New Take on an Aging Opportunity
Tue, December 21, 2010 at 14:30 | Patricia Glynn Clubs can still cater to, and capitalize on, this critical cohort
The question is: How well has the fitness industry done at attracting and serving the 55-plus market?
“Our industry has done a mediocre job,” responds Colin Milner, the founder and CEO of the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA), the Vancouver, British Columbia-based professional association that works on behalf of active older adults.
Most clubs are “failing,” he observes, and, far too often, the aging cohort “feels as though they’re an afterthought.”
Overall, it’s a massive missed opportunity, he and others working in the sector conclude, and one that continues to grow. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans aged 65 and older, which currently stands at 39 million, will swell to more than 89 million, a 128% increase, by 2050. Globally, the demographic will total 1.53 billion.
A study published by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) in August notes that, in the U.S., less than 10% belong to a health club. That compares with a penetration rate, for the U.S. population as a whole, of approximately 16%.
The low participation is the result of a number of factors, including inaccurate ideas about aging; clubs’ communicating the wrong message; instructors with limited expertise; and programs lacking in appeal and/or relevance. Milner is convinced that one of the main reasons for the disparity is “the great myth of old age equating to illness, rapid decline, and crankiness.”
That shopworn stereotype has led many clubs to make halfhearted efforts to attract and serve this group. “But the reality,” says Milner, “is that the past 50 years have witnessed remarkable increases in healthcare, incomes, and longevity.”
In other words: Old age isn’t what it used to be.
“In fact, today,” he points out, “older adults are eagerly seeking health- and fitness-centric solutions.”
“Why are clubs fighting for the tiny 18-to-34-year-old share of the population and virtually ignoring a market that, statistically, is larger, more loyal, and has significantly more discretionary income?” ponders Kay Van Norman, an ICAA board member and president of Brilliant Aging, a Montana-based consultancy specializing in older-adult health. “Why would any business owner want to limit their clientele?”
Required: a new mindset
Moving beyond a “mediocre” performance in this arena requires a sincere interest and a real commitment, and may also require modifications in terms of facility, equipment, programming, and staff. But, possibly, the biggest and most productive shift is a change in mindset. “Club operators need to move away from an age-based approach,” says Van Norman, “and adopt one that’s more functional in nature.
“Take age out of the equation,” she demands. “It really is, after all, just a number.
“You could, for example, have, within the same club, a 70-year-old who competes in triathlons, as well as a deconditioned 25-year-old who can’t complete six sit-ups,” she continues. “So why advertise that a certain class is for seniors, when what you really mean is that it’s appropriate for people at a particular functional level?
“I encourage clubs to stop referring to programs as being for ‘seniors’ or ‘older adults.’ I’m 53—does that mean, in a couple of years, I’ll have to join the seniors’ class? I’m very fit, and I have a real problem with that,” admits Van Norman, who is also the author of Exercise Programming for Older Adults.
June Kahn strongly endorses the same philosophy. Kahn is the Life Power Pilates Coordinator for Life Time Fitness, Inc. (NYSE: LTM), the Chanhassen, Minnesota-based chain with 83 facilities in 18 states, and the director of senior programming for Body Bar, Inc., the Boulder, Colorado-based equipment manufacturer. “Some 25% of my club clients are older adults,” she says, “and they don’t like to be called seniors.”
Kahn has spent more than 20 years working with older members in both group-fitness and personal-training settings, and, in talking about them, tends to emphasize words such as variation, flexibility, open-mindedness, responsiveness, and adaptability. This cohort, she insists, represents a wide range of abilities, opportunities, and possibilities, and needs to be cared for accordingly.
“Sometimes,” she says, “I’m really blown away by how strong and flexible some of my older clients are, but there always those who present with limitations and, thus, require lower-intensity routines. You’ve got to be able to accommodate members at both extremes, as well as all of those individuals in between.” Beyond that, an instructor also has to be able to recognize, and respond to, changes in personal expectations and potential.
“A major difference between programming today, as opposed to, say, 10 years ago, is that, previously, for this group, exercise was primarily about maintenance,” she says. “Now, we’re looking at different ways—I’ll put it like this—to not always be so easy on them. We’re focusing more on progression, on advancing them from one level to another.
“One the one hand, you have to be able to take an exercise to a really basic level, but, on the other, you also have to be able to make it more challenging.”
Required: enhanced expertise
Bruce Hymanson, a physical therapist and inventor of the Body Blade, an innovative piece of functional fitness equipment sold by Mad Dogg Athletics, Inc., is equally adamant about the critical importance of viewing this cohort objectively; assessing its wants and needs accurately; and responding to them effectively.
“We’re all essentially the same,” he contends. “We all need to be strong, have endurance, and build balance and coordination. Operators need to ask themselves, ‘How can I position my club to be an attractive place for the unique clients who are coming through my doors?’ So, rather than just designing programming and expecting everyone to fit into it, they need to pinpoint what their clientele actually wants and needs. Do they, for example, have balance issues? Do they need to improve their joint flexibility?”
A one-size-fits-all approach, he reminds, is inherently ineffectual, especially with an older population.
Once goals have been identified, a club must be then be able to facilitate them effectively. The proper setting, equipment, and programming are essential, but the most important part of the puzzle, everyone seems to agree, is the expertise of the staff working with these members. “All too often, instructors don’t fully understand how to train this cohort,” says Hymanson. “They’ll just hand them some bands and stretch cords, and falsely assume that they’ll integrate easily and well into their exercise regimen.
“Staff really have to be better-informed—enough so that they can create the right programming, and deliver training that’s interesting, safe, and rewarding. Fortunately, a growing number of professional organizations are providing ongoing education and certifications in this area. Once a trainer has learned what they need to know, they can then honestly tell a client, ‘Yes, I can give you exactly what you’re looking for.’”
“This population is vast,” reflects Milner, “and they have all sorts of—every conceivable manner of—expectations, wants, needs, dreams, and desires. What it boils down to, for clubs, is ensuring that you can meet all of their functional requirements in a supportive, nonjudgmental environment, staff included, that enables them to grow physically, cognitively, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.
“If the industry is able to do that,” he concludes, “it has the potential to change millions of lives.”
Aging in CBI January 2011 
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