According to the IHRSA Trend Report of 2012, almost half of new members join a facility to lose weight. However, when members join your club, they may be at a complete loss as to how to do so effectively.
As an ACE Weight Management Specialist, I feel positioned to give ideas and advice for gym facilities on how to best cater to the weight management population. To start, I will begin exposing what facilities in my home base of Louisville, Ky. are doing that I consider beneficial.
Decreasing the barrier of entry is essential for helping members whom are overweight. With being overweight, there comes the possible lack of experience with cardiovascular machines, weighted equipment, group exercise classes, swimming, etc. With low experience can come low confidence, and with low confidence, we may have an aversion of something that could be found enjoyable. Is it safe to assume a member is confident in their abilities to use anything? Could this be a part of one of the reasons a member stops coming to a gym: low-usage?
Baptist East Milestone uses a service called “Fitness Coaching” which I believe does a great job at reducing the barrier of entry for any new member. The job of this fitness coach is to talk to a new member, and show them how the facility can best aid their personal goals, or match them with someone who the coach feels is best suited to help.
I interviewed one of the fitness coaches, Amanda Pilgrim, and asked her if she felt that the service was beneficial for overweight members. She responded: “I would say it gives them an immediate outlet for assistance in their weight loss journey. We try to get them scheduled within the first week of their membership so we can get them in touch with the right people right away. For instance, if they are interested in meeting with our registered dietitian, a personal trainer, or any of our group exercise classes, we can set them up with a schedule and the contact information right away. We also give the new members our personal phone numbers in case they have any questions beyond what we spoke about in our initial session; they have access to us whenever they need.”
The University of Louisville is also doing great work with a service titled “U-FIT.” Back in 2012 when I worked with the program, students would go through the program and not only be evaluated on fitness so they knew what to improve upon, but also be provided resources on how to improve in those categories and get physical activity more into their lives. These resources included group exercise classes, intramural sports and even physical activities outside of the university that matched their goals and interests.
Questions to consider: Does each old and new member, especially the overweight, best know how to use your facility? Is there a step you can take to make that process easier?
Jamal Thruston is a certified personal trainer in Louisville, Ky., who specializes in weight management, behavioral change and health coaching. For questions, e-mail Jamal at jamalthruston@gmail.com.
