Corporate Fitness and Active Aging

We have talked about the versatility of the NuStep recumbent trainer in senior living both for convenience in the fitness center layout and overall function for the population we serve in this environment. We have also provided great insight in programming a workout on the NuStep recumbent trainer and how you can creatively boost strength, endurance and aerobic function for users. That's why NuStep equipment has been a top choice for senior living communities for over 25 years. And that's why NIFS fitness pros look to NuStep.

Hear from the fitness pros at NIFS on why they love NuStep for their residents.

“We love working with the NuStep because it is an excellent option for all abilities and skill levels. The fact that it is a match for everyone, provides a safe and effective method of exercise makes it a go-to for building strength and endurance in the active aging population” – Josh, Phoenix, AZ

“No matter whether you have difficulties with your hips or joints, or have almost any other mobility difficulties, the NuStep can accommodate you. The adjustable resistance level gives all fitness levels a great workout. The hand grips and seat are adjustable to fit an incredible range of individuals in different height and weight ranges. NuStep will help to keep your muscles strong and improve blood circulation throughout your body.” – Kayla, Towson, MD

 “The NuStep is a great piece of exercise equipment when it comes to people with limited range of motion and lack of mobility. The upright posture accompanied with arm and leg movements at the right intensity can prove to be an effective cardiovascular exercise for anyone.” – Davion, Stone Mountain, GA

““I love the NuStep due to how beginner friendly it is for our residents of all ages and backgrounds. The NuStep considers all individuals with varying capabilities when being utilized.” – Michael, Terre Haute, IN

“NuStep is great because it’s easy to use and beginner friendly. Residents love using the NuStep to get their movement in, especially if the treadmill or bike is too difficult.” – Stephanie, Baltimore, MD

“I love the NuStep, because it is very user friendly! The residents are not intimidated by it, like they are with some other equipment. It’s super easy for them to adjust on their own, and they don’t have to press a lot of buttons to get it started.” – Michelle, Baltimore, MD

“Our residents love the NuStep.  It is the most popular piece of equipment in our Fitness Center.  As a fitness professional, I love the features that it offers.  The ability for people to exercise both the upper and lower body.  The ease of getting in and out, the adjustable swivel seat, the familiarity of the equipment as many people transition from rehab to general fitness.  The NuStep gives wonderful back support and is simply a terrific piece of cardiovascular equipment.  You can pump up the resistance and have a challenging workout too!” – Jane, Palm City, FL

“I love the NuStep because it is easily accessible, which is an important factor in a senior living setting. A wide variety of residents can operate the machine safely and get an effective workout as well.” – Adrian, Indianapolis, IN

It’s a no-brainer on why we chose NuStep for Pump it for Parkinson’s as we considered exercise options that would accommodate ranging abilities. This free event will provide education on the benefits of exercise for those living with Parkinson’s during Parkinson’s Awareness Month and communities can engage both their residents and employees together. Whether your participant is a newbie to exercise or very fit, the versality of the NuStep is sure to give them a great workout! We invite your senior living community to join us in this free program to help us achieve our goal of completing a million steps to honor the one million Americans living with Parkinson’s! One location will be the lucky winner of a free NuStep T6 Cross Trainer!

The NuStep is a great multifunctional piece of equipment. Did you know the NuStep can be used for more than just building endurance? You can build strength, cardio, AND endurance depending how you use it. This is what makes the NuStep such a versatile piece of equipment in a senior living fitness center and why NIFS has partnered with NuStep for Pump it for Parkinson’s on Tuesday, April 11! This one-day event invites senior living communities across the country to come together, learn how Parkinson’s Disease affects our friends and neighbors while raising awareness on the benefits of exercise for those fighting back against the disease! We’ll be utilizing, you guessed it, the NuStep! Participation is free and communities will have a chance to win a NuStep T6 Cross Trainer. We’d love to have your community help us meet our goal of 1 million steps to honor the 1 million people in the US with Parkinson’s Day! Visit our Pump it for Parkinson’s page to complete your community’s registration and receive free tools to help in your planning.

