While the ongoing economic slump has affected most sectors of the economy, some are thriving. Companies such as Hershey, McDonalds and Kraft, which many people associate with “comfort foods,” are all showing profit gains.
Are the people in your community turning to food during these uncertain and often stressful times? If so, they’re not alone. In the past year, the number of Americans considered obese has jumped by 1.7 percent—or almost 5.5 million people—according to Gallup-Healthways data released in June.
“With health care and health insurance being such unknowns right now, people are seeking preventative as well as reparative solutions,” says Donna Krech, Founder and CEO of Thin&Healthy's Total Solution.
Is your club’s weight-loss program unintimidating enough to get these people in the door, affordable enough to accommodate their tightened budgets, and comprehensive enough to get them results?
Many IHRSA clubs are seeing record weight-loss participation, despite a significant decrease in non-dues related spending by club members.
Alton’s Power Block Gym – I Lost it at the Club! & Spare Time Removal In Progress
Alton’s Power Block Gym in Roswell, New Mexico, enjoyed great success earlier this year with IHRSA’s I Lost it at the Club! initiative. The 8-week program, which is free for participating clubs as well as participants, began with an open house, which attracted 1,500 people. “It was on a Monday night,” recalls manager Lucas Moreno. “We didn’t expect that kind of crowd!”
Of the club’s 1,800 members, 163 participated in ILIATC. They lost a total of 1,875 pounds. “At the end of the program, we threw a party and awarded prizes to those who lost the most weight,” says Moreno.
This summer, the gym is running a program called STRIP (Spare Tire Removal In Progress). The main objective over the 8 weeks is to reduce body fat. Members pay $50 to participate. Of that, $10 goes to the club and $40 goes into a pool for prizes such as cash awards or a free 1-year membership. “We’ve scheduled a number of classes specifically designed to reduce body fat, including cross-training and fusion yoga,” explains Moreno. Participants weigh in biweekly with a staff member. Since the ILIATC participants who were most successful were those who worked with a personal trainer, the club is offering specially priced packages of group-training sessions over the course of the program.
Moreno says both programs, which were advertised in the local newspaper, have attracted a handful of new members into the club, but he mainly sees weight-loss as a way to retain his members. He says business has not slowed in recent months, and he rarely hears members mention the economy.
“We’re in a small community, and we’re behind the times, in a good way,” he explains. “The recession hasn’t hit us – at least not yet.”
Refinery – Take It Off
Refinery, a 3,000-member club located in Champaign, Illinois, has offered the Take It Off program since February of this year.
Nutritionist Linda Gholson serves as the club’s Take It Off Program Coordinator. Clients participate in a 12-week program, during which they meet with Gholson one-on-one, either once or twice a week. The program cost for weekly meetings is $249 ($375 for non-members) and for twice-weekly meetings it is $299 ($425 for non-members). That fee includes the entire program: a journal, meal plan, food guide, coaching, a one-hour personal training consultation, nutrition handouts and recipe cards. The non-member fee also includes 3 months of access to the club’s facilities.
The program concentrates on educating clients about nutrition with a focus on satisfying hunger and maintaining energy levels. “We tell them what to eat, how much of it to eat, and when during the day to eat it,” says Gholson. “We teach them about protein and carbohydrates and why their body needs them.” She also helps clients plan their grocery shopping. “We also urge them to get in 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise at least three times per week,” she adds. “That’s the bare minimum, but if they exercise more, they can eat more.”
Participants are weighed weekly, and measurements (bust, waist and hips, at a minimum) are taken at the beginning, middle and end of the program.
The club markets Take It Off through its monthly member e-newsletter, at health expos and on the radio.
Participants are generally female professionals who experience lack of nutrition due to busy schedules, notes Gholson. “They spend a lot of time in the cars,” she says. “One-third have already had weight-related health issues.”
The program has been profitable, according to Gholson, in spite of the economic downturn. “We offer our clients the option of three-month payment plan, which helps with their budgeting,” she says. “Also, they are busier than ever, and they value the opportunity to meet with me at their convenience.” Gholson’s clients are given her cell phone number and are encouraged to call her anytime to discuss their goals and progress.
Gholson recently launched a promotion which gives back weight-loss clients $1 for every pound they lose on the Take It Off program. At press time, the projected average weight loss for the first 12-week program was an impressive 25 pounds per client.
Corpus Christi Athletic Club - Weight Watchers
For the Corpus Christi Athletic Club in Corpus Christi, Texas, a partnership with Weight Watchers has proved to be a win-win.
