly if their employer offered such a subsidy as part of a worksite wellness program. This legislation is currently pending in Congress and has received wide bi-partisan support.
The Personal Health Investment Today Act (PHIT)
This legislation—which also has attracted significant attention in Congress, especially in the House Ways and Means Committee—will allow taxpayers to use up to $1000 a year from “pre-tax” accounts (such as flexible spending accounts) to pay for organized individual and team sports, recreation, and other physical activities. It will allow a family to use these accounts to pay for soccer clubs or Little League, for fitness club or YMCA memberships, or for home fitness equipment. Today these accounts are used predominantly for detecting diseases and for the drugs to treat them. The PHIT Act would allow them to be used for prevention. If adopted, this legislation would enable American taxpayers to save significantly on the cost of exercise.
BOSTON- August 5, 2008- The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) announced today that it has urged the Republican and Democratic national committees to adopt pro-prevention and healthy living language in their official party policy documents when the national party conventions convene in Denver and Minneapolis – Saint Paul.
“We strongly urge both parties to seriously address the culture of physical inactivity in this country that has led to epidemic levels of obesity and chronic disease,” said Joe Moore, president and CEO of IHRSA. “Not only have sedentary lifestyles taken a tragic toll on Americans’ health, but it also has driven up the cost of healthcare to all-time highs. Prevention must be a priority in both party platforms if we are to curb the cost of treating chronic diseases that inevitably arise when too many Americans lead sedentary lives.”
For years, IHRSA has been urging national policy makers—both on the Hill and in the Executive branch—to focus greater attention on increasing levels of physical activity in America, advocating practical, innovative ways to encourage Americans to exercise.
“IHRSA is urging the Democratic and Republican parties to adopt policies that will encourage Americans to be more physically active in order to reduce both the incidence of chronic disease and national healthcare costs,” Moore continued. “These policies should be part of a comprehensive program of preventive healthcare.”
Physical inactivity contributes directly to obesity and ultimately to chronic disease. Diabetes, heart disease, asthma, cancer and other chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States and account for the more than seventy five percent of dollars spent on medical care. They affect the quality of life for 133 million Americans and are responsible for seven out of every ten deaths in the United States. In fact, the U.S. Surgeon General has cited the lack of exercise and poor diet as a leading cause of death in America today, second only to tobacco.
“More than sixty percent of Americans fail to engage in the levels of physical activity that would bring them important health benefits,” said Moore. “If more Americans exercised regularly, we’d have lower levels of chronic disease in this country; we could better management diseases once they do occur; and as a country, we’d benefit from substantial savings in healthcare costs.”
In its letters to both the Democratic and Republican parties, IHRSA cited a study recently released by the Trust for America’s Health that demonstrated that an investment in disease prevention of $10 per person per year could save the United States $16 billion a year in healthcare costs within five years. “Prevention” was defined in the study as improved nutrition, smoking cessation and the promotion of physical activity. This report reinforces the estimate given by the Centers for Disease Control in 2005 that projected savings of $25 billion a year in healthcare costs if every American adult exercised on a regular basis.
Proposals for a More Physically Active America
IHRSA also is encouraging both parties to support two innovative and practical programs that currently are under active consideration in Congress and which have received broad support from numerous business and health promotion organizations throughout the United States:
The Workforce Health Improvement Program (WHIP) Act
This program will enable employers to provide subsidies to employees to enroll in fitness programs—without that subsidy being taxed as additional income to the employee. In a recent poll, 78 percent of Americans maintained that they would exercise more regularly if their employer offered such a subsidy as part of a worksite wellness program. This legislation is currently pending in Congress and has received wide bi-partisan support.
The Personal Health Investment Today Act (PHIT)
This legislation—which also has attracted significant attention in Congress, especially in the House Ways and Means Committee—will allow taxpayers to use up to $1000 a year from “pre-tax” accounts (such as flexible spending accounts) to pay for organized individual and team sports, recreation, and other physical activities. It will allow a family to use these accounts to pay for soccer clubs or Little League, for fitness club or YMCA memberships, or for home fitness equipment. Today these accounts are used predominantly for detecting diseases and for the drugs to treat them. The PHIT Act would allow them to be used for prevention. If adopted, this legislation would enable American taxpayers to save significantly on the cost of exercise.
Fitness Technology: The Future of Health Clubs?
Recently we have taken notice of the many ways the fitness industry is integrating technology to go beyond its call to provide health to everyone--more often, at no cost.
One example that was recently brought to my attention is the online community introPLAY, allows casual or avid athletes can track, share and compare stats of their own day-to-day fitness accomplishments. The Web site CEO, Anil Doshi, has allowed us to try it out.
From first look, the site includes a "locker room" that shows your day's progress; a "community" forum where members can compete; a blog and other features that make this a well-oiled machine. At the moment, the site is free, but be sure to read the site's Terms of Use.
Compared to other online services provided by health clubs, including mine, introPLAY is taking the lead to provide such a wholesome online experience for free. Nothing beats free.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Fitness Industry news: Club Industry in October
One of the things I appreciate of this industry is its willingness to invest in growth and innovation. And nothing shows it more than industry conferences and shows.
So far, the only conference I've attended was the IHRSA show in San Diego this past March. Before the show, I'd never seen so many people gathered in one room to show off their new gadgets. I was too overwhelmed to absorb a fifth of that day's visit, but it was worth the look and the experience.
I hope I get to go to the Club Industry show coming up in October. I'm crossing my fingers.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Fitness Equipment: Office Gym
I've come across smaller versions of these at my gym, but none as big or sturdy enough to hold a laptop. I saw this featured in the Los Angeles Times last week and I meant to blog on it earlier.
This is its short description: SurfShelf is a laptop mount for treadmills/cardio machines.
This is a neat way to make good use of your time.
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