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Table of Contents
In general:
Letter From John McCarthy
I Lost It at the Club! Overview
I Lost It at the Club! Timeline
Q & A
I Lost It at the Club! ideas: New programming ideas for 2006
I Lost It at the Club! tools
I Lost It at the Club! Public Relations
Letter From John McCarthy
Success! One word that describes the weight loss efforts of over 6,500 health club members during I Lost It at the Club! 2005. These members not only lost over 25,000 pounds but, they were also able to make good on their New Year’s resolutions to lose weight and get in shape!
I Lost It at the Club!, with the generous support of Life Fitness, was launched in 2005 with three goals in mind…
- To position clubs as the primary and most productive resource for anyone who wants to lose, or better manage their weight.
- To help you, the club, capitalize on the desire—on the part of both prospects and members—to lose weight in the New Year and then help them to do so.
- To join thousands of IHRSA clubs in tackling the problem of obesity and, in the process, tap the major opportunity that it represents.
Over 600 health clubs met these goals and three not only met but exceeded expectations. Sculpt Fitness in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, JR's It Figures! LLC in Urbana, Ohio, and the gym Health and Fitness Center in Middletown, Delaware all helped their members lose over an average of 10.4 pounds. For their extraordinary efforts each was awarded a Life Fitness Cross-Trainer.
The goals of I Lost It at the Club! have not changed. For this year though a few additions have been incorporated into I Lost It at the Club! The basics of the program will remain the same—to serve as a platform to complement and energize, not replace, everything that you already do—added though is a greater emphasis on the promotion of the health benefits of exercise and weight loss. Provided for you in this program guide are ideas for how to integrate health education into your I Lost It at the Club! program as well as to how you can customize I Lost It at the Club! to best meet your own needs. There are also implementation tools and attractive promotional materials that can be customized to promote members’ interest, enthusiasm, and active involvement.
Regular exercise and weight loss can dramatically improve health status and alleviate many chronic conditions that your members may suffer from. Promoting the health benefits of exercise and weight loss is one way you can use I Lost It at the Club! to encourage your members.
As individuals, as club professionals, and as an industry, we have an obligation—and an opportunity—to educate our members.
John McCarthy
IHRSA Executive Director
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I Lost It at the Club! Overview
Over 25,600 pounds. That is how much weight over 125 clubs, reporting results for 6,500 members, lost during I Lost It at the Club! 2005. The equivalent of…12 tons, or 3,072.5 gallons (a spa 10 feet long by 10 feet wide and 4 feet deep) of excess body fat. The clubs who participated found that they were able to help their members accomplish their New Year’s goals and thanks to the generous support of Life Fitness 4 clubs whose members saw extraordinary results were awarded Life Fitness Cross-Trainers.
I Lost It at the Club!, an IHRSA retention-based heath program sponsored by Life Fitness, is designed to help you more fully integrate your members, current and new alike, after the holiday season. The success of I Lost It at the Club! 2005 was in large part due to the commitment of the clubs who participated and their creative programming that made I Lost It at the Club! a part of the membership experience.
For 2006 there are a few changes that will be incorporated into I Lost It at the Club! they are as follows:
- All participating clubs will receive a coupon for a FREE Ab Crunch Bench with the purchase of five Lifecycle® exercise bikes* from Life Fitness. In addition I Lost It at the Club! is a great opportunity for your club to win prizes.Clubs that meet the enrollment criteria of at least 10 participating members will be eligible to win one of six Life Fitness Core Training Packages including an Ab Crunch Bench, Leg Raise, and Back Extension (standard frame and upholstery colors only).
- A greater emphasis will be placed on member education about the health benefits of regular physical activity and weight control...
”Regular physical activity helps to control weight, there by reducing risk factors for heart disease; contributes to healthy bones, muscles, and joints; reduces falls among older adults; helps to relieve the pain of arthritis; reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression; and is associated with fewer hospitalizations, physician visits, and medications. Moreover, physical activity need not be strenuous to be beneficial; people of all ages benefit from moderate-intensity physical activity.”
--Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General ,
- Expansion of the metrics used to include inches lost in addition to pounds lost.
- Clubs who choose to collect metrics other than weight or inches lost can still submit their results and be eligible for Life Fitness prizes so long as they enrolled at least 10 members and their results are submitted to IHRSA no later than March 3, 2006.
- Results must be submitted by faxing the I Lost It at the Club! Results Form, in tool kit section of this guide, to 617-951-0056 or by filling out the web-based survey at www.ihrsa.org/ilostitattheclub
- Results will not be accepted via email.
- Prizes will be awarded to clubs, who have enrolled at least 10 members, according to the following categories:
- Greatest average weight lost per participating member (1 winner)
- Greatest amount of total weight loss, whole club (1winner)
- Greatest average number of inches lost per participating member (1 winner)
- Greatest percentage of members participating (1 winner)
- Greatest number of members participating (1 winner)
- Wild Card (1 winner)
As it was last year, I Lost It at the Club! will remain a platform for you to use in during the winter months to launch new programming in your facility, reinvigorate long standing programs, hold educational seminars, and encourage your members to work toward a common goal.
