HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (June 29, 2017) — More and more Americans are choosing Cardio Tennis, a high-energy group fitness workout that combines the best features of tennis with cardiovascular exercise, as their means to get healthy and fit. In the latest national survey of 118 sports and activities, Cardio Tennis was ranked No. 1 in year-over-year growth in terms of participation. 

The annual sports participation study, conducted by the Physical Activity Council (PAC), showed that Cardio Tennis participation in the U.S. jumped 16.7 percent from 2015 to 2016, to more than 2.12 million participants. Cardio Tennis has seen a 156 percent increase since first being measured by the PAC study in 2008. 

Developed by the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) and Tennis Industry Association (TIA) in 2005, Cardio Tennis delivers a full-body, calorie-burning workout. “We are very pleased with how Cardio Tennis has been growing, both in the U.S. and globally,” says TIA Executive Director Jolyn de Boer. “Cardio Tennis plays to Americans’ health and fitness preferences, and also helps tennis coaches and facilities grow their player base.” 

“Cardio Tennis is a very social group fitness class that uses tennis to provide aerobic and anaerobic workouts,” says Cardio Tennis Global Education Director Michele Krause. “More than 3,000 tennis professionals are delivering Cardio Tennis in the U.S.” 

The activity on the court uses tennis balls with slightly lower pressure than regular yellow tennis balls. “These balls level the playing field for all participants and allow players to hit many more shots than they would with yellow tennis balls,” says Krause. “When you combine all these ‘touches’ on the ball with the movement of getting to the ball and recovering, you have a workout in which it’s possible to burn 500 to 1,000 calories safely in an hour on court—all while improving your tennis skills and having a lot of fun.” 

A key to Cardio Tennis is for players to use a heart-rate monitor to ensure they’re within the proper “zone” for improved fitness and performance. “Cardio Tennis instructors are trained in making sure participants are warming up, playing, and cooling down properly to achieve their best results safely,” says Chris Ojakian, executive director of racquet sports for Elite Racquet Sports of Los Angeles and a longtime global trainer for Cardio Tennis. “It’s gratifying when players tell me they’re achieving their fitness and weight-loss goals because of the workout they get playing Cardio Tennis.” 

The “group” aspect of a Cardio Tennis session also is important. “With six to eight players on a court in a Cardio Tennis workout, there’s a real team camaraderie to the session,” says Heather Silvia Killingsworth, president of the Silvia Tennis Academy in the Atlanta area and a Cardio Tennis global trainer. “What’s great is that players will not only do Cardio Tennis with their friends and teammates, but participants also meet new people, too, who all share a common goal to get healthier and fitter.” 

Managed by the TIA, Cardio Tennis also is spreading around the world, with formal partnerships with tennis associations in the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, Japan, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy and most recently, India. 

“We think we’ll continue to see Cardio Tennis participation increase, as more and more Americans becoming concerned about the ‘inactivity pandemic’ and the rise in obesity rates in the U.S.,” de Boer says. “Tennis is one of the healthiest activities. In fact, this industry recently created a Tennis Health & Wellness Task Force to help promote the health, fitness, wellness and life benefits of the sport.” 

Tennis has historically been called ‘the sport for a lifetime,’” and according to world-renowned scientists from a variety of disciplines, there’s no doubt that tennis is one of the best sports to play—at any age. 

In fact, an Oxford University study released last fall that followed more than 80,000 people for an average of nine years determined that of all sports surveyed—including swimming, aerobics and biking—those who played racquet sports such as tennis were least likely to die over the study period. The study showed that participation in a racquet sport such as tennis decreases early mortality risk due to heart disease by 56 percent. 

According to the PAC study, 48 percent of all tennis players in 2016 described their fitness level as good, compared to 25.4 percent of the U.S. population overall. The 2017 Physical Activity Council Participation Report surveyed 118 sports and activities. The annual report is produced by a partnership of eight of the major governing bodies and trade associations in the U.S. sports and leisure industry. 

