The Power of Community: Fostering Healthier Lives Together

If you look to any of the five Blue Zones around the world — communities from Japan to Greece where residents live healthier, longer lives into their 90s and 100s — you’ll find some common themes. They eat a lot of plants, they have a slower pace of life, they spend time outdoors—but one of the biggest hints to their vitality and longevity is the emphasis on social connectivity.

In Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Nikoya, Costa Rica; Loma Linda, CA; and Okinawa, Japan, communities are connected — socialization is a cornerstone of everyday life. Between church gatherings in California and asseggiata neighborhood walks on the Italian coast, human connection takes center stage, and the benefits are significant.

Harvard has reported on this in the past too. In their 80+ year study, the key takeaway was that “Good genes are nice, but joy is better,” and that “An active social life may help you live longer.”

“People with strong social connections may live longer and healthier lives, according to numerous studies,” says Harvard’s School of Public Health.

Earlier this year, Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, said, “At first, we didn’t believe it; we were wondering how this could be possible,” adding that the concept of relationship quality determining likelihood of “coronary artery disease or Type 2 diabetes or arthritis,” seemed preposterous. But “Other research groups began to find the same thing. Now it is a very robust finding. It’s very well established that interpersonal connectedness, and the quality of those connections, really impact health, as well as happiness.”

But 330 million adults globally go up to two weeks “without talking to a single family member or friend,” reports Gallup. And all this individualism isn’t serving our health.

Social Connection and Fitness

Fitness trends are already heading in the right direction:81% of Gen Z (the ones who currently exercise) take part in group workouts— perhaps the antidote to the loneliness epidemic we’re facing. “Small group training” is trending upward globally, including in Europe. A 200 person case study also found that the most attractive feature of a gym is that it is “friendly and welcoming,” indicating the influence of social interaction on the decision to work out.

As the Washington Post pointed out, “In 2023, people appear to be making up for exercise isolation by returning to the gym in larger numbers than before the pandemic.” According to a recent report, 2022 was tough for digital fitness apps, who registered their worst quarter of adoption since Q1 2020 (there’s still growth potential in this sector but that’s another topic).

Digital connection will continue to be important, though. In fact, before quarantine was over, many turned to fitness as a means of fostering this connection they craved from in-studio and in-gym workouts. The Peloton boom was largely due to the ability to virtually connect with others in real time during a workout. A 2021 study reported that “During isolation, sharing physical activity experiences was positively associated with social connectedness.” The takeaway here is that even when it’s digital, many of us are craving connection through fitness.

Another study found that imbuing fitness with a social component can have positive effects on the workout itself. “Social factors were associated with greater subjective enjoyment and energy. Higher subjective energy, in turn, was associated with faster run times, without any corresponding increase in perceived effort.”

Social opportunities may also influence how often people exercise. A 2022 study found that “Complete absence of social or peer influences resulted in long-term dominance of sedentary behavior and a decline of physically active populations.”

How Can Clubs Leverage Connection?

Fostering community isn’t necessarily entirely up to us as club owners and trainers. As Jennifer Beaton from The Olympic Club says, “Members build the community, not management.”

“What we can do is create an environment that cultivates natural relationships based on shared interests and experiences,” says Beaton. “Create an atmosphere and programming that promotes members engaging with each other. Help facilitate members ability to pursue their passions with like minded individuals and also engage with their community outside their club, be it through things like competition or philanthropy. Team competition naturally builds loyalty and support of the brand and bonds groups who play or compete together. Giving members the ability to build their own member club within a club is also a great way for members to organically socialize and build community.”

Tiffany Hamlin, Senior Director of Global Fitness & Technology at World Gym, comments,"Fostering a strong sense of community is at the heart of our operations. This area of focus has been ingrained into our culture since World Gym’s inception, when our company’s founder would walk the gym floor every day and greet each member by their name. At World Gym, we don’t want our members to simply 'attend' – we want them to feel and know that they belong here." She adds, "We build connections and relationships early by introducing new members to key staff and other members that share the same interests who will help them integrate comfortably into our gym."

Ani Oksayan, VP of Fitness at Chuze Fitness points out that because gym-goers are now “significantly more community-minded,” clubs must follow suit — and echoes what Hamlin and Beaton say about creating the right environment. “At Chuze Fitness, we acknowledge that a large part of giving members a sense of belonging, camaraderie and representation is fostered by being an intrinsically community-minded organization,” adds Oksayan. “We know that community needs are not 'one-size-fits-all' and can vary from city to city and state to state, [but] the foundation of building community is engaging the membership base; whether it is through detailed surveys, ambassador-type employees engaging members in conversation or the casual, organic connections made throughout the front desks and gym floors, we know that we can't hear our members if we're not asking and listening.”

Another suggestion from Oksayan? Go beyond fitness. “Unique events honoring community needs, like local holiday toy drives or school backpack giveaways in underserved communities,” were some incredible, out-of-the-box suggestions that go a step further than training and wellness. Additionally, “9/11 Tributes and Memorial Day Murph Workouts, meaningful events around Black History Month, Pride and Hispanic Heritage Month commemorations, community pet adoptions,” Oksayan says, can “Bolster mental and physical health” while also bringing a community together.

Through these lenses, with this information, social interaction and fitness are inextricably linked. While COVID may have changed the trajectory for how this connectedness takes place, the end result is the same — humans are finding ways to work out together. And through this social fitness, we’re on track to live healthier, happier, longer lives.

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Industry Happenings:

Upcoming Events:

1. Pilates Empowerment Summit, September 14-17, 2023, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Save $50 with code InspirePES50
2. Sibec EMEA, September 26-29, 2023, Sorrento, Italy
3. Midwest MANIA®, September 29 - October 1, 2023, Rosemont, Illinois
4. Sibec 2023, October 16-19, 2023, Dallas, Texas
5. IHRSA European Congress, October 17-19, 2023, Lisbon, Portugal
6. NASM Master Trainer Summit, October 28-29, 2023, Virtual
7. International Council on Active Aging Conference and Expo, October 31-November 2, 2023, Anaheim, California

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Upcoming Workshops:

1. Peak Pilates: 20+ workshops in September
2. Spinning®: 15+ workshops in September
3. FMT: 8 workshops in September
4. Mike Boyle's CFSC: 5 workshops in September
5. TRX®: 5 workshops in September
6. Oxygen Advantage: 4 workshops in September
7. SoulBody Fitness: 3 workshops in September
8. Gray Institute: 4 workshops in October

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Industry News:

• The John W. Brick Foundation is hosting the Move Your Mental Health Event October 1st through October 10th
• Hyperice partnered with Pro Pickleball Association and became its Official Recovery Technology Partner
• Adidas and Les Mills announced their new training offering built for next gen fitness fans
• Research from Mount Sinai found that the "fat burning zones" on many commercial exercise machines are not accurate
• Peloton launched a new college strategy, partnering with colleges, universities, athletes, and student platforms to bring the brand's workouts to campuses
• Crunch Fitness became the first gym to enable Amazon One palm-based entry for its members
• FlexIt was ranked the fastest-growing digital fitness and wellness service by Inc. Magazine

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for Reading!

This newsletter was brought to you by Kathie Davis, Peter Davis, Ravi Sharma, Dominique Astorino, and the Inspire360 team.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Note from Peter & Kathie

The industry is changing rapidly and we are here to help you sift through all the noise and get to the good stuff. Every month, we'll bring you trending topics and the inside scoop that we believe is paramount for fitness professionals to know.

‍

Keep Inspiring,

Peter & Kathie Davis

‍

Want to get this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up to receive the Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter here.

Mental Health Issues are on the Rise: How the Fitness Industry Can Help

Despite the subject becoming less taboo and the cultural conversation becoming more mainstream, mental health challenges are still on the rise. In May, the Surgeon General Advisory declared that there is an “Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation in the United States,” citing that the physical health consequences of poor or insufficient connection include a 29% increased risk of heart disease, a 32% increased risk of stroke, and a 50% increased risk of developing dementia for older adults.

Mental Health, by the Numbers

CDC data indicates that more than 1 in 5 Americans face some kind of mental illness and almost 800 million people suffer from mental health disorders worldwide. And that’s a snapshot of a current moment in time, not accounting for those who’ve yet to experience a circumstantial or acute mental health struggle. It’s been reported that almost 50% of Americans will experience an episode of mental illness in their lives.

Over 42.5 million individuals struggle with anxiety disorders alone — the highest reported mental health issue in the US. Second up is depression with 17.5 million diagnosed in the US and a staggering 322 million people worldwide. Noteworthy: women experience depression at roughly twice the rate of men.

60% of those struggling get no treatment. This is true globally but particularly in the US. In 2019, an estimated 47.6 million adults (nearly 20% of our country — in line with the 1 in 5 statistics) had a mental illness, but only 43% received any kind of mental health care.

