Are Weight-Loss TV Shows Too Extreme?

On the heels of “The Biggest Loser” season finale, a new weight-loss reality TV show premiered Monday night: “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition.”
The new show (10 p.m. Eastern, 9 p.m. Central on ABC) chronicles eight morbidly obese people as they lose weight over the span of a year. The star of the show is trainer Chris Powell, who guides one individual per show through his or her struggles, both physically and emotionally.We touched on the topic of weight-loss reality TV shows last month in our praise of the fitness industry’s ties to TV, which included Anytime Fitness’ work on A&E’s “Heavy” as well as a note on one of Anytime’s trainers, Kelli Calabrese, who auditioned to replace Jillian Michaels as the head trainer on “The Biggest Loser.” (As you may know by now, that job went to Anna Kournikova, a curious choice given that her fame came as a tennis player.)
We were planning to address the recent wave of weight-loss reality shows until we saw this story written by Sandy Cohen of the Associated Press, which blew our idea out of the water. Cohen successfully lists all of the weight-loss reality shows currently on TV and presents a case study of the pros and cons of the genre.
This article and this topic raise a ton of questions: Do these shows paint the fitness industry in a positive light? Is this the best way to represent what personal trainers can do? Are these shows focusing too much on the morbidly obese? Are those individuals losing too much weight in too short of time? In short, are these shows too extreme?

Are Weight-Loss TV Shows Too Extreme?

On the heels of “The Biggest Loser” season finale, a new weight-loss reality TV show premiered Monday night: “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition.”
The new show (10 p.m. Eastern, 9 p.m. Central on ABC) chronicles eight morbidly obese people as they lose weight over the span of a year. The star of the show is trainer Chris Powell, who guides one individual per show through his or her struggles, both physically and emotionally.We touched on the topic of weight-loss reality TV shows last month in our praise of the fitness industry’s ties to TV, which included Anytime Fitness’ work on A&E’s “Heavy” as well as a note on one of Anytime’s trainers, Kelli Calabrese, who auditioned to replace Jillian Michaels as the head trainer on “The Biggest Loser.” (As you may know by now, that job went to Anna Kournikova, a curious choice given that her fame came as a tennis player.)
We were planning to address the recent wave of weight-loss reality shows until we saw this story written by Sandy Cohen of the Associated Press, which blew our idea out of the water. Cohen successfully lists all of the weight-loss reality shows currently on TV and presents a case study of the pros and cons of the genre.
This article and this topic raise a ton of questions: Do these shows paint the fitness industry in a positive light? Is this the best way to represent what personal trainers can do? Are these shows focusing too much on the morbidly obese? Are those individuals losing too much weight in too short of time? In short, are these shows too extreme?

Can a Health Club Fire It’s Members?

The thought of actually asking a member or client to leave your business spits right in the face of retention. However, a happy, productive membership base is more valuable than the problem members you face everyday.

Every business has one, the dreaded problem member. They spend more time complaining about the facility then they do working out and are constantly taking you and your staff’s time away from providing service to your core clients. This type of member represents somewhere around 2 percent of your membership base, and assuming you have done everything reasonably possible to satisfy these members needs inherently — there are always a few that just cannot be satisfied. Word of mouth marketing is the leading driver of small business growth and in the case of your membership base; one bad apple can really spoil the bunch.

Did you know that a patron who feels they are under serviced will tell eight times more people than someone who feels they are well serviced? Now, just think of all the times these “bad apples” in your club have felt under serviced and how many different people they would have told. When you identify a member whose demands cannot be reasonably satisfied by your service, then your service is not for that member. In most cases, you will be able to transfer that member to another facility close by to make sure their fitness goals are still met, but taking a stand and protecting your business and staff from these “bad apples” will benefit you in the long run.

Can a Health Club Fire It’s Members?

The thought of actually asking a member or client to leave your business spits right in the face of retention. However, a happy, productive membership base is more valuable than the problem members you face everyday.

Every business has one, the dreaded problem member. They spend more time complaining about the facility then they do working out and are constantly taking you and your staff’s time away from providing service to your core clients. This type of member represents somewhere around 2 percent of your membership base, and assuming you have done everything reasonably possible to satisfy these members needs inherently — there are always a few that just cannot be satisfied. Word of mouth marketing is the leading driver of small business growth and in the case of your membership base; one bad apple can really spoil the bunch.

Did you know that a patron who feels they are under serviced will tell eight times more people than someone who feels they are well serviced? Now, just think of all the times these “bad apples” in your club have felt under serviced and how many different people they would have told. When you identify a member whose demands cannot be reasonably satisfied by your service, then your service is not for that member. In most cases, you will be able to transfer that member to another facility close by to make sure their fitness goals are still met, but taking a stand and protecting your business and staff from these “bad apples” will benefit you in the long run.

Health Clubs Join Forces to Celebrate Memorial Day!

In the most general sense, Memorial Day commemorates U.S. citizens who died at war—the servicemen and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we may maintain the quality of life we have today. Let’s take the time to remember them this weekend and celebrate their lives and what they’ve contributed to ours.

But let’s also remember our servicemen and women every day. Those who return from war have needs that extend beyond the comforts of home and family. They need a place to belong. For some returning from war, their health is all they have. Now, club owners have a chance to make a difference in the lives of active military and their families through the IHRSA Joining Forces Network.

As part of the national initiative, Joining Forces—which mobilizes all sectors of society to aid military men, women, and families—IHRSA has issued a nationwide call to action to health club operators. By joining the IHRSA Joining Forces Network, your health club will aid military families by opening the door to a healthy lifestyle.

CALL TO ACTION:

On June 1st, the program will be available to military personnel and their families through www.healthclubs.com, where they can search for participating clubs in their area. IHRSA members in the IHRSA Joining Forces Network will offer free memberships to immediate family members (ages 13 and older, where applicable) of actively deployed reservists and National Guard members.

If you’re looking to give back to your community in a way that makes a difference in the lives of military families, what better way than to give them the gift of health?

Will these families be able to find your club on the list?

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