Technology Is Infiltrating the Fitness Facility Ecosystem

 Fitness experts cannot manage to pay for to disregard generation’s effect on customer relationships. Activity trackers, apps and other health and health monitoring gadgets are developing more famous by means of the day. Indeed, the American College of Sports Medicine reports that wearable technology is the top health fashion of 2016 (Thompson 2015).

Experts agree that consumers are adopting fitness era quicker than trainers, facilities and device manufacturers are. “Most clubs now have the concept that their individuals, customers and potentialities are getting extra tech-savvy, no matter demographics,” observes Tony Nicholson, MBA, director of digital, wearable tech and well-being projects at Anytime Fitness® corporate headquarters in Hastings, Minnesota. “The assignment some golf equipment are going through is they’re ‘overdue to the celebration’: They don’t have the sources or hobby to adopt or adapt, or they certainly don’t see the fashion that’s at once in front of them. @ inspireehealth

Experts agree that a few fitness experts fear that era can also replace their services, which makes those execs hesitant to simply accept new gadgets and software. But that does not alternate the fact that customers are swiftly adopting health technology. This obliges personal trainers, gymnasium managers and studio owners to parent out the way to combine clients’ high-tech conduct into their in-facility studies.

Fitness facility managers can do a lot to embody consumer tastes and enhance their locations’ technology ecosystems. Options include closed proprietary systems, cell apps, networking and networked system—and combinations of these. Let’s take a look at some of the selections.

Technology Options for Fitness Facilities

Owners and bosses mustn’t permit the tech alternatives distract from what subjects most. Bryan K. O’Rourke, president of the Fitness Industry Technology Council in Covington, Louisiana, urges choice makers to keep in mind that generation ought to

no longer

be their first consideration: “Integration isn't the answer,” he advises. “Integration is most effective a device.” Catherine Kolbeck, president of Red Whisk Creative in St. Louis, adds this: “No be counted what the era, it’s nevertheless about the individuals’ revel in after they walk inside the door.”

While you’re preserving that during thoughts, right here are some groups that offer facility-based gear:

• Netpulse

creates customizable mobile apps for health facilities. These apps can encompass billing features, class schedules, integration of famous customer fitness apps, hobby monitoring devices just like the Fitbit® and Jawbone® UP™, in-facility packages and promotions, and greater.

The machine is designed to help health facilities make bigger their logo and interact members. For example, Orangetheory® Fitness, Gold’s Gym and Australia-primarily based Goodlife Health Clubs use Netpulse.

• ECOFIT Networks

uses wireless connectivity to collect utilization data from system sold by way of essential cardio device producers. The generation permits fitness facilities to control device, accumulate utilization records and upload exercise information to customers’ bodily interest statistics.

ECOFIT is a accomplice of Netpulse, and single facilities can undertake both systems.

• Technogym®’s mywellness® cloud

is a cloud-primarily based answer the use of a cellular app or a Web-based platform to allow users integrate equipment including these: popular fitness and wellbeing apps; monitoring devices like Fitbit, Polar®, Garmin® and Withings®; workouts on Technogym equipment; social media and enjoyment options like Netflix® and popular games; and fitness facility packages and promotions.

“For instance, many individuals put on Fitbits,” says Tony Kowalczyk, Technogym’s western states director in San Diego. “The well-being cloud allows the facility to tie that usage in. The membership or instructor can ship messages to members approximately their pastime [with the Fitbit] . . . To cater to participants’ needs for what they’re doing not handiest inside the facility, but additionally out of doors. Another famous use of the platform has been for health demanding situations. Members can see on the leaderboard who is most lively, and from that they can encourage every other. It’s a amazing network-building device.

“The mywellness cloud also allows for customization. For example, signing in on a chunk of our device brings up your non-public panel, which includes your social media money owed and your favourite video games and enjoyment channels, as well as a record of your personalised exercising programs. It’s a catered revel in.”

Benefits of Technology Solutions

Before figuring out which systems to enforce, fitness facility proprietors and managers need to evaluate their needs and budgets, after which outline what they want to accomplish with technology and the records it creates. Benefits of health facility technologies encompass the following:

• Tech-friendly billing and scheduling.

Netpulse points out that 80% of fitness center individuals bring a smartphone—and that 62% of all Internet access takes place on a mobile tool (Netpulse 2015). Features like online bill-charge and scheduling entice tech-oriented customers and make it easier for those human beings to have interaction with the ability. MINDBODY®, any other popular studio answer, allows Web- and app-based magnificence scheduling, bills and communications, amongst other functions.