As for taking your residents’ workouts to the next level on the NuStep, check out these great coaching techniques!

Using the NuStep for Endurance: Besides just getting on and going, have a plan when trying to build endurance with the NuStep. To help build endurance, make sure the resistance of the machine is moderately set. About a 4-6 on your 1-10 RPE (rating of perceived exertion) scale. Make sure you are maintaining your steps per minute! To help improve your endurance over time, add one to two minutes to the duration of your exercise session every week. This can help you go for a longer amount of time without taking a break.

Using the NuStep for Strength: To build strength with the NuStep, try this simple workout. After a warmup of about five minutes, turn your resistance up to a challenging level, about a 7-9 on your RPE scale. Using only your arms (feet are resting off the peddles), row at a moderate to quick pace for two minutes. After the two minutes, switch to just using your legs (arms resting on the arm rests), also peddling at the same pace for two more minutes. After the two minutes are up and now using your full body, peddle for five minutes on the same resistance. Repeat the cycle for the duration of your workout. Building strength can help you maintain independence, increase bone health, and increase muscle mass.

Using the NuStep for Cardio: To increase your cardiovascular fitness, you can try interval or high intensity interval training (HIIT). This will help increase the functional ability of your heart and lungs. Make sure you warm up for at least five minutes at a low resistance. After your warm up, increase the resistance to a moderate-vigorous level, about a 7-9 on your RPE scale, and peddle quickly for 60 seconds maintaining your steps per minute. After the 60 seconds is over, lower your resistance to a 4-5 on your RPE scale and decrease your steps per minute for a 60 second recovery. Repeat for the duration of your workout. You can adjust the amount of time as necessary. 30 seconds on, 90 seconds off, and so forth.

Make sure you are finishing your workout with a cooldown and some light stretching. Also make sure you are using the NuStep with good posture and that the machine is adjusted correctly for you. Before starting a workout, consult your physician and exercise professional if certain types of exercise are right for you. The NuStep can be a great alternative to other equipment which may be confusing to use, difficult to get in and out of, or aggravates an ailment. Check out a variety of NuStep workouts by visiting their website!

Join us for our Pump It for Parkinson's Event and receive a free program guide and resources to host this event at your community, April 11! Click below for more information. 

When designing a senior living fitness center, there are many factors that aid in the decision process when choosing equipment for our clients and their residents. We want to incorporate equipment that is cost effective, easy to move, applicable and safe for many individuals, and of course enjoyable. Here are five reasons why the NuStep is a staple in the senior living fitness centers managed by NIFS!

• Confidence Builder – We often have residents with limited exercise experience, or they may have joint pain that they feel limits their ability to exercise. The thoughtful step-thru design and swivel seat make the task of sitting and getting into position comfortable and safe for many users. The low impact motion is a great way for residents to move their upper and lower body to gain the confidence that they can exercise, and they feel better by doing it!
• Size of the NuStep – The size of models will vary depending on the year manufactured but, in most cases, a NuStep is about 3.5 ft tall x 5 ft in length and 2.5 ft wide. With these dimensions, it doesn’t take up too much space in your senior living fitness center. The average weight for a NuStep is two-hundred pounds. Once the machine is in use, it stays sturdy in one location for our senior living community.
• Ease of Use – NuStep cross trainers are beginner friendly and designed to be applicable to a wide range of individuals. Residents don’t even have to press buttons or try to understand complicated display monitors to turn it on or off. As soon as they start pumping their arms and legs, the machine turns on automatically. The NuStep then tracks helpful metrics for how long they have been on the machine, along with total steps if they are going for a particular goal.
• Intensity – The NuStep can cater to ranging levels of strength and endurance in residents. This is done seamlessly by participants using a green handle located on the right side of the machine to adjust the workload. NuStep intensity levels range from one through ten. Pumping at the high end of that range gives our advanced residents a more intense working to accomplish their goals and our beginner exercisers can continue to safely build strength and endurance by increasing the workload over time.
• Ability to Move/Fix – The mobility of the NuStep is very convenient. Wheels on one end make it easy to relocate if needed and since a variety of models do not require electricity, it can accommodate a variety of floor plans. The need for repairing the machine due to mechanical issues are quite low due to the durability. The most popular “fix” is to simply replace the batteries in order for the monitor to turn on so your residents have that feedback as they get their steps in each day.