The lack of care can result in perhaps the most grim statistic of all: More than 40,000 Americans die annually from suicide.

The Relationship Between Fitness and the Brain

The importance of mental wellbeing has turned many people — perhaps some who would not otherwise be inclined — onto the idea of exercise for the mind and spirit. Even individuals who don’t necessarily enjoy physical fitness (or have physical goals like weight loss) have thrown themselves into yoga, Pilates, running, cycling, boxing, bootcamp, weight lifting and more — all with the goal of improving their mental health and boosting their mood.

In fact, this particular goal has even outpaced all others: mental health has superseded weight loss, with 78% of exercisers considering mental and emotional wellbeing as their top motivation for working out, according to a Mintel study released early in 2022.

The general public is onto something. In fact, according to the John W Brick Foundation’s report, 89% of peer-reviewed research found a positive, statistically significant relationship between exercise/physical activity and mental health. Further, a study just published by the University of South Australia found that “physical exercise may be 1.5 times more effective than traditional counseling or pharmaceutical intervention.”

What Our Industry Can Do

Given the pivotal, crucial role fitness plays in mental health, we should feel an obligation. To quote Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Clients and members are already looking toward us for answers, for help — According to the personal training app Future, 94% of members talk to their coach about nutrition, stress, sleep, and injuries.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re all equipped to tackle such a heady, personal issue for these individuals. For the most part, we’re coaches, not clinical psychologists or licensed therapists. So how do we, as trainers and clubs, provide the support necessary?

Stay Within Scope

There are 4 key areas we’re typically involved in that have a substantial impact on someone’s mental wellbeing: exercise, nutrition, mindfulness practices, and social connection. These are things we can help with! Combine this with an awareness that many, if not most, of our clients are dealing with mental health/wellbeing issues, and it’s a good start.

Do a Thorough Intake

The moment a new client comes into your facility, be sure to include emotional and mental queries in your intake. And the more you learn about these different conditions (and the human experience of each), the better your intake questions will be.

Ravi Sharma, VP at Inspire360, asked the LinkedIn community about what they do when new clients come in. “I think it's super appropriate to standardize mental health questions in your intake, just like physical health questions,” says Milica McDowell, PT, MSPT, DPT, C-EP at Physitrack. “We also ask for preferred pronouns, and other questions to create open lines of communication for our clients.” To Milica’s point, this first point of contact sets a precedent for future open conversations.

This type of inquiry and conversation starter can extend into many facets of your business beyond the intake, as suggested by Richard Earney at Midtown Athletic Clubs in Chicago. “The benefits of movement, wellbeing, and community on mental [and] emotional health need to be embraced through the organization, starting with the employees (especially leaders in the organization), then woven into the DNA of your offering, from marketing voice and tone to the education, training of sales, coaches, etc. to the sales process, onboarding, programming and events,” he says. “Midtown has leaned into this with sales, onboarding, and the coaching program 'Launch,' which is designed to break down barriers, open up dialogue and get to the heart of the 'why' someone has [when they] come through the doors. It starts by asking the right questions!”

Jason Stella from Life Time in Chandler, Arizona adds that even though you ask these questions, the answers may not come out right away commenting that “many people are not going to admit that [their mental health] is a priority when talking to another person or a trainer they just meet,” he says. “Therefore, assessing in a live training setting may be difficult until you build trust and a relationship over time.” Be patient, and keep checking in on your client community.

A Path Toward Mental and Emotional Strength

The historic lack of resources and support for mental health conditions has cost us all dearly, from the suffering itself to its impact on the economy (serious mental illness costs the country more than $190 billion in lost earnings every year), to the ripple effect it has on crime, houselessness, addiction and more.

We know the fitness and wellness industry, as a collective, has the ability to have a revolutionary impact on the mental health of individuals on a global scale. It’s not an overstatement to say that physical fitness can change and save lives. The first step toward healing through fitness is happening right now: with all of us reading about it and talking about it. Pass this on to your teams, your colleagues and your peers. Start a conversation about mental health. Start asking your clients how they’re doing. These seemingly small steps can feel monumental and can set a course-altering change in motion.

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Industry Happenings:

Upcoming Events:

1. canfitpro, August 16-20, 2023, Toronto, Canada
2. Perform Better 3-Day Functional Training Summit, August 25-27, 2023, Providence, Rhode Island
3. Dallas MANIA Fitness Pro Convention and Health & Fitness Business Summit, August 25-27, 2023, Dallas, Texas
4. Disruption Road Tour, August 31, 2023, Edmonds, Washington
5. World Spinning® Experience, September 7-10, 2023, Miami, Florida. Save $50 with code InspireWSX50
6. Pilates Empowerment Summit, September 14-17, 2023, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Save $50 with code InspirePES50
7. Sibec EMEA, September 26-29, 2023, Sorrento, Italy
8. Midwest MANIA®, September 29 - October 1, 2023, Rosemont, Illinois

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Upcoming Workshops:

1. Peak Pilates: 20+ workshops in August
2. Spinning®: 10+ workshops in August
3. TRX®: 5+ workshops in August
4. Mike Boyle's CFSC: 2 workshops in August
5. UJam: 2 workshops in August
6. Gray Institute: 1 workshop in August
7. FMT: 8 workshops in September
8. SoulBody Fitness: 5 workshops in September
9. Strive Life: 1 workshop in September

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Industry News:

• A study published this month in JAMA Psychiatry found that exercise apps can reduce depressive symptoms in healthcare workers
• ISSA launched a new division, ISSA Yoga & Wellness Academy, and debuted its Yoga 200 Online Teacher Training Program
• Therabody launched their newest innovation, RecoveryTherm Cube a compact, reusable device that delivers instant cold, heat and contrast therapies
• LifeTime Miami at The Falls debuted its one-of-a-kind experience complete with a 3 story athletic club and connected beach club
• Nautilus, Inc. relaunched the BowFlex® brand identity, which is now centered on feeling good every time you move

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for Reading!

‍

This newsletter was brought to you by Kathie Davis, Peter Davis, Ravi Sharma, Dominique Astorino, and the Inspire360 team.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Note from Peter & Kathie

The industry is changing rapidly and we are here to help you sift through all the noise and get to the good stuff. Every month, we'll bring you trending topics and the inside scoop that we believe is paramount for fitness professionals to know.

‍

Keep Inspiring,

Peter & Kathie Davis

‍

Want to get this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up to receive the Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter here.

Women Leading the Way: The Power of Female Fitness Trends

Women are the driving force behind many fitness trends and facets that shape our business today. A recent UK study found that 78.4% of the respondents who attended group exercise classes were women. And women's-only gyms are trending on TikTok with 48.7 million views and counting. Women are passionate about their health and the industry is taking notice.

Historically, women haven't always been readily included in fitness and sports. Women first entered the Olympic games in 1900 (in Paris, ironically, where next summer’s games will be held!). And women weren’t allowed to enter a marathon race until 1972. Title IX was introduced shortly thereafter. Sports bras didn’t exist until 1977!

Fortunately, in 2023 the pendulum has swung in favor of the female demographic. Female fitness is booming and this is just the start.

A Look at Women’s Fitness Today

Niche studio concepts have been designed with women in mind. Think barre, Pilates, yoga dance. Though genderless activities, it’s undeniable that these spaces tend to have a female-leaning design (both aesthetically and conceptually), and tend to be more inclusive.

Remember when SoulCycle had Jonathan Adler grapefruit candles in every studio, so it smelled like a luxurious day spa? Even the term boutique itself is reminiscent of fashion and shopping, historically seen as a feminine hobby or activity.

And though it’s certainly true that femininity can’t be boiled down to shopping, dance, and scented candles, the intentions behind these business choices are fairly obvious and proven effective through the resulting demographics. For instance, 70-percent of SoulCycle’s audience is female, and one report in Australia even showed that 90-percent of Pilates participants were female.

Anyone can participate in a reformer Pilates class, but some brands and businesses want to deliver female-specific offerings. This type of programming is deliberately and exclusively designed for women’s needs, like FIT4MOM: the San Diego-based brand “offers pre and postnatal health, wellness, and fitness programs for every stage of motherhood.”

FIT4MOM also hits the nail on the head when it comes to a central theme for women’s fitness: camaraderie and community. While these are universally valuable, there’s an undeniable link here for women. A Brazilian study reported that “in general, women have larger and more varied social networks with more friends and more social support than men.”

Does this one finding equate to a comprehensive truth? Of course not. But it certainly could be tapping into something when it comes to group fitness and studio/health club dynamics.

This concept could translate to fitness via the social, community-centric facets of boutique studios and female-led programming. The desire for companionship and community is matched by the desire for physical activity and both can be delivered through the right health club or program.

