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Entertaining your members with television, music, cardio systems
and fitness trackingcan bring profits toyour club. Read the rest of this entry »

Your group cycling class has the potential to bring new members into your club — especially those people who are already outdoor cyclists.

* Demographic surveys of your club should indicate what the general interests of your community are. If you are introducing an indoor cycling program in a community already friendly to outdoor cycling, your chances of attracting new members with this offering is good. Team up with local bike shops, and offer the owners and staff free trial indoor rides. If this is a positive experience for them, they will become walking advertisements for your program. This partnership works especially well if you promote their merchandise in exchange for their word-of-mouth advertising. Read the rest of this entry »

Ginkgo biloba extract is widely used in Europe for the treatment of dementia of the Alzheimer’s and non-Alzheimer’s variety, as well as for elderly patients who do not satisfy the complete criteria for dementia but who present a few typical symptoms. Gingko extract may also be helpful for ordinary age-related memory loss. Read the rest of this entry »

Fitness First! management had to first consider what effect the generous policies might have on the center’s bottom line. “Like any other risk, we weighed the pros and cons. In the end, we felt that if other industries are flourishing with these types of total customer satisfaction guarantees, then we could too,” explains Blackburn. As expected, the increase in new memberships more than made up for any members who opted for the pro-rated refund or cancel-at-any-time guarantees. Read the rest of this entry »

For the staff at Fitness First! — a 60,000-square-foot exercise facility that operates as a public enterprise fund in Illinois’ Skokie Park District — being the best in their market wasn’t a lofty enough goal. The four-year-old organization, which brings in half a million dollars in sales a year, wanted to offer the best customer service its 2,400 members would receive of any of the businesses they patronize. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: Physiologically, what is responsible for the phenomenon known as the “second wind”? Is it related to an individual’s fitness level?

A: No matter how fit individuals are, the first few minutes into vigorous exercise may cause their muscles to ache and make them somewhat out of breath. The body isn’t able to transport oxygen to the active muscles quickly enough. As a result, the muscles burn carbohydrates anaerobically, causing an increase in lactic acid production. Gradually, the body makes the transition to aerobic metabolism, and begins to burn nutrients (carbohydrates and fats) aerobically. This shift to aerobic metabolism coincides with the “second wind.” The more people train and the more fit they become, the sooner they will get their “breath” back. Then they will reach aerobic levels they can sustain for extended durations. Read the rest of this entry »

The bottom line

In addition to generating revenue through increased memberships, A la Carte Marketing helped cut payroll expenses. Caparas says LifeQuest has saved half of the marketing director’s salary since August, with the other half being distributed to marketing staff in the form of bonus incentives. Cash bonuses are attached to projects based on the level of responsibility required to complete each task. And while money serves as a motivator for staff, Caparas says employees are also encouraged by the opportunity to excel in new areas. “There’s a lot of talent here, and now everybody has the ability to showcase their potential,” agrees Smith. It also gives management a chance to see new futures for certain employees within the company.” Read the rest of this entry »

However, research findings are subject to many interpretations. As sources of nutrition information and sources of misinformation proliferate, public confusion increases over what dietary pattern one should follow — and the credibility of nutrition scientists diminishes. Read the rest of this entry »

Before the 1970s, nutrition scientists focused on identifying essential nutrients and on the role of such nutrients in preventing deficiency diseases and maintaining a satisfactory level of health. They were also concerned with the biochemical bases of nutrients’ actions, interactions among nutrients, the sources and bioavailability of nutrients in the food supply, and the effects of other dietary factors and hormones on nutrient metabolism.

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Sometimes it takes giving staff members extra responsibility to realize their full potential. Just ask LifeQuest Fitness & Aerobics Club. After its marketing director was dismissed in August, the club decided against making a hasty hiring decision, and divided the director’s responsibilities among support staff, giving them a chance to flex their professional muscle.

Through the “A la Carte Marketing” program, employees competed for unfinished projects, each of which was placed on a “marketing menu” and included a cash incentive. Projects included managing the club’s intern program, organizing two special events, handling public relations for the club, selling advertising for Life Quest’s monthly magazine and designing the company newsletter, in addition to several smaller tasks. Read the rest of this entry »