We love seeing the confidence our participants gain by having an exercise option that meets their needs in a senior living setting and the NuStep continues to be one of the most accessible, durable, and loved pieces of equipment by our residents! We love it so much that we developed a whole program centered around the NuStep!

Pump it for Parkinson’s is a nationwide event on World Parkinson’s Day where we are putting NuSteps to work in senior living communities across the US! This day-long NuStep-a-thon on Tuesday, April 11^th will help raise awareness on the benefits of exercise for those with Parkinson’s. Communities will receive expert resources from NIFS on how to support their residents with Parkinson’s and there will be a chance to win a free NuStep T6 Cross Trainer! Visit our Pump it for Parkinson’s event page to complete your community’s free registration today and help us spread the word!

When thoughtfully planned and executed well, there are a variety of opportunities to generate revenue out of robust health and fitness programs in senior living communities. But you might be thinking, “I didn’t realize there was ANY revenue potential."

In terms of expenses, there is the initial startup cost of thousands of dollars worth of exercise equipment and the necessary square footage to house it. Then there is the maintenance cost on that equipment and a range of budgeting that needs to be considered for fitness staffing, ranging from a dedicated full-time employee (or multiple FTEs) to simply having group fitness instructors. Don’t get me wrong, fitness centers absolutely give back to the community from a marketing perspective. Consumers are demanding quality fitness programming in the senior living market, but calculating the true ROI is next to impossible.

Revenue Opportunities in Senior Living Fitness Programs

If you are looking for potential ways to get revenue out of your program, consider these opportunities:

• Fee-based personal training: Whether you are in a commercial fitness setting or private fitness studio, all consumers expect to pay for individualized one-on-one attention via personal training. Having select fee-based services that are tailored and custom to individuals will not shock residents that there is a cost associated with it. In fact, many older adults and their adult children are coming to expect that this service be available in a comprehensive fitness program, and they are willing to pay for it. Thoughtful consideration should be given to establishing competitive rates, allowing for trainer commission, and securing high-quality trainers, but this service can be a nice opportunity for communities to generate a revenue stream.
• Specialty group fitness classes: Requiring residents to pay for specialty group fitness classes like yoga, Zumba, or Barre is a fairly common practice. A quality instructor must be secured and paid for each class, and including a slight upcharge to the instructor rates is an additional means by which a community can generate revenue while also benefiting from having a well-rounded and robust group fitness schedule.
• Nonresident participation: Some communities explore opportunities to provide fitness center memberships to nonresidents—particularly marketed to those 55+. Sometimes this is for full access to the amenities and services, and sometimes it is allowing participation only in select programs like group fitness classes. Strong consideration needs to be given to rates, available space, and how this will impact your existing residents, but in the right situation with proper planning, participation from nonmembers can not only be a revenue source, but it can also help increase exposure of your community’s lifestyle to a broader market in your area.

Revenue Goals, Marketing, and Investing the Extra Income

When implementing some or all of these practices, consider a revenue goal for your fitness program and how you can creatively promote each opportunity to support that goal. The annual revenue generated is rarely a cash cow for communities, but it does create opportunities to further support your fitness program needs. The cumulative total at the end of the year may be enough to purchase a piece of equipment, offset the cost of your preventative maintenance service agreement, or pay for a new class on the schedule. Give some thought to how these revenue opportunities can help fund your fitness program.

Looking to take your programming to the next level?  We can help by simply consulting with you to tackle what areas you need help focusing on with your wellness program. Click below to find out more about NIFS Consulting Services. 

What Does Wellness Mean to You?

Wellness might be one of the most overstated and broadly defined terms in the senior living industry—at least in how it is modeled from one community to the next—and it can be exhausting trying to keep up. At community A, wellness might refer to your health service offices, therapy gym, or clinician staff; whereas wellness at community B might refer to your fitness spaces and programming. Neither of those models is wrong. Neither of those models is necessarily correct, either.