Women's Fitness By the Numbers

According to the IHRSA Global Report last year, women comprise the majority share of gym memberships in most regions, making up about 57% of gym-goers globally.

From 2010 to 2019, women’s memberships at health and fitness clubs increased by over 32%, compared to men’s 23.2. In that time period, revenue in the US health club industry increased by about 75%, jumping from 20.3 billion to 35.03 billion dollars. This makes sense, as women are the primary purchasers of many households and they spend more on wellness activities.

What’s Next for Women’s Fitness (and Women’s Health)

While women are instrumental in the fitness industry, research around women's health and fitness is seriously lacking.

“For far too long, women have been overlooked and underrepresented in crucial performance and medical research,” said Shannon Fable, Senior Director of Education and Digital Programming at Exos. “It's time to change the narrative and embrace the immense opportunities that lie within understanding their physiology.”

This is where some businesses are starting to close the gap — and Exos is an excellent example of that. “Exos is launching a new qualification called The Exos Women’s Performance Specialist (XWPS for short),” shares Fable. This program comprises four courses spanning a woman’s life stages from puberty all the way through (and beyond) menopause. “Our first installment is Optimizing Performance Through the Menstrual Cycle, [and] will be available in September, with the second course being delivered in October.”

“Put simply … [this type of program is] long overdue. Now is the perfect time to empower dedicated practitioners with the knowledge and tools to address the unique needs of women across their distinct life stages. By carefully considering the variables specific to women, we can unlock a wealth of untapped potential and create a more inclusive and effective approach to performance training.”

If you’d like to contribute to the advancement of women’s health and closing the gender gap, The Exos Female Physiology Questionnaire Study can be found here: https://pages.teamexos.com/female-physiology-questionnaire

Fable says that your insights will “play a crucial role in bridging the gap between men and women in the field of human performance.” And as an added incentive, your contribution will score you a 20-percent off discount at Vuori.

When Women Succeed, We All Succeed

Female fitness is driving revenue for the sector, boosting the economy, and most importantly, creating a healthier, happier society. And it’s just the beginning! With so much to be explored (hello, new women’s performance programming!), we’re on the precipice of something truly extraordinary.

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Industry Happenings:

Upcoming Events:

1. National Wellness Conference (NWC), July 19-21, 2023, Cincinnati, Ohio
2. Atlanta MANIA® Fitness Pro Convention, July 21-23, 2023, Atlanta, Georgia
3. The Fit Expo, August 5-6, 2023, Anaheim, California
4. canfitpro, August 16-20, 2023, Toronto, Canada
5. Dallas MANIA Fitness Pro Convention and Health & Fitness Business Summit, August 25-27,2023, Dallas, Texas
6. World Spinning® Experience, September 7-10, 2023, Miami, Florida. Save $50 with code InspireWSX50
7. Pilates Empowerment Summit, September 14-17, 2023, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Save $50 with code InspirePES50

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Upcoming Workshops:

1. Peak Pilates: 20+ workshops in July
2. Spinning®: 15+ workshops in July
3. TRX®: 4 workshops in July
4. Eleiko: 1 workshop in July
5. Mike Boyle's CFSC:1 workshop in July
6. Oxygen Advantage®: 1 workshop in July
7. UJam: 1 workshop in July

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Industry News:

• TRX Announced its Acquisition of Ybell®
• Apple Introduced Custom Workouts, Meditation Schedules, and Mental Health Features on Apple Fitness+ and the Apple Health App
• Les Mills Released a New Global Report on Gen Z Fitness Habits
• SoulCycle and FLOWN Join Forces to Boost Focus and Productivity for the Future of Work
• Self Esteem Brands (SEB) Launched Their New HIIT-Focused Brand "SUMHIIT Fitness" at FIT Summit
• Nike Announced "Nike Well Collective" in an Effort to Support Wellness Journeys for Everyone
• One of Europe’s Largest Gym Operators, PureGym, Announced Their New Fitness Competition Exclusively for Those Aged 50 & Above
• Gym U, a New Luxury Fitness Facility in NYC, Has Opened with Everything from Personalized IV Therapy Treatments to EMS Programs for Strength & Recovery To DJ Nights

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for Reading!

This newsletter was brought to you by Kathie Davis, Peter Davis, Ravi Sharma, Dominique Astorino, and the Inspire360 team.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Note from Peter & Kathie

The industry is changing rapidly and we are here to help you sift through all the noise and get to the good stuff. Every month, we'll bring you trending topics and the inside scoop that we believe is paramount for fitness professionals to know.

‍

Keep Inspiring,

Peter & Kathie Davis

‍

Want to get this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up to receive the Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter here.

The Future is Now: AI in the Fitness Industry

Both terrifying and exciting, artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer the science fiction lore of a Y2K Spielberg flick. It’s here, it’s now… and we don’t quite know what to do with it yet.

Just to be clear, AI has been around for a long time. It’s behind your Spotify playlist, email spam filter, and automatic windshield wipers. New AI tends to feel like magic when it’s introduced and then it’s just the way things work. But it feels different now.

AI is evolving quickly and now more than ever, we have the ability to use it as a supportive tool to provide a holistic and safe approach to our clients.

MEASUREMENT, ANALYSIS, PROGRAMMING

How are your clients doing with their current fitness and nutrition programs? Are they sleeping better? How’s their resting HR? What about their mood? Is the program you’ve laid out for them actually working?

AI-enabled wearable devices (think Fitbit, Apple Watch, Oura Ring) record and interpret comprehensive data about activities like heart rate, movement, sleep patterns and calorie expenditure. Trainers can leverage this information to gain insights into clients' habits (are they actually walking every day?) and adjust training plans accordingly. This leads to more informed decision-making and thus, better results. The client is happier and you’re happier. Everyone wins.

In the club, more companies are incorporating AI into machines to automatically adjust a session based on a user’s biometric responses. And some clubs are incorporating machines equipped with cameras and motion tracking to analyze an individual’s exercise form and performance in real time and to provide immediate feedback independent of a human-trainer. This can help clients optimize their workouts… and reduce the risk of injury!

Even human-trainer-based programming is getting an efficiency boost from AI. Sites like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard can shave hours per week from trainers’ prep time by providing a starting point for training plans. You’d never want to hand ChatGPT or Bard’s recommendations to a client! But with detailed, thoughtful prompts, these sites can provide solid outlines to validate and build from.

REAL WORLD EXAMPLES

How is this playing out in the real world in today’s gyms, homes and the fitness industry at large?

Consider something as simple as a suggestion algorithm. Fitness membership platform ClassPass utilizes AI to offer personalized recommendations to its users by analyzing user preferences, workout history, and other data points. While there can’t be an omniscient fitness coach and training buddy for every ClassPass member to recommend new gyms and classes, AI can step in.

Then there’s smart home gym equipment. Tonal, for instance, uses computer vision and machine learning to provide personalized workout guidance. AI algorithms are used to analyze user movements and provide real-time feedback on form. The workouts, in turn, are adjusted based on the user's progress and goals.

In the club, Munich-based EGYM has taken this a step further with their Fitness Hub, which tracks a user’s form, provides corrections and adjusts the exercise recommendations. GM Dana Milkie says, “It was a game changer because it reduced the member onboarding process from over 20 minutes to just 2 minutes.” According to Milkie, in late 2022, EGYM reported year-over-year growth of over 200% in North America and announced plans to more than double again in 2023.

Smart Fit Method studios use AI-driven personal training, including the CAROL bike, which dynamically optimizes resistance. Similarly, Life Fitness manufactures machines with AI incorporated to collect and analyze data from cardio and strength training machines. This data helps users track their progress, set goals and receive personalized workout plans based on their individual needs.

SUPPORT, NOT REPLACEMENT

These technologies should act as a support (not a replacement) to human training, allowing you to have a more meaningful, emotional connection with your client. AI taking some of the calculation off your plate allows you to spend more time fostering that human bond — something AI cannot replace — with an individual.

A client's motives, emotions, goals, hurdles, challenges… that’s not something a computer can necessarily glean (yet). The empathy and solidarity you provide won’t be replicated by a machine. And numbers are great, algorithms are exciting, but only a human trainer can assess a client’s physical and mental state holistically, considering factors like stress levels, sleep quality and overall well-being.

An ideal combination would merge the strengths of AI and human expertise to create a powerful synergy, resulting in the safest, most efficient outcomes for clients.

In response to VP of Inspire360, Ravi Sharma's, LinkedIn question asking “How do you see yourself or your health club using AI in the future?”, Uday A. of FitnessOnDemand in Minneapolis posed an excellent question: "I think we need to lead with 'why?'"

“Are you trying to generate more revenue? Improve member engagement? Scale your labor or solve labor issues? Build a vibrant community where the members add value? Provide support (technical and functional)?”