For more on Cardio Tennis, including where to find a location or certified professional delivering Cardio Tennis, visit CardioTennis.com

About the TIA

The Tennis Industry Association, the not-for-profit trade association for tennis, is THE unifying force in the tennis industry whose mission is to promote the growth and economic vitality of the business of tennis by working closely with its industry partners and in support of the USTA in their development of initiatives to increase tennis participation. Core TIA activities include producing more than 70 U.S. and global research reports annually on participation and consumer/trade research, managing the largest relational database, along with hosting annual TIA Tennis Forum, Leadership meetings and the T.O.M. Conference at major tournaments and events. Visit TennisIndustry.org or call 866-686-3036.

June 29, 2017 – Boston, MA – IHRSA, the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, released The IHRSA Global 25, a list of the top 25 health club companies worldwide by key metrics. Compiled annually by IHRSA’s Club Business International (CBI) magazine, The IHRSA Global 25 recognizes top players in terms of revenue, number of memberships, and number of facilities. This prestigious list of club operators is based on The 2017 IHRSA Global Report, which profiles nearly 400 club businesses worldwide.

“Continued robust performance and innovation from leading club companies attests to the industry’s strength and potential for growth,” says Jay Ablondi, IHRSA’s executive vice president of global products. “As part of a dynamic industry with more than 200,000 health clubs worldwide, leading club operators are providing a diverse array of offerings in energetic settings, all in efforts to help more than 162 million members achieve their health and fitness goals.”

As a whole, the industry’s worldwide revenues increased to $83.1 billion in 2016. Overall revenue growth has improved uniformly among the organizations that submitted data for this year’s Global 25. Category leader LA Fitness International grew to 689 owned locations. Planet Fitness led in overall revenue at $1.9 billion and led with 8.9 million members, and franchise leader Anytime Fitness climbed to 3,443 locations worldwide, topping the charts in both 5-year revenue and 5-year unit growth metrics.

"The importance of what we in the fitness industry do cannot be overstated,” added Chuck Runyon, Co-Founder and CEO of Anytime Fitness. “Our healthcare systems are misguided and ineffective, focusing on 'sick care' rather than prevention and health maintenance. Fitness industry leaders have a unique and important opportunity to play a crucial role in improving public health worldwide. To succeed, we must constantly evolve, anticipating the needs of fitness consumers. We need to coach, care and connect with those whom we serve."

The IHRSA Global 25 article, which includes insights from leaders at five Global 25 companies: Bodytech (Brazil), Central Sports (Japan), David Lloyd Clubs (U.K.), Mrs. Sporty (Germany), and Planet Fitness (U.S.) is available for download at ihrsa.org. The 2017 IHRSA Global Report is available at ihrsa.org/ihrsa-global-report in print or as a PDF to IHRSA members ($74.95) and non-members ($149.95).

About IHRSA

IHRSA is a not-for-profit trade association representing health and fitness facilities, gyms, spas, sports clubs and suppliers worldwide. Its mission is to grow, promote, and protect the health and fitness industry. As one of the world's leading authorities on the commercial health club industry, IHRSA is the source of the world's only primary consumer research and industry economic and operating studies. For more information on IHRSA research, visit ihrsa.org/research.

About ASF Payment Solutions:

ASF Payment Solutions is a technology company that provides software, complete payment solutions and customer support to the fitness industry. ASF takes pride in our client’s business success that goes beyond just being a gym management software company. By offering integrated software services, as well as flexible payment options ASF gives clients the ability to generate more revenue through member engagement and grow their business. 

Dave Mortensen, president and co-founder of Anytime Fitness will join master franchisee Maurice Levine in Shanghai June 27-28 to support the launch and strategically align efforts with suppliers and local supporters of the expansion. With seven locations already open and operating in China, and 20 agreements signed, Anytime Fitness anticipates 300-500 gyms in China by 2020. These development efforts directly contribute to Anytime Fitness' growing presence throughout all of Asia.

