March 2020—It’s said that the true measure of a partner is how they show up during testing times. How they help you to emerge from tough situations stronger than ever.

As a partner to your club, we love to celebrate your every success, but it’s equally important to be by your side during challenging periods, working together to forge a way forward.

There’s no doubt our industry will be tested as countries scramble to contain coronavirus. Already, we’ve seen numerous media articles questioning whether it’s safe for people to still attend gyms. This may lead to reduced visits to clubs in the short-term, and an impact on membership numbers.

But the fact remains that exercise is the cornerstone of a healthy immune system and the fitness industry has a major role to play in helping to keep people fighting fit.

Science has proven countless times that our product is a miracle cure. Physical activity is one of the best ways to boost your immune system, and that means, now more than ever, members need our support to stay fit.

Whether that’s through adding precautionary measures to keep our clubs safe for training in, or (where circumstances dictate) seeking alternatives ways to help members stay active, there’s a huge role for us all to play in keeping people healthy during these trying times. And this is where we want to help you.

Digital Solutions

As a partner to clubs in 110 countries, Les Mills is working closely with our teams on the ground to develop tailored solutions for the needs of clubs and Instructors in each market.

In heavily-affected markets where members are staying away from their club, this includes providing free digital solutions so that clubs can continue to support their members’ exercise needs by giving them special access to LES MILLS On Demand content via a dedicated platform.

This platform is free to use and will not collect any data from users. It has 102 workout options across 8 categories (in English language) that are ready to play today. The workouts will remain open and available as long as coronavirus continues to cause disruption in each market.

Thousands of our club partners are already tapping into these solutions to support their members through the coronavirus outbreak. If your club has been impacted and you’d like help, please get in touch with your local Les Mills contact and they’ll be happy to take you through the free solutions on offer to support your business.

These digital solutions have been designed to help reiterate to your members how much you care about their health and wellness, even when they may not be able to make it into your club. There is also coronavirus-related fitness content to share with your members, such as this Fit Planet piece on why exercise is still one of the best medicines.

Regular exercise—as part of a healthy lifestyle—really is one of the surest ways to avoid disease, and the action our industry takes over the coming months to support the health of members and non-members alike has the potential to define our future.

With health and fitness on course to become a top-tier priority for people of all ages, the response of our industry over the next few months could well set the trajectory for our future growth.

By standing shoulder-to-shoulder and working through the challenges ahead, our industry will emerge as a stronger and more vital cog in society than ever before.

Clive Ormerod – CEO of Les Mills International