“AI will have applications in each of these roles and business in general,” he adds. “We are not yet in a place where you will find a single solution for all, but I know that there are companies out there working on each of the individual problems using AI. If you start your journey with point solutions to implement AI so you can claim to be using AI, the ROI will fail you.”

Thibault Gonnet at Cardio Plein Air in Montreal, Quebec, Canada points out that AI can function like a virtual assistant with assisted customer support, as well as through the use of the aforementioned “Predictive member analytics and data driven decision making.”

There are so many iterations of AI algorithms we’ve yet to meet, and boundless possibilities for how this type of tech could help support our industry, our clients, and the health of the population. Our take? Stay curious, get creative, and explore this new frontier! Don’t forget to share your story with us and let us know how AI is working for you and your own community.

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Industry Happenings:

Upcoming Events:

1. FIT Summit, June 12-15, 2023, Raffles City, Singapore
2. The Health and Well-Being Coaching Conference, June 16-18, 2023, San Diego, California
3. Perform Better 3-Day Functional Training Summit, June 30-July 2nd, Long Beach, California
4. Atlanta MANIA® Fitness Pro Convention, July 21-23, 2023, Atlanta, Georgia
5. National Wellness Conference (NWC), July 19-21, 2023, Cincinnati, Ohio

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Upcoming Workshops:

1. Peak Pilates: 20+ workshops in June
2. Spinning®: 9 workshops in June
3. Oxygen Advantage®: 6 workshops in June
4. TRX®: 2 workshops in June
5. SoulBody Fitness: 2 workshops in June
6. Mike Boyle's CFSC: 2 workshops in June
7. Gray Institute: 1 workshop in June

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Industry News:

• CrossFit partners with Spartan Race on co-branded training programs.
• Pinterest predicts that "Primal Movement" will be a big fitness trend this year.
• National Academy of Sports Medicine® partners with NPE® to launch new Business Blueprint™ Course.
• Peloton hits record low after recalling 2.2 million bikes.
• Deal signed for London’s first UFC Gym to open in 2023.
• Therabody named Barry's Official Recovery Partner.
• OHM Fitness to open 70 new locations across Texas Triangle.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for Reading!

This newsletter was brought to you by Kathie Davis, Peter Davis, Ravi Sharma, Dominique Astorino, and the Inspire360 team.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Note from Peter & Kathie

The industry is changing rapidly and we are here to help you sift through all the noise and get to the good stuff. Every month, we'll bring you trending topics and the inside scoop that we believe is paramount for fitness professionals to know.

‍

Keep Inspiring,

Peter & Kathie Davis

‍

Want to get this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up to receive the Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter here.

Fit for Life: How Fitness Professionals can Serve the Boomer Generation

Gen-X has wellness movements like Goop. Millennial-targeting boutique fitness brands like SoulCycle and Barry’s Bootcamp cater to the "wellness generation" … and even Gen-Z. So it can be easy for fitness professionals to overlook a significant population with specific needs: baby boomers.

And senior fitness is trending. “Fitness programs for older adults” is the number four worldwide fitness trend for 2023, according to the American College of Sports Medicine’s survey of more than 4,500 health and fitness professionals. In Australia, it’s the number one trend.

With 70 million boomers in the US alone, this demographic makes up 20 percent of the American population. As an aging population, mainstream fitness trends and offerings don’t necessarily target their needs, and they may not be as accessible to these individuals as they are to younger folks.

Insider reports that “boomers have above-average incomes [...] a greater share of household wealth, Social Security allowances, an unmatched level of mortgage-free homeownership, and a detachment from a rocky job market — with many of them retired.”

What this means for you: it’s an affluent population with the ability to invest in their health, particularly as they come face-to-face with more significant age-related health changes.

Now that they’re between 60 and 80 years old, their focus on fitness has evolved. Goals surrounding mobility and longevity may be at the forefront, while bone density, waning strength, injury risk, and stamina challenges all need to be taken into consideration when programming for these individuals. Gentler activities like tai chi, yoga, and aquatic fitness could take center stage. There could also be an emphasis on social fitness, as loneliness could become more prominent a health risk in and of itself — especially post-retirement, without the socialization from office hours.

There are tens of millions of potential clients in this demographic, and they have specific needs, which require specialized support. This is an area in which trainers and clubs can stand out — via staff, programming, and club design.

Club + Membership Design

Catering to this market includes the physical design of the club, as well as the business design and membership offerings. Keeping accessibility in mind is always important (architecturally speaking), but you could also find that recovery zones (which we talked about last month) may continue to rise in popularity while also providing space for the baby boomer group to focus on healthy performance and injury prevention.

Looking at boomer-dense communities in Arizona and Florida, we can see examples of fitness and wellness trends focused on better serving this group, even when it comes to membership offerings. “Hybrid gym memberships” have been on the rise, according to the Palm Beach Post (a community with a high density of baby boomers). This format offers a mix of in-person and virtual, at-home experiences. Seniors may be coming to their health club a few days a week, and walking or hiking outside the rest of the days, or perhaps using home equipment they purchased during the pandemic.

Speaking of memberships, certain gyms are exclusively available to this older crowd. 55 Fitness is a club in Alpharetta, GA (set to open half a dozen new clubs in the southeast US and Scottsdale, AZ) which has been entirely optimized for clients 55-and-up, in order to create a “truly un-intimidating environment surrounded by a supportive community of peers.”

We can also look to Scottsdale (whose population is 35 percent baby boomer) to see some less obvious (but very telling) trends. This area recently saw the opening of a Life Time club known as a “Luxury Athletic Country Club.” Far from a run-of-the-mill gym, it’s clear they’re targeting a more affluent (possibly aging) population with the “50,000-square-foot health and wellness retreat,” which incorporates pools and aquatic fitness areas, outdoor recreation spaces, and social hubs (like cafés and lounges), which may create a more inviting environment for the senior clientele.

You don’t have to completely renovate your club to better cater to older adults, but there are some tweaks you can consider to make it friendlier to their needs. In response to Inspire360's VP of Partnerships, Ravi Sharma's, LinkedIn question about baby boomers, Marvin Burton, International CX & Training Specialist at Life Fitness in the UK suggests a “displayed plan” of the gym layout to help navigation, larger displays on equipment (making them easier and safer to use), and numbers on machines.

Programming

With a fitness emphasis on personal training (and “highly personalized sessions”), in addition to low-impact classes like barre, cycling, Pilates, and yoga, Scottsdale’s Life Time is a leading example of how low-impact, personalized fitness can better serve an aging demographic (who’s willing to pay top dollar for it).

Consider the classes available at your club — do they have an aging population in mind? Do they take their needs and challenges into account?

Perhaps the addition of senior-specific programming is called for. Recovery and mobility ‘classes’ and offerings can serve any population, but when designed for this particular group, could help emphasize balance and fall prevention. “Active aging programs and group classes” have been successful, Burton says.

Jason Stella at Life Time in Chandler, AZ, has had “amazing” results by bringing a four-step program to active aging members: “1. Power Plate, 2. Isometric exercise (not holding breath), 3. 3D Movements (Gary Gray 3D Maps), 4. 3D Movements with ViPR Pro.”

California’s Bay Club delivers a unique combination of health club, country club, and community programming to cater to several groups, from which seniors in particular could benefit. Pickleball “challenge clinics” offer beginner-friendly training, socialization, and a fun-centered approach to movement that touches on many of the needs of a senior individual. And some of their clubs even have a senior membership tier.

Burton adds that programming in “community groups, meetups, committees, club champions, [and] engagement events away from the gym,” can foster this sense of social connection. Beyond the walls of the gym, you can keep the connection alive with digital communications, he posits, like “Newsletters, recipes of the week, and coaching tip video links,” as well as “Reward incentives such as gym-currency for participants or contributing to the gym community. This can be redeemed on drinks or services.”

Mindfulness is another area in which health clubs can better serve this group. Because baby boomers were raised with cultural stigmas attached to mental health, they tend to have a more skeptical view when it comes to therapy than Millennials and Gen-Z (one study found that only 8% of boomers would be willing to see a therapist). Offering meditation and mindfulness programming at a health club can provide necessary mental and emotional support in a format that might feel more approachable for some.

Staff

There are several available credentials that clubs can offer their existing trainers (or clubs can look to hire staff who have been specializing in aging populations already), like NASM-SFS, ISSA senior fitness instructor credential, or ACE’s senior fitness specialist program.

Specialized staff can help older adults overcome their reluctance to exercise (in addition to other fears, like injury risk), thus lowering the barrier to entry for a significant portion of the population.

