State of the Industry

2009

It’s All About Health, and Exercise

•

Trends in the Health and Fitness Industry

• Twenty years ago, personal training was barely recognized as a legitimate business, considered only for the affluent and beyond the reach for the common person.

Bottom Line Magazine

• recently noted that today personal training is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States.

DOL

• According to the Department of Labor, more than 400,000 certified personal trainers currently operate in the U.S. With more than four million clients annually and a robust population growth rate.

• Fitness related positions are expected to grow faster than most other occupations and will remain in growth through 2012.

Key Indicators

• Obesity and aging are the key issues driving the fitness market and will be the focal point for personal trainers.

• Today, 34% of the population is overweight, and 30% are considered obese.

• In the last decade, this number has doubled and is expected to double again by 2011.

• This issue is expected to drive up health care costs because being overweight is a symptom of unhealthiness leading to many other problems.

So…….

• Accordingly, today’s personal trainer will need to understand exercise management with the chronically ill, as well as common side effects of pharmaceutical therapy.

Mission Impossible

• This may be difficult to get, if not impossible due to most certifications offering basic personal training and few (SFI, NIHS) who offer specialized courses.

Where are we heading?

• Baby boomers and health care issues has led to record growth in fitness and fitness related products. And have been since the 80’s

• In fact, baby boomers have influenced the market since they have been working adults

The Last 40 years

• 1970’s. Boomers in their 20’s– High impact aerobics– Running boom– 10k’s and marathons hit high

• 1980’s boomers in their 30’s– Low impact aerobics– 5-10K runs– Fitness walking

• 1990’s boomers hit their 40’s– Non-impact aerobics– Slide, step, yoga, Pilates, spinning

• 2000’s boomers are now in their 50’s– Interaction of medicine with fitness– Functional fitness equipment– IRS allow health club deductions for RX referrals– Insurance companies subsidize memberships with $20 fee

Health club usage is on the rise

• In 1987, an estimated 13.7 million people were members of health club facilities. By 2000, that number had grown to approximately 29 million, a growth of 112 percent.

• According to IHRSA, the fastest growing age group to purchase health club memberships was from the 55 plus market. This population increased by 266% in the past decade.

Wow

• 10,000 Americans turn 50 daily which will drive continue to drive up health care costs

• The need for qualified personal trainers who understand special populations is also speculated to experience huge growth

D of A

According the Department on Aging, “If we were to delay entry into nursing homes by one month, as a nation we would save 4 billion dollars annually”

But…….

• Most health clubs hire trainers who have no practical training and only understand how to program athletes, not the injured or medically challenged.

Statistically

• The only way to prolong life and maintain independence is:

• EXERCISE!

However…

• Smart exercise is more important than any exercise.

The Next Trillion?

• According to professor Paul Zane Pilzer, economist, the next trillion dollar market will be driven by the baby boomers and their pursuit of health

• Not medically, but physically

Physicians

• Will rely on professional personal trainers to help them design and implement exercise programs for their patients

• Physicians do not get exercise training, they get medical training

• As such

Personal Fitness Trainers

• Will require – better training– better education– Education in exercise and disease

management– Education is how drugs interact

with fitness (side effects, toxicities)– Educational assistance with

medical terminology, interfacing with the medical community and insurance programs

And..

• More than a third party accreditation group that looks only at the balance of the exam rather than the content of the material.

The trainer

• Deserves more than a certification, they require regulation and licensure in order to ensure public safety.

10 reasons why

licensure is better than any

Certification

1.

A state based licensure would ensure quality control and protect the consumer from fraudulent trainers and poor advice.

2.

• Licensure track prepares the student to handle the more difficult populations without the risk of injury.

3.

• Poorly prepared trainers drive up the industry liability and hold back professionals from legitimizing the career path of professional training

4.

Licensure allows the professional trainer to interact with health care professionals and expand the influence of the industry into a more medically balanced market.

5.

1. A client is more likely to hire a trainer who is licensed over those who are only certified.

6.

1. Licensure would provide the most relevant and up-to-date resources in the fitness industry.

7.All accrediting bodies in the fitness

industry accredit certifications on the basis of their EXAMINATION design and NOT the content of the course. Proper accreditation such as those used a college accreditation would accredited the CONTENT and the structure of the degree to protect the consumer.

8.

Licensures over certifications open the opportunities for multiple opportunities in the industry to grow and professionalize the industry.

9.

1. Most certifications specialize in only one area of the fitness industry such as strength training, or working with general populations. Licensure would prepare the student candidate to work with ALL aspects of all populations.

10.

Licensure would not eliminate certifications, it would simply hold the exercise professional to a higher standard, thereby protecting the consumer.

And Finally

Why wouldn’t the industry do this? It protects the consumer, eliminates the pointless battles between one certification over another, and provides a standard whereby all professionals should be judged.