When we’re talking about whole-person well-being, it isn’t just the health care options available, or the fitness program offerings. Communities should be cautious about how narrowly they define “wellness” when connecting it to their physical spaces or services. This can have a significant impact in the messaging of your community culture to your residents and prospective residents. Supporting resident well-being should flow through every nook, cranny, department, and service under your roof; however, many communities miss opportunities because they want the word “wellness” labeled on a space or department.

Wellness Branding Barriers

Here are some remarks I’ve heard from communities through our consulting work, where they have unknowingly created barriers for themselves.

We can’t brand our lifestyle and wellness offerings because…

• “We call our clinic our Wellness Center, and it will confuse residents.”
  You are right. If you want to put emphasis on sick care as opposed to preventative lifestyle offerings, this would cause confusion.
• “We call our fitness room our Wellness Center, and it will confuse residents.”
  Once again, you are right. This sends the message to residents that the only space to support their well-being is associated with physical exercise.
• “Our monthly “wellness newsletter” promotes our fitness offerings.”
  Once again, your communication channels with residents and how you promote monthly activities carry a connotation.

Slapping the term wellness on physical spaces, services, and communication channels narrows the potential, perspective, and understanding of how your community creates purpose and intention in resident lives. It also perpetuates the silos for staff and departments who have a stake in resident well-being, keeping them from seeing the potential of how their buy-in and collaboration can make an impact. (We’ll talk more about that collaboration piece in part 3 of this blog series.)

Questions for Starting a Wellness Branding Dialogue

Ask yourself these three questions as a guide in sparking dialogue in your community:

• What person, space, or services would come to mind for our residents if we use the word wellness?
• Does this connotation of wellness create opportunity for a broad application of purposeful lifestyle choices that spans the interests and passions of all residents?
• What barriers can we identify that limit our potential for broadening that definition of wellness?

Identifying your current model and barriers is your first step in making positive change toward more effectively use that term “wellness” to your community’s advantage. And now that you’ve defined and branded wellness, part 2 of this series talks about the importance of designating a staff wellness champion for your community.

Wellness Consulting from NIFS

Need some support? NIFS provides wellness consulting to senior living communities across the US. Visit our website and download the “What to Expect from a NIFS Consulting Visit” for more information.

Variety is the spice of life, and that’s what we’ll have in town this week at our annual managers’ meeting. Each year we fly our management team to our headquarters in Indianapolis for professional development, collaboration, and networking. Our passionate team arrives from across the U.S. from different client settings and with varying personal interests and backgrounds. Their one commonality is their passion for serving their members, and we love the dialogue and collaboration that unfold when everyone gets together.

3 Benefits of Collaboration for Fitness Staff

This connection and access to a wealth of resources is one of the strongest value elements we bring to our clients. They receive our onsite fitness staff managing their program and building relationships with members, plus the expertise of a national organization doing this work across the U.S. How does this routine collaboration truly elevate a fitness program?

• They don’t feel like they are on an island. As a fitness professional in a corporate or senior living setting, it can feel like you are isolated without resources or like-minded individuals who have similar goals and job duties. NIFS has routine meetings, workshops, and events like our annual meeting in Indianapolis to bring new ideas, resources, and inspiration to your fitness program, keeping things fresh and exciting for your members as well as your fitness staff.
• They can benefit from vetted programs and promotions. Sometimes it can be hard to execute a vision for a program or determine how to best reach a group of individuals because you aren’t quite sure how to get started or you are concerned about unanticipated road bumps along the way. NIFS managers regularly connect on a variety of platforms to discuss new ideas and ask for feedback among their peers. This provides members at our client sites with more finely tuned and professional programming.
• They are connected to the latest trends. Fitness is a trendy industry, whether you are working with children, the general population, or seniors. By having staff from the four corners of the U.S. and a little bit of everywhere in between, this broad reach keeps our team connected to not only what is trending but how to educate and market new programming to members in our client settings.