Even if you don’t yet have a senior specialty, there are ways you can train your staff or tailor your training to better connect with these clients. “I've always found it to be particularly useful to clearly define how the exercises we were going to do would directly impact day to day life,” says Clifton Harski, pain-free performance specialist from the greater Saint Louis area. He gives clients examples of exercises like box squats, which translate to getting in and out of a chair in day-to-day life… Or low step-downs for taking the stairs, or deadlifts for carrying an item safely.

“Too often we fail to explain how what we're doing will positively impact our clients lives and goals, expecting them to make the connection when they just don't,” he adds. “For seniors, they tend to have been in contact with old school medical establishments and unfortunately seem to have fear that they'll get hurt in exercise, instead of exercise increasing their abilities in life!”

Consider adding or assigning a “customer success manager who frequently contacts members, takes feedback, offers support,” suggests Burton. This can go well beyond the baby boomer group. But for those in this older category, “Recurring coaching appointments to review goals are needed every 30 days,” he says, “Along with a more detailed onboarding journey for this age range.” He also suggests creating a defined time period each day, with a set meeting location, “where a coach is able to assist with setting up equipment, giving advice, available for assistance specifically for older members.” This time slot can be after the young-professional morning rush hour and before lunchtime.

You needn’t overthink these suggestions; so many of these strategies can be implemented simply, without overhauling your club’s entire approach (or physical layout). Through the mindful curation of programming, a few adjustments to membership design and club layout, and some potential additions to staff’s credentialed expertise, you can revolutionize the way you approach a significant market… thus providing the service of health, support, and even happiness to millions of individuals entering the latter chapter of their lives.

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Industry Happenings:

Upcoming Events:

1. Certification Smash, May 19-21, 2023, Live Streaming Online
2. FIT Summit, June 12-15, 2023, Raffles City, Singapore
3. The Health and Well-Being Coaching Conference, June 16-18, 2023, San Diego, California
4. Perform Better 3-Day Functional Training Summit, June 30-July 2nd, Long Beach, California

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Upcoming Workshops:

1. Peak Pilates®: 20+ workshops in May
2. Spinning®: 14 workshops in May
3. TRX®: 9 workshops in May
4. Oxygen Advantage®: 4 workshops in May

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Industry News:

• A documentary and narrative film about fitness pioneer, Jack LaLanne, is in the works in partnership with Mark Wahlberg’s Unrealistic Ideas company and Elaine LaLanne.
• The 27 appointees for the President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition were announced by the White House.
• Deepak Chopra's venture incubator, ChopraX, plans to back companies in the health, longevity, fitness, and education industries, starting with its first investment expected to close in June.
• Merrithew announced the release of 8 new Merrithew Music albums designed to complement one of its most popular fitness programs, Total Barre.

• Life Time memberships are up nearly 40,000 in the first quarter.
• Technogym will equip 29 training centers for the athletes to train prior to and during the Olympic Games.
• ABC Fitness announced their partnership with Les Mills to offer on-demand workouts via ABC IGNITE and ABC TRAINERIZE

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Thanks for Reading!

This newsletter was brought to you by Kathie Davis, Peter Davis, Ravi Sharma, Dominique Astorino, and the Inspire360 team.

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A Note from Peter & Kathie

The industry is changing rapidly and we are here to help you sift through all the noise and get to the good stuff. Every month, we'll bring you trending topics and the inside scoop that we believe is paramount for fitness professionals to know.

‍

Keep Inspiring,

Peter & Kathie Davis

‍

Want to get this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up to receive the Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter here.

Recovery 2.0: Work Hard, Recover Harder

2023’s version of “work hard, play hard,” might very well be “work hard, recover harder.”

The business of recovery is booming — what was once an afterthought (strictly for serious athletes) is now centerstage in the mainstream fitness world.

Ice baths were once for marathon runners and Olympians, now celebrities are installing dedicated cold plunge pools in their homes. In 2020, Hyperice was valued at $700M and infrared sauna sales are expected to grow by $150M in just a few years.

In other words, recovery is seriously popular right now. And fortunately, this trend is a healthy one. You also don’t have to be a celebrity (or ultra wealthy) to take part in it.

We’re seeing recovery take precedence in health clubs and gyms across the country — and close to home in the San Diego area, where Inspire360 is headquartered. One local example is at the Smart Fit Method, where they’ve interwoven high-tech recovery into their AI-driven, personal-trainer-guided fitness program. State of the art machines like the BioCharger, PEMF tables, and cooling beds complement the different routines outlined in their thrice-weekly programming.

“The recovery is just as important as the workout,” says co-founder of the Smart Fit Method, Connor Darnbrough. The BioCharger, for instance, “at The Smart Fit Method, is also known as the ‘campfire’ by our members; it’s been a huge addition to our facility for multiple reasons.” Using a combination of “Light, Voltage, Frequencies & Harmonics, and Pulsed Electro-Magnetic Fields (PEMFs),” the BioCharger is purported to mimic the effects of “being in nature” for our nervous system. Darnbrough says you can get the equivalent of four hours of those natural effects, with “as little as 15 minutes” sitting near the BioCharger.

In response to Ravi Sharma’s LinkedIn question about recovery in clubs, Greg Maurer, Vice President of Fitness and Education at Workout Anytime Franchising Systems, LLC in Atlanta shared his company’s current major initiative: partnering with cream of the crop recovery brands. “Hydromassage, Beauty Angel (redlight/whole body vibration from JK North America), sauna, infrared sauna, Human Touch massage chairs, Theraguns and Therabody rollers, Styku body scanner, and Myzone and Digital Coaching Platform,” he says, “are launching at our conference.” Quite a lineup!

Beginning this month, Brick Bodies is launching what they call “a Recover Lounge” at the Timonium, MD location. They tell us their “spa-inspired Recover Lounge will feature private infrared sauna suites with vitamin C-infused showers and lavender-infused cold towels, CryoLounge chairs with customizable hot and cold zones, and Therabody leg compression with Therasound Zero-Gravity Loungers and Therabody SmartGoggles — which both utilize sound and vibration therapy.” Sounds like heaven.

In addition to creating specific recovery areas and adding equipment, some clubs are adding guided recovery into their programming. SoulBody is continuing their expansion in the mind body space with the addition of a “group exercise” style recovery class, called Restore. Gentle, yin-style yoga flows and dynamic stretching combine to improve mobility, release fascial tension, and help the body sink into the parasympathetic state.

There are also standalone studio concepts, like StretchLab, in addition to other dedicated recovery centers beginning to sprout up nationwide. Livkraft Performance Wellness in La Jolla markets “luxury self care” at their studio comprising cryotherapy, infrared saunas, float tanks, normatec boot bars, red light therapy and PEMF, facials, massage, and IV treatment.

But among these myriad choices — all of which have a different purpose and goal — Victor Verhage in Alabama raises an important point: recovery should be as personalized and specific as exercise and nutrition. “I use Morpheus Labs, Inc. HRV test and Polar Electro Oy Orthostatic test.”

If you don't test ahead of time, Verhage says, then it becomes guesswork: which modality, what intensity, what frequency, what duration? And without testing (and a starting metric), it could be difficult to monitor and track progress and efficacy. Is the treatment working? Is it achieving the desired outcome? How do we know?

This is an area of opportunity for coaches, trainers, and health club owners: in addition to adding recovery opportunities to your offerings, we’re also going to see fitness professionals and clubs start to provide recovery tracking and ensure that each treatment is an effective use of a client’s time (and money). Consider providing insights, whenever possible, to show how these methods and modalities are positively impacting your client’s health and wellbeing, beyond the obvious: it’s always a good thing to take time to decompress, rest, and heal.

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Industry Happenings:

Upcoming Events:

1. FIBO Global Fitness, April 13-16, 2023, Cologne, Germany
2. FITNESSFEST 2023 Conference & Expo, April 14th-16th, Phoenix, AZ
3. Florida MANIA®, April 14-16, 2023
4. SIBEC Americas, May 7-10, 2023, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
5. FIT Summit, June 12-15, 2023, Raffles City, Singapore

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Upcoming Workshops:

1. Peak Pilates®: 20+ workshops in April
2. Spinning®: 15+ workshops in April
3. TRX®: 11 workshops in April
4. Oxygen Advantage®: 7 workshops in April
5. SoulBody Fitness: 4 workshops in April
6. BlazePod®: 3 workshops in April
7. Mike Boyle's CFSC: 2 workshops in April
8. Gray Institute: 1 workshop in April
9. Strive Life: 1 workshop in April

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Industry News:

• Exos released its new “Readiness Culture Code”, a blueprint to reimagine modern workplace culture and performance.
• Beachbody rebranded to BODi on its mission to build the “Health Esteem” category.
• Mark Wahlberg has taken on a larger role at F45 Training as chief brand officer.
• WHOOP, the human performance company, announced the addition of its Stress Monitor feature and breathwork protocols, created in partnership with Dr. Andrew Huberman.
• American Council on Exercise (ACE) is now an ISO accredited certification organization.
• For the first time in fifteen years, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released new treatment guidelines for children and adolescents with obesity.
• OutFit, an innovative mobile fitness service created by TRX’s Randy Hetrick, announced that it’s ready to franchise.
• Eleiko and Life Time teamed up to elevate strength training experiences.

