Targeted Wellness

Targeting wellness programming to specific demographics is a great way to build loyal members and develop a sense of community. To assist her aging population, Peggy Buchanan, director of fitness and aquatics at Vista del Monte Retirement Community in Santa Barbara, CA, and senior spokesperson for IDEA, includes programming designed to prevent falls, improve posture and re-engage deactivated muscles. Buchanan says her facility is one of the first in Santa Barbara to use the Redcord program.

"Redcord is a therapeutic approach to activating deactivated muscles to reduce pain," she says. "The whole concept is based on suspension on red cords. They do a quick assessment to see which muscles aren't activated. Then they can pinpoint and reactivate those muscles, usually in one to four sessions."

The Redcord program was developed in Norway and was designed to improve the interaction between the brain, receptors and muscles. It uses slings and elastic cords in a neuromuscular activation treatment program to strengthen patients' muscles and enhance passive range of motion.

Almaden Valley Athletic Club in San Jose, CA, features a More Chiropractic and Rehabilitation clinic onsite to help members improve range of motion.

"We've had a More clinic for about five years," says MaryAnn Smith, wellness director at Almaden Valley. "The gentleman in charge of it is both a chiropractor and a physical therapist who integrates his program into a fitness routine. Then, we turn them over to our trainers."

Although most of the clients at the More clinic are already Almaden Valley members, Smith organizes other non-gym related wellness activities for the club that serve as member outreach.

"We include activities, trips and lectures in our programming to help people get their brains working, as well as their bodies," she says. "We did a holiday train ride in December through Niles Canyon, and when we do things like that, members bring their friends and it becomes more like outreach."

More traditional wellness amenities, such as day spas, also serve as new member outreach, Alpert notes.

"At any given time, 53 to 56 percent of the people that use our day spa are not members, but we do get crossover from people who become members, not only from our spa, but also from our summer camps and swimming programs," Alpert says.

The Claremont Club also works with area hospitals on physical therapy programs, including a spinal cord injury program for nonmembers. But working with the medical community can take time to get started, he notes.

"We've worked really hard for 11 years to make strategic alliances with the medical community," Alpert says. "We work with three hospitals and several physicians in the community. It takes a long time to establish these relationships, but it's a great source for referrals."

Power Wellness also works with the medical community. Ellis says that outreach efforts must be about programs with proven results to impress doctors and hospitals.

"We're finding that even among traditional medical associations there's a growing awareness that wellness programs have a positive effect on people," Ellis says. "We offer them evidence-based programs that have been shown through outcome-based data to have positive outcomes for people."

To connect with the medical community, Ellis says his company does one-on-one marketing to show them how a wellness approach can positively affect patients. His company also employs direct mail marketing, radio ads and traditional advertising to reach its target audience. However, he notes that many of the facilities they work with serve Baby Boomers, who generally have a higher level of education that may contribute to an interest in wellness.

The wellness program at Almaden Valley originally began as a senior citizen outreach program, then expanded to include a broader population, like Baby Boomers.

"In 2001, the owners of Almaden Valley asked me if I would start a senior wellness program that we've since expanded to include everybody," Smith says. "Baby Boomers don't want to consider themselves seniors."

To spread the word about wellness programs, Smith employs targeted e-mails, as well as e-bulletins and a wellness bulletin board in the lobby.

Although incorporating wellness into a club's programming may seem daunting, Baumgartner notes that many clubs already are doing so without being aware of it.

"I think that a lot of gyms have a wellness program in place; they just don't think to call it that," she says. "Gyms have a physical piece of the puzzle, but maybe they also have a book club that speaks to the intellectual side of wellness, or schedule a yoga class that addresses the spiritual side, or a recycling program that's the environmental piece."

Whether a club needs to expand existing wellness programs, or start from scratch, offering members a well-rounded approach to fitness and wellness can cement their memberships as "must have" expenses, even during a recession.

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