Corporate Fitness and Active Aging

We say it with pride quite regularly, our amazing staff in corporate and senior living fitness centers are what help us serve our clients so well. Their strong educational background in health and fitness helps us set the bar high while their exceptional creativity and relationship building skills allows them to keep their members engaged and asking what’s coming next. Since we have the privilege of getting to know our staff across the country, we thought our followers might like to as well. Join us monthly as we throw a different NIFS team member a High Five.

• Name: Lauren Kelsheimer
• City, State: Terre Haute, IN
• Years with NIFS: 4.5 years
• Position: Fitness Manager
• What brought you to NIFS: I happened upon a message on LinkedIn from our previous Director. I thought it was an ad, but took my chances and reached back out to her to see what potential there was in a position like this. I am glad that I did!
• What is the most impactful moment you have shared with a member:
  A member’s husband passed and she really became a recluse. I decided to reach out to her and see if she wanted to start participating in exercise classes or exercise in the fitness center. She was very hesitant, but agreed to come down to the fitness center and see what it was all about. After a few sessions, she really broke out of her shell and now is exercising daily, visiting friends she met from classes or programs, and is living life to the fullest! These moments are the reason I chose this career.
• What separates a NIFS fitness pro from the rest: NIFS fitness professionals strive to create moments of magic for our members. We are passionate and care deeply about what we do. Also, we know the importance of creating experiences for our members that stand out from the rest. NIFS fitness professionals truly work together as a team to produce great programs, events, and fitness offerings and continue to perform at a level above.
• What is your favorite thing about working at your client site: I truly enjoy my residents. They have become family. The team members at Westminster Village are amazing as well. They are always willing to lend a hand and help me with any program or event that I have for the residents to help impact their lives. I enjoy that we all have a common goal and that’s to engage our community and provide fun, exciting programs for them.
• What motivates you: The smiles! I feed off of resident’s energy. If they are enjoying themselves and really feel like they are getting something out of my classes, programs, or events, then I have done my job. They constantly make me want to be better.
• What is your favorite hobby: I enjoy being with my family and jogging.

Interested in learning more about our staffing services? Click below for what best fits your needs.

ACTIVE AGING   |   CORPORATE FITNESS

We say it with pride quite regularly, our amazing staff in corporate and senior living fitness centers are what help us serve our clients so well. Their strong educational background in health and fitness helps us set the bar high while their exceptional creativity and relationship building skills allows them to keep their members engaged and asking what’s coming next. Since we have the privilege of getting to know our staff across the country, we thought our followers might like to as well. Join us monthly as we throw a different NIFS team member a High Five.

• Name: Megan McQuade
• City, State: Indianapolis, IN
• Years with NIFS: 9 months 
• Position: Health Fitness Specialist
• What brought you to NIFS: I started working for NIFS following graduation from college in December of 2019.
• What is the most impactful moment you have shared with a member: The most impactful moment that I have had with a member was during an assessment with a client.  She was unable to touch her toes and struggled with flexibility.  We set a goal to work on it and after incorporating some yoga and stretching into her weekly routine her results were amazing.
• What separates a NIFS fitness pro from the rest: Every NIFS Staff member is passionate about helping others achieve their goals, whether that be their co-workers or members at their client sites.  We are all one big support system even though we are spread across the country.
• What is your fave thing about working at your client site: My favorite thing about working at NIFS is the wide range of members I get to work with. I love the variety and being able to apply my skill set to best assist where each person is at in their health and fitness journey! Watching members set and achieve their goals is a reason why I love working for NIFS!
• What motivates you: I am a big goal setter so achieving goals that I have been working towards is what helps me push myself to continue working hard!
• What is your favorite hobby: Baking and cooking!!

Interested in learning more about our staffing services? Click below for what best fits your needs.

ACTIVE AGING   |   CORPORATE FITNESS

We say it with pride quite regularly, our amazing staff in corporate and senior living fitness centers are what help us serve our clients so well. Their strong educational background in health and fitness helps us set the bar high while their exceptional creativity and relationship building skills allows them to keep their members engaged and asking what’s coming next. Since we have the privilege of getting to know our staff across the country, we thought our followers might like to as well. Join us monthly as we throw a different NIFS team member a High Five.

• Name: Rachel Leszczynski
• City, State: Issaquah, WA
• Years with NIFS: 4 
• Position: Fitness Manager
• What brought you to NIFS: I started with NIFS as a Health Fitness Specialist in Lincolnshire, IL. It was my first “real job” in the fitness industry.
• What is the most impactful moment you have shared with a member: I think the most impactful moment has been with one of my regular PT clients. When we first started she wasn’t able to stand up from a chair without pushing off. While we’ve had a few setbacks, she is able to stand from a chair without pushing off.
• What separates a NIFS fitness pro from the rest: Not only do NIFS staff take good care of their clients, our network of managers is a great support system and was very helpful in my first couple of years as a fitness manager, specifically with programming. So I guess you could say a NIFS pro is best because of the team as a whole.
• What is your fave thing about working at your client site: My fav thing is being able to access all the hiking trails of the beautiful pacific northwest. Taking members out on a guided hikes once a month is a total treat.
• What motivates you: I’m an active person and being able to stay healthy and do the things I love keeps me motivated.
• What is your favorite hobby: Playing soccer!

