Attending the Health and Fitness Show in Las Vegas last month was an incredible experience. It was both enlightening and invigorating. This annual, multi-day industry conference and trade show brings together health and fitness professionals, manufacturers, and enthusiasts from around the globe. While this particular conference was a familiar environment from my time showcasing Concept2 equipment, I was pleasantly surprised at the unconditional support that I felt as a facility owner-operator attendee. It was a fantastic opportunity to not only learn more about the latest trends and fads in the health and wellness space but also gain valuable insights into the state of the industry.
One of the notable takeaways from the show was the overarching movement towards prioritizing strength training for health, wellness, and longevity. The insight that others, worldwide, are placing a similar emphasis on this aspect in one’s fitness journey was particularly reassuring. I am proud of the continuous effort we put into creating space for our members to focus on their strength. Meeting people where they are and providing the space and equipment they feel comfortable using is so important. At GMCF, we not only have the free weight areas, the plate-loaded equipment, and weight stack machines offering a variety of options, we have trainers available who are ready and willing to help.
Throughout the conference, I attended various sessions and workshops that covered the latest in health and fitness trends, providing me with a clearer understanding of what’s happening both nationally and locally. For example, on a national level, did you know there are talks happening right now around the push for individuals to use Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) to cover fitness expenses—including gym memberships, fitness classes, youth sports fees, and equipment? The PHIT Act addresses one of the biggest barriers to exercise: affordability. It feels good to know these conversations are happening. I chose to sit in on discussions that spoke to the emerging fitness fads (ex. Recovery – is the new buzz word!), as well as, panels of fitness professionals sharing real industry struggles amongst facility operators (ex. The Cold Plunge).
Let me elaborate. After decades of “go hard” mentality and “more is better”, movers of today are recognizing the value of recovery. Recovery is the place we heal, actually build our strength, and reap the benefits of our training. This could mean prioritizing sleep, taking proper measures to rehab injuries, regular massage or other body work, spending time with lower intensity movement, paying attention to your mobility or flexibility, introducing contrast therapies, and learning how to meditate, just to scratch the surface. Understanding that this is something that is positive and popular right now, gives us an opportunity to see what we have to support this interest.
Do we offer classes that encourage movement focused on mobility, flexibility, and lower intensity experiences? We do! (Quite a few actually!)
Do we have a Doctor of Physical Therapy in house and involved in creating programs and carrying out individualized programs? You bet!
Do we have enough comfortable open space dedicated to members’ recovery needs? Well, that would be a question we get to ask our membership.
Do we get to seek out expert practitioners to run workshops and series around nutrition, meditation, and self-care as means to support recovery? 100%.
Do we have the capacity to support the interest in contrast therapy, the movement between hot and cold temperatures, often through immersion in warm and cold water? The jury is still out on this one.
This topic was a hot one at the conference (pun intended). Most facilities, like ours, have a sauna and/or a hot tub. Some also have lap lane swimming pools. We are super lucky to also have an infrared heated studio space, as well. At this point in time, we can say we are supporting half of the contrast therapy needs. While we have a large pool that is 25 degrees colder than our hot tub, we have yet to add the “cold plunge” as a regularly included experience at GMCF. After hearing that 90% of the cold baths in fitness facilities are sitting idle or in disrepair, I am not convinced it is the right time to make that specific investment. The reported issues included the inability to maintain the low water temperature, the water hygiene and need for frequent filtration as well as proper water levels. Those facilities that have boutique style experiences with a cold plunge attendant monitoring the bath for individual users are even experiencing these challenges, not to mention member based facilities. So, the contrast therapy support for our members is still one that needs more investigation and may require some creative solutions. Spaces in our facility that are kept at a more extreme temperature fall into the category of contrast therapy, but they also fall into a category of higher risk spaces. There are many people who should avoid extreme temperatures for health reasons and these are important things we do take into consideration.
Another aspect of the conference that stood out was the impressive range of equipment manufacturers showing off their latest innovations. As I traveled around from booth to booth, I was excited to find a group of companies that I gleaned were large enough to offer robust support yet small enough to value relationships with organizations like ours. This part of my mission, I found to be very successful. It was clear to me that there were companies that I could tell had loads of money and huge marketing budgets and those companies that were just trying to break into the industry. Right there in the middle is where I found a handful of companies, family-owned, personable, and local. Like if we had a problem, we would have a person to call.
While our current equipment serves us well, the age of some machines has created challenges in sourcing parts and maintenance support. I feel my discoveries at the show could significantly enhance our offerings as well as improve our access to support for maintenance.
As I reflect on my experience at the Health and Fitness Show, I’m invigorated by the potential for growth and improvement within our facility. With the knowledge garnered from industry leaders and the connections I was able to make with manufacturers, I am eager to collaborate with our GMCF team and members to enhance what we offer.
This conference confirmed, not that there was doubt, that the health and fitness industry is ever evolving and we are on the right path for us. I am enthusiastic about the future and am excited to see how we can implement what I learned to continue to improve our environment in the interest of strength in our community.
Everyday Stronger.