3 Tips to Garner Collaboration for Fitness Staff

So what do you do if you aren’t connected to an organization like NIFS to help keep your staff connected?

• Professional development: Provide funding to send your staff to workshops to help them stay plugged into the industry. Without an organizational connection they might still miss opportunities to learn how others are effectively implementing that type of programming in your setting, but it can certainly lead to some fresh ideas and keep staff inspired.
• Create a network: Do you have neighboring communities or businesses with staffed fitness centers with which you could encourage collaboration? Perhaps there’s a network of senior living communities in your town where the fitness staff could get together once a quarter for idea sharing. Perhaps your group fitness instructors, trainers, and fitness manager at your corporate site could meet once a quarter to discuss what they are hearing from members, share ideas to attract new participants, etc. Your network can be in-house with existing personnel or branching out, but creating space for discussion among like-minded individuals can be advantageous.
• Identify a strong contact: Whether or not someone at your setting is in-tune with the fitness industry, make sure your fitness staff has someone who has a good listening ear and an understanding of your fitness program’s goals. Fitness staff can feel less isolated in their decision-making when they have a partner at the site level who understands the work they are doing, and when they have someone in their corner for brainstorming or discussing member needs.

This collaboration is where the magic happens in taking a fitness program from good to great!

This has been the year of design and consulting work for senior living clients who are renovating or building new fitness centers. I think I could give you the dimensions of a NuStep T4r model in my sleep (they are 60 x 27 x 24 inches, by the way). It truly is exciting to see the industry dedicating resources to well-designed fitness spaces to support quality programs and services for residents.

Although getting the right equipment and layout is important, these five design elements come up time and time again and should be considered early in the planning process. They might not be the same level of financial investment as your large equipment purchases, but they can significantly enhance your users’ experience and the program’s success.

• Televisions and entertainment: Determine whether you will pursue wall-mount televisions or the integrated console option on the cardio machines. With some equipment like NuSteps and rowers not having the integrated TV option, you will want a wall-mount TV somewhere in your facility. With wall-mount TVs you’ll have to navigate the channel wars for the lifelong battle between Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC, which individuals have VERY strong preferences for—imagine that! Consider an FM tuner option with headphones if needed, but we generally see residents politely following the first-come, first-served rule.
• Water source: Don’t forget to dedicate space for a water fountain or hydration station in the fitness center and where group fitness classes are held, or within immediate proximity. It’s highly important to encourage hydration during exercise. The more conveniently located the water source, the better.
• Balance training area: When designing a fitness center, most think of cardio equipment, strength equipment, and then a stretching area. Don’t forget about an area dedicated to balance training. This can be as simple as a wall with a handrail and a balance pad. A balance training area can be one of the busiest spots in your fitness center—particularly if you have qualified staffing to provide fall-prevention programming.
• Mirrored walls: Coaching residents on how to perform exercises in front of a mirror can make a significant impact on reinforcing proper form and posture. This can be especially important in group fitness spaces or in areas of the fitness center where residents might be performing balance, resistance band, or dumbbell exercises.
• Exercise chairs: We are big fans of the Resistance Chair for exercise classes, but if you are using traditional chairs, consider these specifications to make them more exercise-friendly. Armrests can be obstructive to a number of upper-body exercises, limiting a participant’s range of motion. Choosing an option without armrests or a slimmer armrest option is ideal. Also consider the height and weight of the chair; many chairs are used as a stable base of support and serve as a handle during standing exercises. Consider a chair with a taller backrest that can help residents maintain a tall, upright posture while performing exercises.

These minor details can make a big impact on the functionality of the space and programming options. We have designed dozens of senior living fitness centers and take these things and much more into consideration when creating the most functional and comfortable space for residents. Check out NIFS’ Senior Living Wellness Consulting page for more insight into how we support fitness center design projects across the country.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR FITNESS CENTER DESIGNS →  

Picture this: You are 78 years old touring a senior living community with the marketing and sales coordinator. They take you to the ground floor or basement of the building and they flip on the lights of the uninhabited fitness center. It has painted cinderblock walls, fluorescent lights, no windows, and a hodgepodge of equipment. It feels deserted and you wonder how active the community is.