• Improved conversation and member engagement.

Clare McKenna, government director of the North Orange County Family YMCA in Fullerton, California, makes use of the Technogym answer. “Technology is a game changer that separates us from other health facilities and, greater importantly, places us in touch with our participants’ wishes,” McKenna states. “Members are more aware of what is going on in the facility. It’s the new manner to speak in the health world.” Fitness centers can use era to push notifications to individuals, provide promotions and unfold application information.

• Accurate utilization records.

Data from networked machines can inform facility proprietors precisely what is getting used and while, enabling them to add famous machines and drop the unused ones. Managers also can tune software participation and workout facts. As Kolbeck puts it, “If you can’t degree it, you can’t control it. All of these analytics offer an opportunity to improve and personalize the member revel in.”

• More custom designed programming.

“We have determined to satisfy our individuals where they’re at,” shares Nicholson, who's enforcing a solution to function many as 3,000 Anytime Fit-ness locations international. His group is building a hub with statistics approximately participants’ workouts both inside and out of the fitness facility. The hub also tracks eating and nonworkout hobby, and it connects with leaders in wearable tech, health and wellbeing cellular apps and nutrients. “Our center business continues to be approximately excessive pastime,” explains Nicholson. By creating a centered strategy and mixing in accountability and motivation, “we believe we have some thing remarkable that produces the effects our contributors choice,” he provides.

• Community constructing.

Technology gear can foster exercise gamification; they can also sell friendly competition that motivates and rewards contributors and builds community. For example, the MyZone® tracking device—attached to a chest strap— transmits heart rate, calories and attempt in actual time to a live show and to a user’s app. Fitness centers are the usage of MyZone to create competitions amongst people of various health stages—the use of character effort levels as the metric. In different phrases, a person who's new to fitness and working at seventy five% of effort might be tied with a fit athlete who's also working at 75%.

• Improved retention.

Originally, fitness era passed expectancies because it created retention, McKenna recalls. “We used demanding situations strategically to preserve individuals at some point of dips. What continues to wonder us is the opposition among members, as well as with other branches, that has accelerated the experience of team spirit at our department.”

Technology Challenges

Experts agree that facility leaders ought to think carefully before finding out which technology to undertake. Here are some of the ones challenges:

• The “walled garden.”

Some specialists fear that facilities and system producers are turning towards closed circuits that use best proprietary gadgets and/or maintain all of the purchaser’s information inside proprietary structures. For example, certain apps created through health centers permit person information to be stored most effective inside the facility’s app. O’Rourke cautions, “It’s critical for brands to evaluate the issues of actually

open

structures.” Experts notice that it’s no longer probably that facilities might be able to “preserve” their customers’ reviews. People need to use their own information in their own approaches. In addition, if proprietary monitoring devices are required, centers ought to decide how to manipulate the charges related to those.

• Data overload.

Once health centers collect huge amounts of facts, what will they do with it? Will contributors use the data on their own, or will running shoes use it in concert with customers? Can it come to be every other source of sales?

• Privacy.

Data series raises privateness concerns. Monitoring gadgets can track sports, sleep, heart fee and other biometric records, and GPS gadgets can pick out places. As health facilities gather and preserve technological data, they need to address privateness and protection troubles. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse has written a beneficial white paper approximately the privacy risks associated with health apps (PRC 2013).

Here’s how one health facility addresses these challenges: “We provide loose and open Wi-Fi, and we've supplied workshops to educate customers about which techno-health devices are excellent for them,” explains Gayle Winegar, president of Sweatshop Health Club, a 14,000-rectangular-foot facility in St. Paul, Minnesota, that provides institution and personal schooling. “Our running shoes then work with customers, who accumulate their personal records. We don’t gather the statistics. We use technology to assist get higher outcomes for our clients. We are on the simple facet of the equation.”

The User Experience and the Facility Experience

There’s no question that era is affecting how the health industry does commercial enterprise. Customer expectations are changing, new customer reports are viable, and the relationship among customers and trainers is evolving. As generation stimulates extra patron interest in non-public health and bodily activity, fitness facilities have an interesting opportunity to reach and assist these human beings.

“Don’t be indignant about alternate,” urges O’Rourke. “It’s here. The backside line is that the client goes to rule. Brands need to be considerate about the use of generation in a continuing way to acquire what. READ MORE. @ technnologylimited