"With more than 3,500 gyms serving nearly three million members on five continents, we are confident our business model paired with the China capacity, will prosper thousands of gyms. We're in the business of building communities and helping people achieve their goals, something that transcends across borders," Mortensen said. "The knowledge and experience of our master franchisee will greatly facilitate the success of the Anytime Fitness brand as we navigate the local business environment."

Levine, who also owns the rights for Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines, is eager to provide Chinese-culture access to 24-hour fitness opportunities. Levine opened his first Anytime Fitness gym in Singapore in October 2013 and began franchising in February 2014. In less than three years, he has grown the franchise across six countries and over 150 territories. Under his helm, Anytime Fitness has become the number one gym operator by number of outlets in Asia.

Interestingly, more than 99 percent of Chinese do not have a gym membership. To successfully tap into this huge opportunity for growth, Levine will deploy a strategy designed to build a culture of fitness. Part of his strategy includes creating the first Wellness University in Shanghai for career development and certifications of personal trainers.

"Our goal is to bring fitness to the Asian community and support people on their journey to get to a healthier place," Levine said. "While the atmosphere and amenities are upscale, the gym is inviting, unintimidating and priced right. It brings a much-needed service to the community. It's accessible, affordable, provides supportive coaching and is a great place for community members to get to know each other while achieving their fitness goals."

Understanding the market, Levine decided to open in the Woodlands, a small hyper-local area, rather than in a hotspot Singapore neighborhood. He was confident this location would prosper based on Anytime Fitness' community orientation and personalized services that help members achieve the specific results they're seeking. He was right. By promoting a community-focus, accessibility, and coachability, the 1,800 square-meter gym now has 900 active members – all of which the manager knows by name.

The new branding has been designed to better represent the company’s goal of creating raving fans (members who love their clubs) and enhance the experience of interacting with the brand by bringing their visual identity up to meet the world leading software and service they provide the industry.

James Charles, who led the project, said “This is an incredibly exciting time for TRP and our customers. The new brand identity is just one outcome of the great things that are going on within TRP every day. Whilst our look has changed, we really want to emphasize that brand values, software and the great people who support it haven’t and we are as committed and passionate as ever about empowering health and fitness club operators to delight their members with the delivery of an exceptional customer experience.”

Part of the Jonas Group of companies, TRP provides fully integrated customer experience management tools for targeted in-club interactions, intelligent automated email and SMS journeys, and actionable member feedback to operators across the globe empowering them to increase referrals, improve sales and drive concessionary spend.

You can take a look at TRP’s new website here: www.trpcem.com

Starting today, the TriggerPoint course will be accessible to the 4,500 health clubs around the world who use ClubConnect. They can now easily become educated on how to effectively employ self-myofascial release (SMR), which has been shown to relieve muscle and joint pains and improve flexibility and range of motion. These materials can be accessed by ClubConnect users via their dashboards starting today. In addition to TriggerPoint, other world-class education companies including EXOS, Precision Nutrition, Les Mills, MYZONE, ACSM, and TRX have partnered with ClubConnect to deliver their world-class education.

President of ClubConnect (an Inspire360 company), Jason Davis, said “ClubConnect is the education hub for the world’s largest and most successful health clubs. I’m thrilled that TriggerPoint has put its course at the center of that hub. Their top-notch education is a great new resource that our ClubConnect users can access. By including their education on ClubConnect, fitness professionals at over 4,500 locations will have full access to this TriggerPoint education.”

About Inspire360

Inspire360 is dedicated to providing inspired software that is fanatically focused on helping health clubs and organizations in the fitness and wellness industry achieve remarkable things. Originally developed under IDEA Health & Fitness Association, the company builds on decades of experience in the health and fitness industry to deliver world-class software to educate fitness professionals and enhance profits for health clubs. Its two flagship products, ClubConnect and CoursePlus, are used by some of the most respected names in fitness, like the American College of Sports Medicine, EXOS, Lifetime Fitness, and Gold's Gym. For more information, visit www.inspire360.com.

