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The Obesity Epidemic - How Helping Fight It Can Increase Your Revenue

by greeves

According to recent research (The Culprit and the Cure, Dr.
Steven Aldana), 60% of company CEOs state health care costs and
lost productivity as their number one concern.  An overweight
employee can cost an employer $450-$2000 annually in health care
costs and lost productivity.  Seventy percent of health care
costs come from tobacco use, poor nutrition and lack of exercise.
 As a personal trainer or health club manager/owner, you can help
in the fight against obesity and increase your revenues at the
same time.

The World Health Organization sites that 17 million deaths
annually occur because of obesity and that number is on the rise.
 Officials believe it will reach epidemic proportions in the next
decade.  Furthermore, being overweight puts a person at higher
risk for chronic disease, which in turn taxes the already
burdened health care system.

In addition 67% of Americans do not get enough exercise to reap
the benefits.  Changing their minds about exercise, (how to do
it, when to do it, where to do it and that it can in fact be
FUN!), can help increase your membership, clientele numbers and
retention rates.

BENEFITS OF EXERCISE

As a society, we have done just about everything possible to
avoid physical activity.  We have drive through restaurants,
banks, ATMs, and even pharmacies.  We have garage door openers so
we don't have to get out of our car to pull right up to our door
so we don't have to walk any distance before walking in our back
door.  We have TV remote controls.  And how many times have you
driven around the grocery store parking lot looking for a closer
space so you didn't have to walk as far?

Because of all of these modern conveniences and advances in
technology, we now have to go to great lengths to make sure we
are getting the recommended amount of physical activity to
maintain good health.  Committing to an exercise program is often
the most difficult challenge we face.  As a health club
owner/manager or personal trainer you can help fight obesity
while also increasing your business.

But, since there is so much competition out there, how do you
get people to commit to a workout plan and more importantly, how
do you get them to choose your facility or select you as their
personal trainer?

The first step is to make sure that your target audience is
aware of the benefits of exercise.  Use websites, direct mail
pieces, in club or community challenges with prizes to get the
word out.  Part of the problem is that the general public doesn't
even realize the risk in obesity.  Sure, they know it isn't
healthy but do they fully realize the risks?  Or the benefits of
exercise?  Now it is up to you to get the work out and get the
business in!

- Prevent or lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.  If you
compare the long-term health of people who exercise regularly to
those who are not physically active you'll see that the risk of
heart disease, instances of heart disease death, and stroke drops
dramatically with a consistent increase in physical fitness and
physical activity.

- Lower blood pressure.

- Lower cholesterol.

- Maintain or obtain a healthy body weight.

- Prevent or lower the risk of certain types of cancer.  People
who exercise regularly have a 30-40% lower risk of colon cancer
than their sedentary counterparts.   Researchers are still
working to determine why exercise, not diet, is a key factor here
but in the meantime, we know that exercise does reduce the risk. 
Some studies show a reduction in the instances of breast cancer
among those that exercise as well.  Again, we don't know exactly
why that is, but we do know it is beneficial.

- Relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety.

- Improve mood.

- Improve self esteem and self confidence.

- Reduce the symptoms of stress.

- Have fun!

HEALTH CLUB AND PERSONAL TRAINER PROFITS

According to the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC),
it is a national objective to cut the obesity rate to 15% from
31.6% by 2010.  Since 1980, the increase in overweight
individuals in the United States has grown marginally (32% to
33%) but the rate of increase in those individuals who are obese
has grown dramatically.  The number of obese individuals in the
United States was 14.5% in 1980 and today nearly two thirds of
the population is considered obese.  A new category is even being
added by the CDC to include those considered morbidly obese.

As health club owners and personal trainers, now is the perfect
time to get in on the profits of this national objective.  First
and foremost, your goal should be to help reduce the obesity
rate.  However, as a business owner, if you are able to build
business and profit from a positive national objective, why not
do it?

- Talk to your local congress members about what your city,
county and state are doing to support this national objective. 
Find out how you can get involved.

- Set up meetings with local doctors, physical therapists and
hospitals in your area to create a referral system.  If a person
they are treating can benefit from your services (and who
couldn't), set up a system of working with each healthcare
professional to design well rounded programs that they are happy
to recommend to their patients.

- Hold a meeting at your facility emphasizing the growing
obesity epidemic and the problems it presents.  Then explain the
benefits of exercise.  Perhaps you can get a well known health
care professional to speak at the meeting and support this
information.

- Talk to local health care corporations to see if they would be
willing to pay a certain portion of employees' health club or
personal training costs to help keep rising health care costs and
lowered productivity to a minimum.  Explain how investing the
money in prevention will benefit them and their employees in the
long run.

- Sponsor a local weight loss/shape up challenge for your health
club members as well as non-members.  Non-members can see what
your facility can offer and may become members to maintain their
progress after the challenge ends.

Now it is time to put your knowledge and your skills to work to
do all you can to help in the national objective and join the
fight against obesity.  Unlike other diseases such as Multiple
Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy, and certain genetic cancers, the
obesity problem is linked directly to lifestyle choices.  There
has never been a better time to be a personal trainer or be in
the health club business.  You can increase your own business
while helping to fight obesity, one person, one choice at a time.

Michael Greeves, CEO and founder of Hyperstrike, wanted to
develop an affordable fitness program for individuals and
athletes that could be customized to their personal abilities and
goals, and be delivered to any one, any where, any time. Learn
more at <a href="http://www.HyperStrike.com">HyperStrike.com</a>

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