Interested in learning more about our staffing services? Click below for what best fits your needs.

ACTIVE AGING   |   CORPORATE FITNESS

Fitness management services are the foundation of our business, but did you know we also offer an array of consulting services to support communities who do not staff with us? While it isn’t quite the same as having our qualified staff on the ground daily at your community, many clients have found a consulting partnership with NIFS to be advantageous in connecting their own staff, amenities, and more with an industry expert who can provide them with the direction and resources to elevate the programs they are providing their residents.

5 Consulting Opportunities with the NIFS Experts

Here are some ways that you can collaborate with NIFS to improve your fitness and wellness offerings:

1. Facility layout and design: As operators of fitness centers across the country, we know how to make spaces flow for improved member experience and overall function. We also have national buying power with top equipment manufacturers to bring your facility the right equipment for your users. Whether it’s a fitness center or pool, we can help you identify the right pieces of exercise equipment to incorporate into a creative and expertly designed space.
2. Staff hiring and training: From group fitness instructors, to personal trainers, to fitness managers, finding the right people is at the heart of what we do, and our interview and vetting process helps us find the best of the best. If you are looking for support in recognizing fitness qualifications and making the right hire for your community, NIFS can lead your interview process. We can also aid in the training process once you make your hire to get your new team member on the right path and connected to NIFS resources and programming materials.
3. Wellness program design: Let us help you identify fresh opportunities to create purpose and intention in the lifestyle cultivated for your residents. We know how to break down the silos and bring together enrichment, health services, fitness, rehab, food and beverage, spiritual services, and more for seamless programming that is both seen and felt by your residents. Conceptually, many communities struggle with getting these key stakeholders in resident well-being collaborating with a unified vision, and we can help you bridge this into reality.
4. Data collection and evaluation: It’s difficult to determine how effective your programs and services are and how many people you are reaching consistently if you don’t have data to evaluate. We can help your fitness staff develop an efficient system for tracking participation data, identify key benchmarks to measure and evaluate over time, as well craft SMART goals to continually strive toward program enhancements.
5. Group fitness program design: Residents love their group fitness classes, but are you certain that your community has an array of classes to address the main components of fitness throughout the week for varying intensity levels? We have a niche for developing robust group fitness programs as well as best practices on how to market the classes, how to attract new faces, and how to keep the classes fresh so that this resident favorite at your community reaches more individuals and remains strong.

Even if your organization does not avail itself of the full range of fitness management services that NIFS offers, you can still consider consulting with us on specific pieces of the puzzle to strengthen your fitness and wellness offerings. Not sure what to expect when utilizing our consulting services?  Check out our quick read below for more information.

Let’s face it, personal trainers are pretty ubiquitous these days, and it’s easy to understand why. The industry doesn’t have licensure (yet), and there are a lot of inexpensive and easy-to-obtain “personal trainer” certifications available that allow fitness enthusiasts with little knowledge about how the body works to earn a distinction as a personal trainer.

The scary truth about hiring a personal trainer for your senior living community is that the typical consumer doesn’t necessarily know what to look for in a qualified fitness professional. Unfortunately, the I-paid-them-and-they-certified-me individual looks equally competent alongside the individual who has a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and who has earned and painstakingly maintains an industry gold-standard certification.

While hiring an exercise professional for your senior living community fitness program is a very buyer-beware proposition, the rewards for making the right staffing choice can be great.

The right fitness professional is a major benefit to the residents.

This is really what it’s all about, right? You want a passionate, capable, competent, self-starter running the exercise program in the community. You need someone who will

• Coordinate the group exercise program (the fitness specialist should be teaching at least some of the classes).
• Initiate and execute on health-related programming both in the fitness area as well as in partnership with other departments in the community.
• Promote and provide important services like exercise prescriptions (writing individual exercise programs for residents) and senior fitness testing, as well as follow up with residents to offer updated exercise programs and repeat testing as appropriate.
• Track participation by individuals and reach out to nonactive residents to invite them into programs.
• Manage the fitness space, including ensuring amenities are well stocked and equipment is in good working order.
• If your personal trainer isn’t doing these things for you, it’s worth spending some time to re-envision what’s possible in your exercise program. Your residents deserve regular access to diverse classes that respect and challenge them physically. They will participate more if a fitness professional is available to customize exercise plans for them and to help them evaluate their progress along the way. And having a point person who is tracking the participation data and is constantly innovating will draw in more residents who wouldn’t engage without a personal invitation.

The right fitness professional is a major benefit to your business.

This is a tough one. Community leadership seems to have a difficult time making the leap from status-quo group fitness classes and the occasional trainer to establishing a manager for a robust fitness program. Maybe that’s consumer driven, and today’s residents, for the most part, aren’t balking at the outdated model. Maybe the lack of change is rooted in where fitness falls on the priority list.

Yet, with the right fitness center manager on board, you can free up your activities director to actually create person- and purpose-centered activities instead of tracking down a substitute for the group fitness instructor who just bailed on a class. You also send a distinct message to prospects and current residents that healthy living is central to who you are. And because so many communities are still operating on the outdated “group fitness + occasional trainer” model, you clearly distinguish your senior living community from the competition.

If you’re ready to start tapping into these benefits, you can either hire your own fitness center manager for the community, or partner with an organization like ours (NIFS fitness center management) to start improving the fitness program for your residents.