We encourage you to fully integrate I Lost It at the Club! into your club this January as a way to retain and educate members in the New Year, in addition to helping IHRSA quantify how successful health club members are at losing weight.
I Lost It at the Club!…what is “It”?
“It” can be what ever you like it to be, but for IHRSA’s purposes “It” refers to the number of pounds or inches lost by your members and staff from January 9, 2006 to March 3, 2006. Due to the sensitive nature of stepping on a scale and being weighed, IHRSA has expanded the formal tracking metrics to include inches lost. However, clubs should use the metric that is most comfortable for the members. Examples of other metrics include: percent body fat lost, and decrease in BMI. All clubs who participate, enroll at least 10 members in the program, and submit results of any metric to IHRSA no later than March 3, 2006 will be eligible for at least the wild card prize. Prizes will be awarded to clubs according to the following categories…
- Greatest average weight lost per participating member (1 winner)
- Greatest amount of total weight loss, whole club (1winner)
- Greatest average number of inches lost per participating member (1 winner)
- Greatest percentage of members participating (1 winner)
- Greatest number of members participating (1 winner)
- Wild Card (1 winner)
What you, the key contact, are expected to do:
- Serve as the key contact for IHRSA staff throughout the program
- Serve as the key contact to your facility for the I Lost It at the Club! program
- Develop a plan for marketing I Lost It at the Club!
- Work with staff members to create I Lost It at the Club! programming
- Inform your staff about the program including how the program will be marketed, promoted, and how weight will be tracked
- Enroll at least 10 members in the I Lost It at the Club! and track their weight loss, inches lost or other metric during the time period of January 9-March 3, 2006
- Submit results of any metric to IHRSA no later than March 3, 2006.
What is expected of participating clubs:
- Run I Lost It at the Club! concurrent with your existing programming.
- Beginning January 9, 2006 enroll club members and staff as participants, making sure to take note of their weight, inches or other metric
- Enroll at least 10 members in the I Lost It at the Club! that your club is running and track their weight loss or inches lost during the time period of January 9-March 3, 2006
- Promote I Lost It at the Club! in all areas of your club using your own marketing or the marketing collateral provided for you in this guide and on the www.ihrsa.org/ilostitattheclub website.
- Ensure that front desk staff are mindful of the counter card that has been provided for you.
- Weigh/measure participants for a second time between February 27, 2006, and March 3, 2006.
- Submit results of weight, inches or any metric used along with the number of participants to IHRSA no later than March 3, 2006. All participating clubs who meet this deadline will be eligible for at least the wild card prize. Prizes will be awarded to clubs according to the following categories…
- Greatest weight lost per participating member (1)
- Greatest amount of total weight loss (1)
- Greatest number of inches lost (1)
- Greatest percentage of members participating (1)
- Greatest number of members participating (1)
- Wild Card (1)
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I Lost It at the Club! Timeline
October, 2005:
Receive the I Lost It at the Club! program guide and read through. Begin planning programs and promotion of the program and educated staff members.
November & December, 2005:
Place order for I Lost It at the Club! promotional materials to ensure delivery before the program start date.
November 21, 2005:
Use the marketing materials provided for you to promote I Lost It at the Club! in your club and to your members. Don’t forget to begin reaching out, by phone, email, or mail, to your members who haven’t been using the club lately.
January 9, 2006:
Launch I Lost It at the Club! in your facility. Make sure to record measurable outcomes for your members, including weight.
January 9—February 27, 2006:
Use I Lost It at the Club! as a platform for your programming. Keep members engaged by offering different I Lost It at the Club! titled programming each week and distributing the I Lost It at the Club! newsletters.
Use the program in this guide to keep members involved in the program and educated about the health benefits of exercise.
Week of January 30, 2006:
IHRSA will be checking in with all program contacts to get a status report on your program’s progress and to answer any questions.
February 27—March 3, 2006:
End of program. Spend this week wrapping up the program: have a get together, take final weight, award prizes (I Lost It at the Club! merchandise) and celebrate with your members. Submit results of weight, inches or any metric used along with the number of participants to IHRSA no later than March 3, 2006. All participating clubs who have enrolled at least 10 members and meet this deadline will be eligible for Prizes.
March 8, 2006:
Notification of winners
March 20-23, 2006:
IHRSA’s 25th Convention & Trade Show in Las Vegas, NV
Presentation to the winning clubs
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Q & A
What is I Lost It at the Club!?
I Lost It at the Club! is a retention-based program that is also an IHRSA health program. From a health perspective I Lost It at the Club! will allow the industry to promote its efforts to increase physical activity adherence and demonstrate that people who lose weight in a health club are more successful at losing the weight and keeping it off. I Lost It at the Club! is also a chance for you to educate your members and community on the growing health benefits of exercise and weight loss. In addition, I Lost It at the Club! can serve as the backbone to your winter programming with little to no additional work on your part.