The course titled Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention and Intervention: A Guide to Working with Seniors and People at Risk for fitness industry professionals is now available for purchase through Fitness Learning Systems for fitness trainers interested in adding mental health exercise to their educational portfolio.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this new course will directly support the ARPF programs, which provides research studies, educational outreach, and memory screenings.

 “We are delighted to bring this course to fruition in collaboration with MFN and FLS, and qualify health-fitness professionals to serve their community and clients.” said Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., Founding President of the ARPF.

According to leading research studies, there is a strong connection between physical activity, mental exercise, diet, and lifestyle in preventing Alzheimer’s. Doctors regularly prescribe diet and exercise as an extension of treatments, however, patients and their care givers are often left to their own devices to determine how best to fill the doctor’s orders. 

“This 11-hour continuing education Specialist Certificate will help prepare fitness & health professionals to work with those suffering from, or at risk for, Alzheimer’s,” says FLS President June Chewning. 

Included in the course is a free one year membership to the Medical Fitness Network so those who take the course can be on a registry where Alzheimer's patients or their care givers can find them to hire them for help.

“We’re proud to support the work being done by the ARPF and thrilled to collaborate with FLS on this important project by providing a referral platform for those who take this course and those who need help” said MFN founder Lisa Dougherty.

About the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation (ARPF)The mission of the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation is to prevent Alzheimer’s disease by funding research studies and providing educational outreach and memory screenings. For 20 years, the ARPF has been on the leading edge by researching, advocating, and educating about a holistic or integrative approach to preventing memory loss and Alzheimer’s. ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH AND PREVENTION FOUNDATION

About Fitness Learning Systems (FLS)Fitness Learning Systems is an IACET Accredited continuing education provider for health and fitness professionals dedicated to creating quality interactive online course material authored by industry experts. FITNESS LEARNING SYSTEMS

About the Medical Fitness Network (MFN)The Medical Fitness Network (MFN) is a free online resource directory for locating fitness and allied healthcare professionals to help those with chronic disease/medical conditions, including but not limited to: Alzheimer’s, Arthritis, Cancer, Diabetes, Fibromyalgia, Heart Disease, Mental Disorders, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s, Pre and Postnatal Care, Respiratory Disease and Stroke. The MFN donates its services as a national database management company to medical and health organizations that do not offer provider resources. MEDICAL FITNESS NETWORK

Specializing in advertising and marketing for the health club industry, Gym Marketers will work as a full service agency skilled in digital advertising, SEO, website development, video production, direct mail, social media and media planning.

“We have had success in the health and fitness industry for years and made the decision to launch Gym Marketers to help us target new clubs around the country” said General Manager, Kayla Frank. “We’ve recognized a need for the one-stop shop in the industry, and will bring our successful advertising and digital strategies, and 24 years of experience as an agency to gyms and health clubs.”

Gym Marketers understands that every health club has a different market, a different audience, and a different voice. Its signature product, the More Members Media Mix™ analyzes these different factors to create a customized media balance for that particular health club. The end goal behind every strategy is to get more members through the door.  The benefit of this agency is its vast array of specialties. Instead of hiring one firm for digital, another for direct mail, and a third for search engine optimization, Gym Marketers offers the convenience of a full service agency, and can take over all modern day digital and advertising initiatives.

“We are providing a streamlined service and communication channel for the health club owner, while maintaining brand consistency across all mediums,” said Jim Burke, CEO of Gym Marketers. “Our presence at IHRSA was a huge success with a very positive response. We are very bullish on the growth of Gym Marketers in this industry.”

Information about Gym Marketers and its services can be found online at GymMarketers.com.

About Burke Advertising

Established in 1994, Burke Advertising provides organizations with a full array of communication services including: media planning, search engine optimization, digital marketing, social media, video production, traditional advertising, direct mail, web design, public relations, graphic design and print services. A sample of Burke Advertising’s current clients include: Banks Automotive, Rivier University, Proctor Ski of Nashua, Unitil, Cold Springs RV, Spooky World, and Laars Heating Systems. Learn more at www.burkeadvertising.com.