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Thanks for Reading!

This newsletter was brought to you by Kathie Davis, Peter Davis, Ravi Sharma, Dominique Astorino, and the Inspire360 team.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Note from Peter & Kathie

The industry is changing rapidly and we are here to help you sift through all the noise and get to the good stuff. Every month, we'll bring you trending topics and the inside scoop that we believe is paramount for fitness professionals to know.

‍

Keep Inspiring,

Peter & Kathie Davis

‍

Want to get this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up to receive the Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter here.

Health Clubs Have Roared Back

The 2023 predictions and January statistics are in. “The fitness sector has roared back,” reports Bloomberg. “Right now, gyms can hope for a lasting commitment to healthy living rather than a post-holiday fitness fad", according to the author, Andrea Felsted.

Compared to January 2022, this year is already off to a stellar start. Gym visits were up roughly 32% for the first two weeks of January 2023, versus the same timeframe last year, according to the most recent data from Placer.ai. In sum: people are returning to clubs in a major way.

As an industry, we saw massive attrition during the pandemic and suffered losses on many levels. Concurrently, at-home workouts became all the rage — and there was concern that this would change the industry forever.

Now, we’re seeing Pelotons used as “clothing racks” and ​​being sold on the secondhand market. About three quarters (72%) of gym goers had already begun to return to their club by the end of 2022 (more than double the amount from late 2021!). These numbers are in line with a mid-pandemic survey run by Orangetheory and Kelton Global, which reported that 70% of fitness consumers were missing the gym. There’s just something irreplaceable about the in-person fitness experience. And after years of isolation and virtual life, the craving for real-world interaction beyond the home is strong.

If you were concerned about clients not returning to clubs, you can safely release that fear. Members are returning to clubs in droves. And if you see any attrition, consider they might be ‘ghosts,’ or “sleepers,” as Bloomberg reports — individuals with memberships who didn’t actually use the facilities they were paying for (meaning, those who are coming back to the gym are committed members).

If anything, the pandemic actually reminded everyone of the importance of protecting our health, which in turn, will protect the health and fitness industry in all facets. Research by PwC found that exercise was toward the bottom of the list of spending that consumers planned to cut. European gym David Lloyd (with 130 clubs across nine countries in the EU) found that 70% of people joining its clubs recently were doing so for mental health and wellbeing.

The world at large has discovered how integral physical fitness is to mental wellbeing — in-person fitness plays a significant role due to the added benefits of socialization and community.

In many of your own words, it comes down to community. In response to Ravi Sharma's LinkedIn question: “What have you seen as the motivating factor that is bringing people back to your facility?” Rich DeStasio, President of The Fitness Performance Group and Senior Director of Club Operations at YouFit Gyms, says members missed community connection and group programming options — something that is “extremely hard to replicate,” without going to a club.

Expanding on the concept of community, Hugh Hanley, Head of Personal Training at Puregym, adds “being around like minded people” as a major motivating factor. Comparing it to how we approach meal time, he says, “We have been eating in our houses for years but we go to restaurants for the experiences” — the same can be said for gyms and health clubs.

Additionally, Hanley echoes the statistics pointing to a renewed and strengthened focus on our health as a collective. “The [heightened] awareness on health and wellness brings in a new array of people who want to be part of a community and achieve a healthy life.”

Adrian Heffernan, VP Customer Experience at Les Mills US, agrees, positing that there’s "lots of insight to suggest that consumers are valuing their health and well-being now more than ever and prepared to spend money on it. This is great for our industry.”

“I think people missed the camaraderie, community, accountability and human interaction,” says Milica McDowell, PT, MSPT, DPT, C-EP. “There's always the potential for the unexpected when you are in person, and that's something you just can't get over Zoom.” Amen to that.

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Industry Happenings:

Upcoming Events:

1. ACSM's International Health & Fitness Summit, March 16-18, 2023, Arlington, VA
2. PerformX Live, March 17-18, 2023, Tobacco Dock, London
3. IHRSA 2023, March 20-22, 2023, San Diego, CA
4. California MANIA®, March 31- April 2, 2023, San Francisco, CA
5. FIBO Global Fitness, April 13-16, 2023, Cologne, Germany

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Upcoming Workshops:

1. Spinning®: 20+ workshops in March
2. Peak Pilates®: 20+ workshops in March
3. TRX®: 11 workshops in March
4. Oxygen Advantage®: 7 workshops in March
5. SoulBody Fitness: 3 workshops in March
6. E5 Collective: 1 workshop in March
7. Mike Boyle's CFSC: 1 workshop in March
8. RTBP: 1 workshop in March
9. U-Jam Fitness: 1 workshop in March

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Industry News:

• San Francisco ranked number 1 on the Mindbody + ClassPass Wellness Index's list of healthiest cities.
• The Community Gyms Coalition (CGC) launched its Fitness is Essential campaign.
• Les Mills just launched its newest program, Strength Development.
• Gympass adds Headspace to employee benefits.
• F45 gets $90 Million in new financing.
• movr Build, a technology to create personalized, evidence-based workouts, was announced.
• Crunch Fitness introduced Crunch+, a new platform to access on-demand and live-streamed workouts.

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Thanks for Reading!

This newsletter was brought to you by Kathie Davis, Peter Davis, Ravi Sharma, Dominique Astorino, and the Inspire360 team.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Note from Peter & Kathie

The industry is changing rapidly and we are here to help you sift through all the noise and get to the good stuff. Every month, we'll bring you trending topics and the inside scoop that we believe is paramount for fitness professionals to know.

‍

Keep Inspiring,

Peter & Kathie Davis

‍

Want to get this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up to receive the Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter here!

In the fast-paced world of online education, learning management platforms strive to provide comprehensive solutions that cater to the diverse needs of both educators and learners. Recognizing the growing demand for seamless e-commerce experiences, Inspire360, a leading learning management platform, has integrated BigCommerce, a powerful e-commerce platform. This integration empowers Inspire360 to offer robust online selling capabilities, enabling instructors to monetize their expertise and learners to conveniently access and purchase educational resources. In this blog post, we will explore how the integration of BigCommerce has transformed Inspire360, facilitating a seamless e-commerce experience within the platform.

Seamless Product Integration:

The integration of BigCommerce into Inspire360 allows for seamless product integration, ensuring a unified experience for both learners and instructors. Instructors can effortlessly showcase their educational offerings, including courses, e-books, study materials, and more, within the platform's e-commerce storefront. Through the integration, Inspire360 synchronizes product catalogs, inventory, and pricing information with BigCommerce, eliminating the need for manual updates and ensuring accurate and up-to-date product listings. This seamless integration streamlines the process of selling educational resources, making it easier for instructors to monetize their expertise and provide learners with a convenient purchasing experience.

Enhanced E-Commerce Functionality:

The integration of BigCommerce significantly enhances the e-commerce functionality of Inspire360. With BigCommerce's robust features, instructors can create attractive product pages, customize their online stores, and offer various pricing options, including subscriptions, one-time purchases, or bundled offerings. The platform provides secure payment gateways, ensuring the privacy and security of customer transactions. Furthermore, BigCommerce offers flexible shipping options, allowing instructors to cater to learners worldwide. By leveraging BigCommerce's comprehensive e-commerce toolkit, Inspire360 creates a user-friendly and intuitive online shopping experience within the learning management platform.

Centralized Management and Analytics:

Integrating BigCommerce into Inspire360 brings centralized management and analytics capabilities. Instructors and administrators can conveniently manage their e-commerce operations, such as order processing, inventory tracking, and customer support, from within the Inspire360 platform. This centralized approach saves time and effort by eliminating the need to navigate between multiple systems. Additionally, BigCommerce provides robust analytics and reporting features, enabling instructors to gain insights into their e-commerce performance. These analytics include sales data, customer behavior, and conversion rates, empowering instructors to make data-driven decisions to optimize their product offerings and marketing strategies.

Marketing and Promotional Opportunities:

The integration of BigCommerce expands marketing and promotional opportunities for instructors on the Inspire360 platform. BigCommerce offers a range of built-in marketing tools, such as discounts, coupons, and abandoned cart recovery features, to help instructors attract and engage customers. By leveraging these tools, instructors can implement effective marketing campaigns to promote their educational offerings, boost conversions, and foster customer loyalty. This integration enables instructors to develop a comprehensive online presence, combining their educational content with compelling marketing strategies to reach a wider audience and increase revenue.

