JUNE 11 LETTERS write to reply
Do you have a strong opinion or disagree with somebody else’s views on the industry? If so, we’d love to hear from you – email:
healthclub@leisuremedia.com
grey market – industry is recognising its potential
I read your feature ‘Defying the Slowdown’ (HCM Feb 11, p40) with interest, and wholeheartedly agree that catering for the older population should help to boost participation numbers in the health and fitness market. Currently older adults represent only
13.7 per cent of gym users, creating an immense business opportunity for our sector to explore. With ‘exercise as medicine’ firmly on the industry’s agenda, exercise is being used not only in the prevention of disease but also in its treatment and rehabilitation. BalanceMaster and the FIA recently
Equipment pilates can be easier than mat work, but newcomers don’t realise this
clinical pilates – keeping members happy and healthy
The article ‘Healing Hands’ (HCM March 11, p39), regarding the use of pilates by rehabilitation professionals in the health club setting, made several great points. I’m a physiotherapist and Polestar-certified pilates instructor near San Francisco, and have several years’ experience working in independent rehab centres within the health club environment. One general concern I have is that,
for many people, the large pilates mat classes offered in health clubs is their first exposure to this form of exercise – they may have heard that pilates is great for back pain, so they come to try it out. However, even if labelled as an ‘introductory class’, mat work can actually be much more difficult than pilates on apparatus. Pilates should re-educate people in how to move before bringing in core strengthening by adding resistance, speed and complexity to the exercise.
6 One of the benefits of having a clinical
pilates practice in a health club is that it makes it clear to members that there’s another way to experience the benefits of pilates. The on-site pilates clinicians must educate the fitness personnel on which clients may be ‘red flags’, as this helps keeps members happy and healthy by ensuring that they’re being taken care of at all levels – and, more importantly, at the appropriate level. When taking a movement retraining
approach to rehab, which is what pilates does, you empower the patient to understand how their movement patterns influence their injury. This then plays a huge role in prevention. The proximity of clinical and fitness personnel keeps the process fluid by providing a bridge between rehab and wellness. ada wells owner, probalance
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
joined forces to run a series of seminars on this issue. The seminars, ‘Untapped Markets – Ageing and Rehabilitation’, looked at current trends and how operators can target this growing market. A full house at each of the seminars, coupled with positive feedback on the content, demonstrates the demand for intelligence on this group. With current trends predicting that
the number of people aged 65 years and over will rise by nearly 60 per cent in the next 25 years, targeting this market is a great opportunity for the whole industry. Perhaps clubs like the US chain Nifty after Fifty, but specifically designed for over- 60s, will start springing up across the UK? jason mcmahon uk sales manager, balancemaster
Targeting older people could help boost the sector’s penetration levels
june 2011 © cybertrek 2011
JUNE 2011
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