You then tour a neighboring community and you see the fitness center on the main floor, with sleek and contemporary equipment, dedicated staff leading residents through a workout, light pouring in through the windows, and more residents passing by in the hallway just having left the bistro next door from an afternoon coffee talk.

These two environments paint highly different images of a community and the residents’ experience engaging in an active lifestyle. While the ground-floor space is quiet and functional for exercise, the main-floor fitness center conveys vibrancy and a sense of community. It is a space to inspire residents to be active and champion a healthy lifestyle. The purpose of my comparison is not to bash ground-floor fitness centers, however; we have developed highly successful fitness programs in this exact environment. But if you have the means to move your fitness center to a more central location, it’s something to consider.

Moving the Fitness Center out of the Basement

Over the years, we have witnessed more and more clients bringing their fitness centers out of the basement or tucked-away spaces and positioning the fitness center as part of the central hub of activity alongside their dining venues and auditoriums. It isn’t just another room where people who like to exercise can go. It is in the forefront and inspires residents to go exercise!

This type of renovation can be easier said than done in finding the space, resources, and more to make this kind of transition happen. Even if you don’t have the resources at the moment to renovate or relocate your fitness center, there is plenty that communities can do to cultivate that inspiring and engaging environment. After all, we’ve seen some of the most beautiful, state-of-the-art fitness centers go underutilized without proper staffing support for residents.

Liven Up Your Fitness Space

Consider these three tips to liven up any fitness space.

• Staffing, staffing, staffing! Of course I’m going to beat this drum, but we’ve watched underutilized fitness centers from 800 square feet to 2,500 square feet blossom into lively and inviting spaces simply by adding qualified fitness staffing who build relationships with the residents and offer quality programs and services. Give your fitness center a personal connection and draw for residents.
• Give it a facelift: It’s always amazing what a coat of paint and fresh flooring can do for a space. If your space is lacking windows, make sure plenty of lighting is available and choose a light paint color.
• Update the small supplies: Sometimes the small supplies of dumbbells, stability balls, ankle weights, and so on can overrun a space and make it feel cluttered without proper storage solutions. Consider how these items are housed and consider making small investments in storage options or replacing items. A dumbbell rack with uniform weights, for example, is much sleeker than mismatched styles and colors you’ve accumulated over time.

If you are looking to give your space an upgrade or interested in more information on qualified staffing to champion your fitness program, contact the experts at NIFS.

NIFS has been partnering with Friendship Village Kalamazoo since 2015, when they opened their beautiful new Wellness Center. We recently heard an uplifting story from FV resident Kim Cummings regarding the impact the health and fitness program has had on his mobility and outlook on life.

Mr. Cummings has been an avid participant since joining the program in 2015, faithfully attending fitness classes two to three times a week and exercising in the Strength & Cardio Studio. NIFS Fitness Manager Alecia Dennis commented, “I love how Kim is always pushing himself to be better and stronger than yesterday. I am thankful that I am able to watch him flourish in all of his fitness endeavors. He truly is an inspiration to me and all of the residents here at Friendship Village!

We know the value our services bring to the residents and communities we serve, but it never gets old (ever) hearing directly from residents like Kim about their journey. Here is Kim’s inspiring story.

I came to Friendship Village regretting my ongoing dependence on a walker and lacking confidence in the Village’s fitness program. After eight months of our actual experience here, my perceptions radically changed. Having become a regular user of the fitness machines, now attending stretch and strength group classes two or three times a week, and now regularly walking our dog on the paved pathways surrounding the Village and its nearby woods, I’ve actually been able to ditch my walker and, though slowly, feel myself gaining additional strength.

I’ve also come to recognize the fitness program’s social function. The group classes, led by our zesty fitness manager, connect me with an ever-larger group of exercisers. None of us is terribly fit, but we all feel good about marching and stretching and pulling together. We just like coming together, grabbing our weights, finding a chair, and chatting with our neighbors. Likewise, when working out on the fitness machines, I find myself connecting with the individual exercising beside me. The machines are fun to work out on—they give one a sense of accomplishment and progress, but they also provide a great opportunity to introduce oneself to others.