“We allow Weight Watchers to holds its meetings in our club’s party room at no cost,” explains general manager Lisa Gorsline. The club’s members enter the meetings through the club, and non-members enter through a separate outside entrance. “We could probably charge Weight Watchers a room rental fee, but the intention is to help improve our club’s retention, and it has done the job,” she adds.
Everyone who joins Weight Watchers at this location receives a 30-day pass to work out at the club. “This program brings non-members into our facility,” Gorsline explains. “It also teaches our members how to eat properly, which only enhances their results.”
A handful of the club’s employees have even slimmed down with the help of Weight Watchers, including its maintenance worker, who lost over 100 pounds.
The social component of the group meetings likely contributes to the success of Weight Watchers participants. A two-year study published in the February 26, 2009 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine found a connection between participants’ attendance at group counseling sessions and weight-loss success. “Attendance at group sessions strongly predicted weight loss at 2 years (0.2 kg for every session attended),” according to the researchers.
Gorsline says the club has tried various weight-loss programs in the past, before partnering with Weight Watchers. “We decided it was more important that weight-loss be a retention tool in our club, than a profit center,” she explains.
South Yuba Strength & Wellness Club – BodySMART
Mike Carville launched his own Healthy Now program in 2007 at the South Yuba Strength & Wellness Club in Nevada City, California, after realizing that the club was missing out on an enormous opportunity to give over 80% of its members what they wanted: weight-loss results.
“I looked at many prepackaged weight-loss programs,” explains Carville. “Everybody knows what to do, but nobody had a solid, simple plan.” When creating his program, which is now called BodySMART, he says he pulled heavily from You On A Diet: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management by Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz.
The club charges members $149 and non-members $329 (which includes use of the club) for the 12-week program. After making many adjustments during the first 18 months, Carville says BodySMART is stable and successful, with a 40%-60% profit margin and attrition of less than 20%.
The average BodySMART participant loses approximately 15%-20% of his or her starting weight during the 12 weeks. The program requires some kind of physical activity 6 days per week, as well as an intensive two-phase eating plan and daily journaling. (To read more about the program, read Carville’s recent article at www.ihrsabuyersguide.com for a directory of companies that offer weight-loss programs, products and services.
Is Your Weight-Loss Program Truly a Program?
by Casey Conrad
First, I want to emphasize the need for health clubs to have an actual weight-loss program.
While many facilities have wonderful group exercise programs, for example, those that use a system (such as Body Training Systems) are much more likely to succeed, because their programs/classes aren't dependent upon one person. The same is true for weight-loss.
When I use the word "program," I'm not saying they need an off the shelf commercial product but rather something that is delivered in a systematic way that is NOT dependent upon one nutritionist or dietician. Like any other offering, if a club relies upon one person to deliver anything they are putting themselves at a great risk for failure.
Most health clubs don't have a weight loss program at all. Their personal trainers just give information. Some use online meal planning programs, or track calories taken in and and calories expended, but those rarely get across-the-board results from members.
A few clubs have enjoyed success with a dietician or nutritionist, but because they cannot duplicate that person the revenue potential is limited and there is vulnerability; if that person leaves the club, so does the program.
The main business of health clubs is selling memberships, not weight-loss. If a program isn't simple to implement and maintain, it will inevitably fail. Clubs need a champion to oversee the program (like a SilverSneakers coordinator) who is held accountable for the numbers.
Certainly some clubs are seeing a reduction in all membership sales, which can affect weight loss programs, but many clubs are actually seeing all ancillary revenue improve. It appears that members are using the club more and spending smaller amounts of money on things like personal training, weight loss or even less expensive spa services in lieu of the bigger spends like vacations. There are a number of clubs using their weight loss program as a short-term membership option. This is especially effective as an alternative for the person not wanting to commit to a long-term membership and with corporate outreach programs. So, I don't think there is one overall theme; it really depends upon the club operator and how they market the program.
In order for any weight loss program to be successful, it must simply give members results. In order to accomplish this, a program needs to use real food, have accountability and support, and mandate exercise while participating.
When it comes to weight-loss, I recommend three types of marketing, which are all relatively inexpensive but highly successful. These are in-house promotions, referrals from happy members who have lost weight on your club’s program, and outreach to corporations. I don’t recommend that club operators buy traditional advertising for their weight-loss programs. The marketplace is so competitive that you can waste a lot of money on newspaper ads, inserts or direct mail pieces and not get much of a response.
Casey Conrad, a 25-year industry veteran, is the president of Communication Consultants and the creator and licensor of the Take It Off Weight Loss Program (www.TakeItOffWeightLoss.com).
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