Proper Nutrition: A Matter of Life or Death

By Rebecca K. Maverick

The importance of nutrition in fashioning a healthy-all-around lifestyle is one that’s frequently overlooked—even by club members, and even, occasionally, by club operators. CBI will address the topic in its August issue, but, pending its arrival in your mailbox, a few personal thoughts on the matter: 

In some cases, such as that of Nicole Wilkins, Ms. Figure Olympia, a proper diet has helped push her to great heights in her life. And because of her high-profile status as an IFBB (International Federation of BodyBuilders) champ, she’s able to go out and tout the benefits of healthy eating to school children and adults around the country. She reports that it’s one of the most enjoyable parts of her job as a professional spokesmodel. Wilkins also details her daily diet and answers questions about nutrition on her weekly Fit Life series of question-and-answer segments on FitnessRx for Women magazine’s Website.

If you read interviews with IFBB pros, you’ll notice that they nearly almost always mention that their diets are an integral part of their training.

Then, on the other hand, we hear about a woman, the mother of eight, who dies prematurely, at the age of 30, in large part because of a poor diet—this individual, according to news reports, consumed over two gallons of soda and smoked 30 cigarettes a day. At least two things are painfully clear: she wasn’t a very good role model for her children…and she died way too young.

What went wrong? How could this happen?

Undoubtedly, there were a number of contributing factors, but, in all probability, one of them was a lack of education—or understanding—about proper nutrition. People have to learn that eating intelligently doesn’t have to be difficult or, necessarily, expensive. Ideally, they also need to have people around them who can remind them about the rewards one can achieve when they not only exercise regularly, but when they also, simultaneously, clean up their diet act.

So where does one learn more about nutrition? A lot of the wisdom is the result of simple trial and error. You lack the energy you need to work out because you’ve been eating too much junk food, and, so, you realize that you have to do things differently. But you want more. You don’t just want to know what’s good for you. You also want to know what the best foods are to obtain the results you want.

What are some of the ways that you can educate yourself, your staff, and your clients about nutrition—a vital part of a total “health and fitness package” that also includes exercise, stretching, proper rest, socializing, etc.?

You don’t want your members failing to obtain the results they want because they have poor eating habits. You don’t want them exercising in the club if they’re feeling faint and lightheaded because they’ve been starving themselves. You don’t want a staff that’s uninformed about nutrition, and giving out bad advice or serving as poor role models, e.g., drinking soft drinks and eating candy on the job. And you don’t want your club to seem ill-prepared, with no one to answer members’ nutrition-related questions, and nothing healthy to offer them when they’d like a pre- and/or post-workout snack/meal.

So, what do you do? Do you…?

• Employ a nutritionist?

• Subsidize continuing-education classes in nutrition for your staff?

• Bring in outside experts on the subject to conduct classes for your staff?

• Offer nutrition and/or cooking classes to your members?

• Work with a local restaurant to provide cooking classes to educate staff and members?

• Require sales representatives to discuss nutrition during club demos?

• Make use of an in-house authority to conduct community outreach courses, at, for instance, local schools?

Nutrition and weight-loss offerings constitute a huge market—Americans spend $40 billion on weight-loss/diet products each year—and a huge opportunity to do something good. It’s something that shouldn’t be overlooked in your club. Becoming a resource not just on exercise, but also on best practices in nutrition, can have positive implications throughout your club…and beyond.

- Rebecca K. Maverick is the managing editor of CBI and can be reached at r.maverick@fit-etc.com.

‘Excellence’ is Medicine

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.

The more than 10,000 clubs and fitness businesses in the U.S., which serve more than 50.2 million individuals seeking health and fitness, are gearing up to accommodate continued growth over the next five years. It’s been forecast that more than three out of 10 Americans will increase spending on club memberships during this period. 

Here’s my universal healthcare proposition to assure your ongoing success:

fotolia/fuzzbonesWill all of these new, returning, and current members experience “excellence” in your facility? After all, for any endeavor that strives to produce healthy results—whether it’s for an individual, a sports team, or a corporate client—excellence is the appropriate medicine.

Here are four doses of excellence that I’d like you to consider when drafting your plans for your club’s future.

1.  Keep the spotlight focused on where you’re headed—not on where you’re not headed.

Your staff and members aren’t interested in hearing what you won’t do for them—in fact, that’s a turn-off.

They want to know what you’re doing for them now, and what you’re going to do for them in the future, that will make their experience in the club even more productive and rewarding.