A lover of the outdoors, I’ve also come to appreciate the Village’s accessible and attractive walking paths. I’ve particularly enjoyed my recent walks in the Village Woods (where, even in the winter, the paths are kept clear). I love getting to know the many different plantings and benches dedicated to past residents and to see the ongoing work of the Woods volunteers. Last week I spied a flock of migrating robins passing through the Woods and feasting on the crabapples planted along the side. Walking in the Woods reconnects me with nature and with the rich collective heritage of this Village community.

Freed from my walker and gaining strength, I feel that the fitness program and other aspects of Village life have added to my independence, enabling me to get around more easily. At the same time, it helps me get socially connected with other residents and stay connected with nature. I couldn’t ask for more.

Programs and events don't always turn out like we plan. Sometimes we misjudge interest, and sometimes we misjudge the timing or venue. In other cases, the program is well done, but we don't meet our goals because we didn't set the right target to begin with. We're managing close to 30 client fitness programs in senior living communities, so we're bound to miss the mark on a program here and there. What's important to me is that we learn from our missteps so that the next time we offer an initiative, it's a more complete program.

If you're looking for ways to continuously improve what you're offering to residents, check out our insights on a few programs below. For more on our process of goal setting and evaluating the programs we run, check out this blog.

Membership Drive Month

The Program and Goals:

Last April, Tim hosted a membership campaign to attract residents who were not members of the fitness center to join. Goals for the initiative were simple, as was the overall structure of the program. 

• Gain five new members during April
• Inspire each new member to attend at least one group fitness class during April

The fitness program at this client community is well-established with about 67% of the eligible residents already members of the fitness center. They regularly gain about five to six new members each month, so the focus of this program was a targeted outreach to long-standing residents who had not yet joined the fitness center. Tim believed that if he could get them in the door for orientation by lowering the barriers to joining AND inspire them to attend at least one group fitness class during the month they joined, those new members might be more active/engaged in the long run.

Tim set up "open orientations" for the month to create easier opportunities for non-members to attend. Despite issuing personal membership packet invitations to each of these residents, no one attended those orientation sessions, nor were any of the membership packets returned. While they did pick up five new members in the month, they all came from a pool of newer residents who had moved to the community recently. And of those five who joined, only one attended a class during April.

What we learned:

Sending invitations by community mail to non-members didn't generate a response, so future membership programs need to enlist a different outreach approach at this community. It is worth noting that we had a strong positive response to this very approach at a different client community. So if you operate multiple venues, you may need to adjust your approach per location.

2018 Winter Olympics

The Program and Goals: 

To capitalize on the winter games, Alyssa ran her own version of the Olympics for the residents in her Minnesota community. Her goals were tied directly back to fitness center membership and participation:

• Increase the number of total visit to 1,500 in February 2018 (the previous year, February visits had reached 1,125)
• Increase by 10% the number of members who reach the 5+ or 8+ visit per month categories
• Gain three new members during February 2018

Alyssa was able to achieve the total visits goal (1,705 visits in February 2018) and the membership goal (5 new members gained in February 2018). But she didn't reach the goal focused on frequent visitors (5+ or 8+ visits per month).

What we learned:

While Alyssa was quite successful at using her Olympics program to get a lot of people to use the fitness center, many of the elements of the program did not promote repeat visits. Additionally, many of the events occurred outside of the fitness center. (Click here to read Alyssa's reflection on teaching the residents new skills during her Olympics program.)

She received positive survey feedback from participants.

• 95% rated the program as excellent
• 75% noted the program was extremely well organized
• 85% said the program exceeded their expectations

In reality, the program itself was strong. But the goal focused on increasing frequent fitness center visits was probably the wrong aim. Future offerings like this that aren't specifically targeted to draw members into the fitness center will be created with different program goals in mind.

Want to find out more about how NIFS can provide this kind of smart, strategic programming to your residents?