When Resolutions Fail, the Exercise Enforcers Step In (Exercise-Gyms)

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When Resolutions Fail, the Exercise Enforcers Step In

By ABBY ELLIN

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/25/fashion/25Fitness.html?

JUDY McMILLIN used to be a perennial quitter. Every January, gym-

going would become her new favorite hobby, and then, poof, she would

abandon it. " I just did not grow up exercising or enjoying it, " said

Ms. McMillin, 57, a homemaker in Dallas.

Judy McMillin of Dallas overcame gym avoidance with the help of a

paid fitness buddy.

If someone had told her that partnering up with a college kid would

be the silver bullet, she would have laughed. But having a sidekick

accompany her twice a week to strength-training did make the gym

less daunting; no longer was she alone in a sea of spandex-clad know-

it-alls.

And she appreciated how her fitness buddy, Prochaska (an

exercise science major paid to encourage members), suggested

swimming and Pilates and gave her exactly the push she needed.

" I told her, `I need you to really pump me up and encourage me, call

me and brag on me and really help me because this is not my favorite

thing to do,' " Ms. McMillin said. " And she did. "

This matchmaking is a come-on where Ms. McMillin exercises, the

7,000-member Baylor Tom Landry Fitness Center in Dallas.

Participants pay a $200 deposit; if they attend at least 12

appointments in six weeks, they get their $200 back. As an added

incentive, the intern phones them if they don't show up.

With habitual renouncers like Ms. McMillin in mind, a handful of gym

owners and health club managers have devised innovative ways to

create brand loyalty as they turn gym dodgers into gym rats. The

thinking is basic: members are more likely to show up if they feel

someone cares.

Personal trainers, the original exercise truant officers, have

spawned a whole new level of prodding. Now clubs coddle members with

advisers to help them choose suitable yoga classes, frequent-flyer-

type programs that track progress and award prizes, telephone calls

to the lackadaisical to see what's come between them and the stair

climber, and even home visits to bring quitters back into the fold.

" We're going to see clubs do more hand-holding in the future, " said

Pamela Kufahl, the editor of Fitness Business Pro, a publication for

health club owners. Only about 16 percent of Americans belong to a

health club, she said, and those people tend to be the already fit.

That leaves 80 percent presumably lolling about, ripe for the

picking.

Health club owners may worry about their customers' bottoms, but are

most concerned with their own bottom line. " They see there is this

huge population out there that's untapped, " Ms. Kufahl said, " and

they want to bring them in. "

January is the time to do it, because that's when out-of-shape first-

timers or recliner recidivists gather their courage and walk in the

door. About 12.5 percent of annual memberships are purchased this

month, compared to 7.7 percent in November, according to the

International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association in Boston.

While it may seem curious that gyms would go all out to ensure that

members show up (as opposed to those who pay but don't), it makes a

lot of sense, said Rick Caro, the president of Management Vision in

Manhattan, a consultant to health clubs.

" The clubs now realize that if they satisfy that member they can

provide additional services and charge more per month in the

future, " Mr. Caro said. Also, he added, it's more expensive to

acquire a new member than to serve an old one.

The idea of exercise enforcers may also seem strange to the more

disciplined among us. " You're hiring someone else to make you work, "

said Micki McGee, the author of " Self-Help, Inc.: Makeover Culture

in American Life " (Oxford, 2005). " It follows the same social

schematic as hiring a personal coach or job coach — it's

externalizing the voice of authority. It's a feature of late

modernity that this is how we operate. "

But for the anxious novice, an encouraging voice may make the

difference between opting in or opting out. That's why two years

ago, Yoga Works, a chain of 15 studios in California and New York,

started an adviser program to help the unenlightened distinguish

Iyengar from Ashtanga.

" People would come in and be intimidated, " said Phil Swain, the

chief executive. " They'd see some dude with his foot behind his head

and get a weird vibe instead of coming in and hearing someone

say, `Hello, can I help you?' " Now advisers work with students by

phone, e-mail or in person to find the right level, style and

teacher.

Nass of Los Angeles, 39, an importer, had long felt that people

who weren't flexible (him) should not attempt yoga. But after a half-

hour consultation with , an adviser at Yoga Works, he

began attending a 90-minute beginner class.

Daily. At 6:15 a.m.

He's been at it for 10 days and plans to continue after his $25 two-

week trial. " They were so good in welcoming me, " said Mr. Nass, who

convinced a friend to join him.

Clients at yoga studios and gyms want to know that someone cares if

they fall off the wagon — or the treadmill. The top two reasons

people leave clubs are because they did not have an exercise partner

and because a favorite staff person left, according to a 1998

sportsclub association study.

" The bottom line is accountability, " said la Filippi, an

exercise physiologist in Wayne, Ill. She likens new gym programs to

weigh-ins at Weight Watchers meetings.

The staff at the Gym, a 1,300-member center in Manhattan, goes so

far as to escort clients to the elliptical machine. Three times a

week at 6 a.m., Santos, a trainer there, picks up Donna

Flagg, 42, at her apartment and walks her to her hourlong

workout. " The hardest thing for people is that 10 minutes of getting

there, " Ms. Flagg said. " It's easier to have someone come get me. "

Virtual coaches offer some measure of accountability, too. About 700

facilities nationwide use FitLinxx, a computerized system that

attaches to gym equipment and tracks clients' progress. Members

receive e-mail reports on pounds lifted, calories burned and other

statistics. Clubs that use FitLinxx usually cut their dropout rates

by about 16 percent, said Crampton, the company's chief

executive.

There are even pats on the head for out-of-gym exercise. Spectrum

Athletic Clubs, a chain in California and Texas, rewards everything

from jogging to lawn mowing. Members are given pedometers; a Web

site calculates how many " miles " an activity is worth. For pedometer-

proof activities like rowing and swimming, the club uses an honor

system.

Participants can earn up to $250 in gift cards from retailers like

Bloomingdale's. But the program's goal is to motivate members " to

remain active and committed for more than 90 days, " said

s, Spectrum's chief executive.

Why would a mad dash after miles or points foster exercise success

or club loyalty? " You're trying to establish a routine for people

and allowing natural reoccurring reinforcers — the good things you

get from going to the gym — to kick in, " said H. Reiner, the

director of Behavioral Associates, a cognitive behavioral therapy

institute in Manhattan. " Anything that you associate with something

pleasurable " is likely to be repeated, he said. " That's what creates

brand loyalty. "

Ms. McMillin, the reluctant gym-goer in Dallas, never missed a

meeting because she wanted her $200 back — and because her buddy

kept after her.

Lucky for the gym, she soon turned her gratitude into green. She

works out with a personal trainer twice a week at $60 a session, and

also sees a $75 Pilates instructor once a week. On other days, she

runs on the treadmills, finally making use of her $176-a-month

membership (that's for her and her husband).

About 30 Landry Center members participated in two such programs

last year, with a 100 percent retention rate so far, said

Tompkins, the assistant managing director.

" They appreciate the fact that someone notices them, " Mr. Tompkins

said. " It's nice to be involved with such a large facility and have

everybody know your name. "