Have you ever ordered a lunch by telling a waitress what you didn’t want?  “I don’t want a sandwich, I don’t want soup, I don’t want a salad, and I don’t want…” You get the idea. Or conversely, have you ever responded favorably when someone has told you what they wouldn’t do for you? “Sorry, but that’s not possible.” “We don’t have the time for that.” “That’s not my responsibility.”

Of course not.

Basically, what’s required is a shift of focus—from the negative to the positive, from the minus to the plus. Emphasize what’s being accomplished today, and promote what you’re going to do tomorrow—not what you’re hoping to do, but what, if fact, you will do. Be optimistic. Be reliable. Be accountable. And be responsive.

Don’t offer excuses—offer excellence.

2. SMART-en up!

We all know what SMART goals are, but those are for yesterday’s businesses—been there, done that. The clubs that are going to prevail in the years to come understand that SMART goals are no longer good enough. 

What’s called for now are the four qualities of ambitious-goal-setting practices:

Enthusiastic—How enthusiastic are you about your goals? Are you spilling over with infectious excitement?

Natural—Do your club’s goals represent a natural next step for you, or are you attempting to emulate someone else’s? If the goals are yours, you won’t be able to stop until you’ve achieved them.

Understood—Have you made sure that everyone involved in your enterprise understands these goals in their own terms? If they really understand them, they’ll be able to move toward them effectively.

Prepared—Similarly, have you made sure that everyone in your club has been properly and thoroughly prepared to drive towards these goals?

fotolia/michaeljung3. Aim to improve—not to be improved.

My experience assisting large and mid-size organizations has taught me that achieving a particular goal affords only a brief respite on the highway of continually accelerating results. Resting at an achievement is always valuable. Rest if you must, but don’t stop there. The clubs passing you by, in terms of growing membership, know that their abilities as an organization are pliable and certainly not fixed. Being satisfied with being good prevents you from becoming even better.

Excellence, the goal, is a constantly moving target.

- Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D., is the Senior Fitness Consultant for Behavioral Sciences for the American Council on Exercise (ACE), and can be contacted at drmantell@me.com. 

The Incredible Journey

By Craig R. Waters

Whenever I mention to someone that I have a friend (David Miller) who’s currently crisscrossing the U.S. by bike, intending to eventually touch base in all 50 states, accompanied by his faithful canine companion (Max, a five-year-old Weimaraner), they inevitably say:

“My God, with a dog! How’s the dog?”

I’m pleased to report that Max is just fine, and, apparently, really enjoying his unique adventure.

If you’re a regular reader of CBI Unbound, you already know, by now, that Miller is a 25-year industry veteran who’s worked with, among others, the Western Athletic Clubs (WAC), based in San Francisco, and Sport City, a premium Mexican chain. You also know that he decided to mark his 50^th birthday in this one-of-a-kind fashion, and to promote physical activity, and raise money for several charities, along the way.

When we last checked in with Miller in March, he’d made his way from Old Town San Diego, in California, to Sarasota, Florida—a distance of 3,320 miles. Since then, he’s traversed the U.S. again, and is now in San Francisco, having logged a total of some 8,400 miles. “We’ve crossed the country twice now!” he tells us.

His agenda for the days ahead: San Francisco to Portland, Oregon; to Seattle, Washington; and, with the help of a ferry, to Homer, Alaska (population: 5,003).

Miller has had his share of interesting, exciting, and even frightening moments over the last two months, but, first, people want to know about the dog. “Max is great!” says Miller. "He doesn’t enjoy traveling in his trailer, but most definitely loves running along beside me, as well as the visiting—he likes meeting new people and new dogs all the time.”

Okay, now on to Miller.

His most recent memorable experience: “I was riding down a two-lane country road, basically out in the middle of nowhere in southwestern Colorado, with just a few houses and ranches on one side, and a Ute Indian reservation on the other,” he recalls. “I saw smoke in the distance, and just assumed that it was one of the many ‘controlled burns’ that are planned and carried out in early spring. As I rode on, though, I came across a lady in her 60s getting out of her car with two shovels, yelling, ‘There’s a fire! It’s not a planned burn! I’ve already called 911, but who knows when they’ll get here.'

“I offered to help, and she threw me a shovel. We were the first two on the scene, and the burn area was still relatively small, about 30' by 30'. We started throwing dirt on the flames, and two other neighbors joined us. Just as we were getting things under control, the fire department showed up to throw a bit of water on our work and thank us for our efforts."