The integration of BigCommerce into Inspire360's learning management platform marks a significant advancement in e-commerce capabilities. By seamlessly integrating e-commerce functionalities, Inspire360 empowers instructors to monetize their expertise and provide learners with convenient access to educational resources. The robust features and centralized management of BigCommerce streamline product integration, enhance e-commerce functionality, and facilitate marketing opportunities. As a result, instructors can focus on delivering exceptional educational content while leveraging a powerful e-commerce platform within the Inspire360 ecosystem. With this integration, Inspire360 reinforces its commitment to offering a comprehensive and user-friendly learning management platform that meets the diverse needs of educators and learners alike.

If you're interested in learning more about how Inspire360 can help your company, click here.

To see all of the Inspire360 integrations, click here.

The Rise of Specialty Certifications

The word “niche” is having a moment in popular culture. In an effort to stand out and highlight unique expertise, many are carving out hyper-specific spaces for themselves. Intensely-focused specificity has also made its way into mainstream fitness, where niche certification programs are seeing a meteoric rise.

You may already be part of this trend by finding your own niche through a specialty credential program. Perhaps you’ve specialized in breathwork with Oxygen Advantage®, focused on athletic performance with Exos, or mastered applied functional science, targeting the root cause of dysfunction with Gray Institute®. Regardless of specialty, you’ve become a trendsetter within the industry.

The rest of the fitness world is following your lead, and the lead of specialty certification organizations. NCCA-accredited groups have expanded their offerings exponentially. ACE is encouraging you to “stand out as a specialist,” with programs like the ACE® Behavior Change Program and the ACE® Orthopedic Exercise Program. In October 2022, NASM™ launched their Physique and Bodybuilding Coach specialization, and ISSA recently released their new Glute Specialist Course.

Fit pros are finding that specialty certifications are reframing information they thought they already knew and also rejuvenating their passion for fitness with fresh inspiration.

And health club chains have taken notice. In response to Inspire360's VP of Partnerships, Ravi Sharma's question about specialty certifications, Mitchell Keyes at Self Esteem Brands® (Anytime Fitness) called out the Muscle Activation Techniques certification as a standout program. “Not only did it teach me the best of advanced biomechanics and anatomy, it taught me HOW to critically think about the body and problem-solve differently than I had ever learned before.”

“I’m a big fan of the TRX® STC course,” added Matt Wright at The Fort Athletic Club. “I think every fit pro should have it under their belt. I’ve also had several of our coaches go through Mike Boyle’s Certified Functional Strength Coach Program. They always come back inspired and with a huge wealth of knowledge.”

Richard Earney at Midtown Athletic Clubs noted that different programs were useful at different stages of his career — a solid approach to lifelong learning.

“The first thought that comes to mind is Precision Nutrition,” replied Danny King from Lifetime®. “It’s a combo of their learning approach and the focus on helping trainers expand their knowledge into new areas to help their clients. Non-specific to one certification, but trainers tend to grow quickly when adding an assisted stretch certification, and anything more focused on stress, sleep, and recovery.”

And that really is the crux of it — specialty certifications are taking over in a big way because they are helping fitness professionals expand their point of view, deepen their knowledge base, and see things from a new angle. This is a major trend to watch in the industry and as time goes on, we're going to see professional fitness education become even more specialized.

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Industry Happenings:

Upcoming Events:

1. Connected Health & Fitness Summit - February 8-9 2023, Los Angeles, CA
2. SCW DC Mania®, Feb 24-26, 2023, Washington, D.C.
3. PerformX Live, March 17-18, 2023, Tobacco Dock, London
4. IHRSA 2023, March 20-22, 2023, San Diego, CA

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Upcoming Workshops:

1. Spinning®: 20+ workshops in February
2. Peak Pilates®: 20+ workshops in February
3. TRX®: 13 workshops in February
4. Oxygen Advantage®: 4 workshops in February
5. SoulBody Fitness: 3 workshops in February
6. BlazePod®: 2 workshops in February
7. Mike Boyle's CFSC: 2 workshops in February
8. U-Jam Fitness: 2 workshops in February
9. Strive Life: 1 workshop in February
10. Therabody®: 1 workshop in February

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News & Notes:

• Netflix has started streaming Nike Training Club content
• Experts predict the online fitness industry will see a growth of 33.10% per year through 2028
• ACSM® has announced the top 2023 worldwide fitness trends
• Exos launched their Coach for Good Program, bringing wellness programming to NYC public schools
• 2023 wellness research by RoundGlass finds that people are especially interested in workouts that support their emotional well-being

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Thanks for Reading!

This newsletter was brought to you by Kathie Davis, Peter Davis, Ravi Sharma, Dominique Astorino, and the Inspire360 team.

Want to get this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up to receive the Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter here.

In the ever-evolving world of online education, learning management platforms strive to provide a seamless experience for both educators and learners. To further enhance its offerings, Inspire360, a leading learning management platform, has recently integrated Avalara, a renowned tax compliance solution. This integration enables Inspire360 to streamline tax processes, ensuring compliance and minimizing administrative burdens for instructors and administrators. In this blog post, we will explore how the integration of Avalara has revolutionized Inspire360's platform and simplified tax management within the e-learning ecosystem.

Automated Tax Calculation and Reporting:

Integrating Avalara into Inspire360 equips the platform with powerful tax automation capabilities. Avalara's robust tax calculation engine automatically determines the appropriate tax rates based on the learner's location, considering factors such as jurisdictional rules and regulations. This automation eliminates the need for manual tax calculations, reducing errors and saving valuable time for instructors and administrators. Additionally, Avalara generates accurate and detailed tax reports, providing a comprehensive overview of tax transactions within the platform. By automating tax calculation and reporting, Inspire360 ensures tax compliance and simplifies financial management for all stakeholders.

Seamless Integration with E-commerce:

For learning platforms that offer e-commerce functionalities, tax compliance becomes even more critical. Inspire360's integration with Avalara seamlessly incorporates tax compliance into its e-commerce operations. When learners make purchases, Avalara automatically calculates the appropriate taxes based on their location and the products or services being offered. This integration ensures that the correct taxes are applied at the point of purchase, reducing potential audit risks and ensuring compliance with tax regulations. By streamlining tax management within the e-commerce framework, Inspire360 enables instructors to focus on delivering exceptional learning experiences rather than dealing with complex tax issues.

Tracking and Monitoring Tax Changes:

Tax regulations are subject to frequent updates and changes, making it challenging for learning management platforms to stay compliant. The integration of Avalara into Inspire360 simplifies this process by automatically tracking and monitoring tax changes across various jurisdictions. Avalara's tax experts are responsible for staying up to date with regulatory updates, ensuring that Inspire360's tax calculations and reporting remain accurate and compliant. By leveraging Avalara's expertise, Inspire360 can navigate the complex world of tax compliance effortlessly, allowing instructors and administrators to focus on their core responsibilities.

Scalability and Global Expansion:

As learning management platforms expand their reach globally, managing tax compliance across different regions can become increasingly complex. The integration of Avalara provides Inspire360 with scalability and flexibility to support global operations. Avalara's extensive tax database covers multiple jurisdictions worldwide, allowing Inspire360 to accurately calculate and apply taxes regardless of the learner's location. This scalability ensures a consistent experience for learners across borders while maintaining compliance with local tax laws and regulations.

The integration of Avalara into Inspire360's learning management platform revolutionizes tax compliance and administration within the e-learning ecosystem. By automating tax calculations, simplifying reporting, and staying up to date with tax changes, Inspire360 enables instructors and administrators to focus on delivering exceptional learning experiences rather than grappling with tax complexities. The seamless integration with e-commerce functionalities ensures accurate and compliant tax management for online transactions. As Inspire360 continues to grow and expand globally, the integration of Avalara ensures scalability and compliance across multiple jurisdictions. With this integration, Inspire360 solidifies its commitment to providing a user-friendly and compliant learning platform for educators and learners alike.

If you're interested in learning more about how Inspire360 can help your company, click here.

To see all of the Inspire360 integrations, click here.

In current times, when so many companies are either choosing to, or being forced to switch to virtual methods of conducting business, the value of a learning management system (LMS) is being realized to a greater degree. This is something that larger businesses typically turn to out of necessity and an LMS is the obvious choice for keeping all of their information organized.

Conversely, small businesses and entrepreneurs are less likely to rely upon an LMS, at least in part because they don’t feel it’s necessary. They feel like they can get by because they don’t have many people to look out for, whether that means employees or clients.

What entrepreneurs and small business managers don’t often realize is how helpful an LMS can be. In fact, having fewer people to manage daily business is precisely what makes an LMS so useful. If you’re a small business owner who offers training courses, you simply don’t have the time to be dealing with unexpected issues. Incorporating an LMS can be a game-changer in this regard.