How much does I Lost It at the Club! cost?
I Lost It at the Club! is FREE for all IHRSA member clubs. You can add to the program by purchasing I Lost It at the Club! branded merchandise for your staff and members. Use these products to build awareness about the program or to reward members for a job well done.
What do I get for enrolling in the program?
When you enroll you will get a kit containing: a program guide, two newsletters for your members, content for your website, a front desk stand, and print on demand marketing materials. The kit will be mailed, sent electronically, and be available for download at www.ihrsa.org/ilostitattheclub.
Additional items including, a banner, t-shirts and buttons with the I Lost It at the Club! logo can be purchased through the merchandise brochure contained in this package.
All participating clubs will receive a select quantity of Hershey's® SmartZone™ Energy Bar samples to distribute to your members and guests. In addition participating clubs will receive a coupon for a FREE Ab Crunch Bench with the purchase of five Lifecycle® exercise bikes* from Life Fitness. In addition I Lost It at the Club! is a great opportunity for your club to win prizes.Clubs that meet the enrollment criteria of at least 10 participating members will be eligible to win one of six Life Fitness Core Training Packages including an Ab Crunch Bench, Leg Raise, and Back Extension (standard frame and upholstery colors only).
Who can participate in I Lost It at the Club!?
We encourage you to include everyone who walks through the doors of your facility, your members, your staff, and your potential members. You can also use I Lost It at the Club! to promote your facility within your community using the press releases and marketing pieces provided for you in this guide.
What do I need to do?
You should read this guide and begin discussing with your staff how to implement I Lost It at the Club! in all areas of your club. Create a programming and marketing/promotion plan and discuss with all staff members. Also, establish an enrollment process with staff members who will be responsible for taking enrollment. Because participants may join in at any time, it may work best to have the tracking forms behind the fitness desk in a confidential location. Creating a staff information one-pager may be helpful to circulate and to have staff members keep on hand in the event that they are asked questions by members.
You then need to submit results of weight, inches or any metric used along with the number of participants to IHRSA no later than March 3, 2006. All participants who meet this deadline will be eligible for at least the wild card prize.
You will also need to distribute a select quantity of Hershey's® SmartZone™ Energy Bar samples to your members and guests
What does my staff need to do?
Your staff should become familiar with the program. Creating a one page quick reference guide may be helpful so that they know exactly what is going on with respect to the program and can stay informed.
Also, staff members should be encouraged to use I Lost It at the Club! as a platform for existing and new programs. For example, if your club introduces a new cycle class temporarily name the class the I Lost It at the Club! cycle class, or if you already have nutrition lectures scheduled for January and February keep the title but denote on marketing that it is part of the I Lost It at the Club! program.
Encourage staff members to show their support for I Lost It at the Club! by having them participate in the program alongside your members.
How can I get members to sign up?
Holding a kick-off event can jump start the program and allow you to capture a large number of your members at one time. During the event, have members sneak away into
an office to have their weight and measurements taken; i.e., make a private meeting within the larger event. At this event you could also have your members guess the total number of pounds that the club will lose and then track that number over the eight-weeks.
Make I Lost It at the Club! a club-wide-event, get staff involved, develop special I Lost It at the Club! programming or bundle your existing programs and classes under this umbrella.
Market the program by utilizing the collateral provided; print flyers and direct mail pieces for distribution from the files we have provided, promote the program on your website using the content provided to you by IHRSA.
You also have the option to purchase I Lost It at the Club! branded merchandise for your staff and members using the enclosed order form.
When is the deadline for member participants to enroll?
The program is ongoing beginning January 9, 2006. You are encouraged to enroll your participants at the beginning of the program so that they benefit from a longer program span. However, participants can enroll at any time up until the day before the program ends on March 3, 2006.
How do we track and report our members progress?
In this guide you will find a sheet that your staff can use to record the weight and measurements of your members. At the end of the program submit results of weight, inches or any metric used along with the number of participants to IHRSA no later than March 3, 2006. All participating clubs who enrolled at least 10 members and meet this deadline will be eligible for at least the wild card prize.
How do I incorporate more health benefits of exercise education into I Lost It at the Club! and where do I find health benefits of exercise information?
There are many ways to incorporate health benefits of exercise information in to your I Lost It at the Club! programming, these are detailed in the program ideas section of this guide. As for finding health benefits of exercise information, there are a number of IHRSA resources and research resources that you can tap into. IHRSA has available to its members a database of health benefits of exercise research as well as fact sheets that are disease specific. IHRSA also has a health benefits of exercise PowerPoint presentation that you could adapt to suit your needs. For these publications and more resources visit www.ihrsa.org/ilostitattheclub. Additional research can be obtained through the Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov) and National Institutes of Health (www.nih.gov).
Who do I contact for more information or with questions about I Lost It at the Club!
IHRSA Health Programs by email: healthprograms@ihrsa.org or by phone: 1-800-228-4772
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