His most recent frightening experience: “Pedaling through a tunnel on Highway 1 along the California coast, cars speeding by, the roar of truck engines echoing in the half-dark, and no bike lane for protection. The tunnel wasn’t all that long, but there was a bend and a blind spot. I don’t think I’ve ever worked harder to pedal through anything as fast as I did those five minutes of highway!”

CBI Unbound will continue to check in with Miller, so please continue checking in with CBI Unbound.

- Craig R. Waters is the editor-in-chief of CBI and can be reached at c.waters@fit-etc.com.

Editor’s Note: You can also follow Miller on his Website, bike50at50.com, or his blog, bike50at50.wordpress.com. 

How Companhia Athletica Markets Its Values

By Jon Feld

Recently, I spoke with Richard Bilton, the director and president of Brazil’s largest club chain, Companhia Athletica, which has 16 facilities. While much of the interview focused on employees and training issues, we didn’t have the real estate, in CBI, to cover everything that makes the organization unique.

One core aspect of the brand is the hard work the company has done to maintain its identity. Its marketing has been cutting edge and continues to be so.

For example, Companhia Athletica’s award-winning print ads—with names such as “Hot Jerk” and “Macho Chicken”—have made a splash on marketing and advertising blogs worldwide. And its illustrated “No More Fat Excuses” campaign is simply hilarious!

We asked Bilton about how they determined their creative direction.

“Our agency, DM9-DDB, understands that any contact we have with clients and prospects is designed to produce an uplifting sensation,” he explains. “We’ve always had a core value of humor, both inside and outside the clubs, and those values always have to be included in our publicity.”

In researching the company, I ran across Facebook and Foursquare pages for the organization’s Manaus location. As it turns out, Companhia Athletica has embraced social media in a very big way. According to Bilton, the company has both a corporate page and fan pages for each of its locations. “It’s a way for us to position the brand in our own fashion and maintain a consistent ‘corporate face,’” he points out. “We’ve chosen to have fan pages for all of our units so we can offer news and information that’s truly local. It’s a model that helps us communicate both in general and market-specific ways.”

Our research also uncovered an array of Companhia Athletica YouTube videos (e.g., “Get in Shape," “Sparring,”  and many others).

“The YouTube videos are a conscious decision on our part, and are in keeping with our marketing approach of using humor, and trying to increase our audience across several channels,” says Bilton. “YouTube is an exceptional tool.

“In fact, during Christmas 2011, we created a simultaneous flashmob in all of the Brazilian cities in which we have clubs. It was very successful, and both the members and employees—we call them collaborators—who participated loved to see themselves in the final videos. YouTube, Facebook, our ads—it’s all about making our values the foundation of the Companhia Athletica brand.”

- Jon Feld is a contributing editor of CBI and can be reached at jfeld@inc.com. His Q&A with Richard Bilton will appear in the July issue of the magazine.

“Hi, I’m Doctor Mike!”

By Craig R. Waters

Last week, I posted a blog with the title of “Rx for Mental Acuity and Industry Expansion.”

It had to do with the many, many benefits of regular exercise.

Yesterday, John McCarthy, IHRSA’s executive director emeritus, called my attention to a YouTube video with the title of “23 and ½ Hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our health?”

The answer, in case you haven’t already guessed it, is: Exercise (for at least ½ hour of each 24-hour day).

That the public, the world, is clamoring for this vital information is attested to by the fact that this clever, simply staged, animated presentation has already been viewed by some 2.5 million people (more than 1 million during its first month online).

“Hi, I’m Doctor Mike Evans,” the video begins. “I have a big interest in preventive medicine.”

Evans (“Dr. Mike”) is a family physician at St. Michael’s Hospital and an associate professor of family medicine and public health at the University of Toronto, in Canada. He’s also a health columnist, a “house doctor” for a variety of television shows, and the creator of an intriguing Website, myfavoritemedicine.com.

Evans reviews a number of interventions that can improve health, but then asks, “What has the biggest impact? What has the biggest return on investment?...What makes the biggest difference to your health?” His unambiguous, unqualified conclusion Exercise!

“I picked this intervention because of its breadth,” he explains. “It worked for so many different health problems, and that’s what I found so cool about it.”

Evans concludes his YouTube presentation with a quotation by the late Jerry Garcia, the lead singer for the Grateful Dead: “Somebody has to do something, it is just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us.”

I think that, as far as Evans is concerned, “somebody” probably includes IHRSA health clubs.

- Craig R. Waters is the editor-in-chief of CBI and can be reached at c.waters@fit-etc.com.