Here’s what an LMS is, how it works, and how it can help your personal business.

What Does LMS Mean?

A learning management system is very much what it sounds like — it’s a system that organizes training materials. An LMS creates one central place to manage online training courses, track client progress, and conduct assessments in order to obtain certifications. It’s essentially a one-stop-shop for professional development.

How Does an LMS Work

In our internet-centric world, an LMS is typically created in software, but it’s not the same as old software you’d download to your desktop computer. Learning management systems typically operate in a cloud-based environment and users interact with it via browser-based software. No special downloads are necessary because everything is stored on cloud servers.

Companies building their training courses can upload all of their content into the LMS and then users only need to click a link to access the modules. While technology is obviously required to use the LMS, keeping the software on servers (as opposed to making clients download it) allows for quicker updates, fewer technological barriers, and a more seamless product.

An advanced LMS will allow businesses to tailor their training courses exactly how they’d like, given their niche, branding, and teaching methods. Videos can be used to demonstrate movements and instruction sheets can be uploaded so the trainees can save them for later reference.

Everything that could ever be required to complete an online training course can be done within the LMS.

How an LMS Can Help Your Business

Increase Productivity and Profitability

Perhaps the most important positive aspect of a great LMS is that it will allow you to increase your profitability, as well as productivity. Instead of you needing to follow up with administrative tasks associated with clients signing up for training courses, a learning management system will take care of that for you.

You don’t have to make the certificates. You don’t have to create invoices. You don’t have to schedule times in which to do live training sessions. You can simply do all the work once and then load it into the LMS, which will take things over from there. A learning management system basically takes mundane business tasks out of your hands so you can focus on the bigger picture and planning for the future.

When the time comes to update your training courses with new information, you only have to do so once instead of notifying multiple trainers and amending course materials for various people. You simply make the change in the LMS online course and your work is done.

Providing a Higher Quality Product

Make no mistake that a professional learning management system is not the same thing as creating training videos on a smartphone and uploading them to YouTube. Perhaps that’s how your business started, but as your business grows, so should you and the way you deliver content.

Once you’ve accumulated enough clients to justify the expense of upgrading your training delivery method, you owe it to yourself (and your clients) to look into an LMS. A high-quality learning management system will allow you to upload videos, audio files, slide presentations, research papers or articles, and administer assessments.

Having a higher quality product will not only help you retain current clients, but will make you more appealing to both individuals (such as personal trainers and influencers), as well as small businesses that coordinate training for their coaches and personal trainers.

The more professional and organized your delivery method, the greater the perceived value — and as the value of your content increases, so can your prices (relative to your product, of course).

Customized Branding

One of the easiest ways to make your training materials appear more professional is to add your own branding to the course materials. Remember that packaging still counts, even when it’s digital.

This helps instill more confidence in your product and can help sway potential customers into choosing your training services over a competitor’s. Having proper branding is basically Marketing 101. How can you tell people about your business if your logo isn't on the product?

Branding your training isn’t an area you want to overlook. Keeping consistent branding throughout your training course (from sign-up to certificate printing) is crucial to keeping your clients fully engaged and coming back for renewed certifications and training.

Furthermore, if your clients are clicking onto a new website to enter the LMS, you want to make sure that they understand they’re at the right place. At this point in the digital age, it’s so easy to stumble upon a website that seems legitimate, but is absolutely not. Giving your clients a warning that they’ll be clicking onto an LMS that will take you away from your website can help retain your clients, in addition to easing their worries about security, data, and identity theft anxiety.

Printed Certificates of Completion

When someone completes a training course, they’ll need some sort of certificate that provides proof of their new qualification. Some will choose to print it out, while others will simply save it as a digital file that they can send to prospective employers as needed. Regardless, providing proof of completion right when they’re finished with the training course is a great way to add perceived value.

Additionally, having your own custom branding on the certificate shows these prospective employers that their applicants have obtained their training from what appears to be a professional organization. Not only is it helpful for your clients, it’s an opportunity to network without much effort. The fitness community might be large, but it’s also small in that people are tight knit and everyone seems to know everyone — at least within their particular niches.

Allows Flexibility for Everyone

A learning management system will free up time for everyone involved. For you, as a business owner because it carries part of your workload, but also for your clients. Having everything set up in an LMS means that they can learn at their own pace, take courses when they have the time available (perhaps after children are in bed, or after work at another job), and no one has to rearrange their schedules in order to complete a program.

Expands Your Reach

One of the best things about the digital age is that every business has an expanded reach. The internet has opened doors for companies that otherwise would have been restricted to their own cities, or limited to their own professional network. Now, business owners can advertise anywhere and sell their products globally, allowing their business to grow larger than they would have ever thought possible in previous generations.

An advanced LMS is the perfect platform for delivering the same high-quality training courses across the globe. You can control the content from the very beginning, and you won’t be reliant upon finding additional employees who could train in new cities.

Logistically, a learning management system is like creating new satellite offices for your business all over the globe, but at a much lower price point and without the worry that your remote employees are maintaining the standards you set forth. You get to grow your business without losing any of the control you need on your training courses.

Incorporating a Social Component

It would be a mistake to ignore the role of social media here. Not all learning management systems will be set up to do this, but we think it’s an important component.

Social media in the fitness industry has become a way for people to interact with members of their community, both close by and far away. Brands, athletes and trainers share what they’re learning, what they’re doing for workouts, and what they’re making for dinner, passing along hot tips and exchanging ideas along the way. Choosing to share progress in your fitness certification process is one component in building your own fitness community.

This is why we believe it’s a great idea to incorporate social media into your training course materials in your LMS. When someone earns a certification, they can share their accomplishment on their favorite social media platform, tagging your company in it automatically (for marketing and brand awareness, of course).

In our LMS, the functionality is there, and you can choose to incorporate it into your training courses, or you can skip it (or your trainees can skip it).

Keeps You Organized

The more training courses you offer, the harder it is to be organized. You can label everything meticulously, you can have all the folders and good intentions in the world, and you’re bound to mess things up at some point. It might not be anything catastrophic, but perhaps you’d send the wrong folder or the wrong document to a client. With all that information, it would be easy to mix it up sooner or later.

With a learning management system, you’ll only need to put everything in place once. You’ll set up the course with the proper materials (assessments, presentations, reading materials, videos, etc) and then you’ll leave it along until it’s time to be updated with new information. Your clients won’t need to contact you to ask you for information unless there’s a problem, so there shouldn’t be much room for error.

How Inspire360 Can Help You

With over 35 years of combined experience in the health, fitness, and wellness industries, we believe we are uniquely positioned to help you organize your online training course offerings and sell them with greater confidence. We take a lot of pride in our LMS platform. We’ve spent years working on it, improving it, and perfecting it. Fortunately, our clients tend to agree.

We work with educational organizations, equipment companies, and health and wellness experts, including over 200 major brands. Hundreds of companies have used our software to improve their content management and training course offerings.

We partnered with each of them to make sure they were getting the product they could imagine, and we’ll do the same for you, regardless of the size of your business.

If you’re ready to take the next step in your business, we’re ready to help walk you through it. To get started with Inspire360, contact us or request a demo so you can see how our learning management system can work for you.

Inspire360 is proud to announce that it has officially crossed the enormous milestone of delivering over 25 million continuing education units (CEUs).

Credentialing bodies require professionals to maintain their skills and knowledge through continuing education. SaaS platform Inspire360 is the only Learning Management System built specifically for the fitness industry and is used by leading education companies to deliver education, track continuing education credits, and manage certification renewals. Having delivered more CEUs than any other software in the world, Inspire360 is proud to help clients provide fitness and wellness professional education in 219 countries.

Over 150 world-class education companies including TRX®, Spinning®, Gray Institute®, Hyperice, BOSU®, Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning, TriggerPoint™, Therabody, MELT Method®, Myzone®, and Power Systems, use Inspire360 to provide their industry-leading education to professionals.

In addition to its Learning Management System, Inspire360 also offers a Certification Management System, Membership Management System, and Live Workshop Management System. The all-in-one platform allows fitness companies to deliver branded online courses, certifications, workshops, and subscriptions to award CEUs when students complete the necessary coursework.

Fitness education, equipment, and certification companies all use Inspire360 to take their education to the next level. Because certifications are the lifeblood of the fitness industry, Inspire360 offers a full-service Certification Management System that automatically determines certification renewal eligibility based on CECs, renewal dates, grace periods, CPR, and more.

Jason Davis, CEO of Inspire360, says "It’s been a tough year for the fitness industry, and I’m impressed that so many professionals have used this time to sharpen their skills and expand their credentials. I would like to thank all of Inspire360's clients and the fitness industry as a whole for their continued dedication to advancing the fitness industry through their offerings. We look forward to working with our clients to deliver 25 million CEUs in the years to come!"