Facilities are incorporating wellness spaces into their building designs, such as this room at Lakeshore Athletic Club in Broomfield, CO. Photo courtesy of Power Wellness.

The term wellness has been in and out of vogue in the fitness industry during the past 25 years, but now wellness and alternative health programs are gaining increased acceptance, not only with the public, but also with the traditional medical community.

In fact, the National Marketing Institute's (NMI) Top 10 Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability Trends for 2009 listed "alternative" as a top trend that officially has gone mainstream.

"With the increased usage of alternative health care practices, physicians, insurers, employers and consumers are embracing a more preventative approach to health," NMI says. "From alternative fuels to alternative apparel, choices and options challenging the status quo across industries are being embraced."

Mirroring that trend, many fitness facilities are embracing wellness again, and using a holistic approach to combat the obesity epidemic, as well as soaring member stress rates triggered by the economy. Clubs are finding they can position themselves as a necessity, even in troubled times, with a variety of fitness, nutritional, mind/body and social programs.

"Wellness is a future place of growth for fitness clubs that can help their business stay alive," says Donna Hutchinson of On the Edge Fitness Educators in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. "I think wellness is not a new concept, but the way it applies to the fitness industry now is that people are finally starting to get that it's not just about how I look, but also about things like brain health and spirituality."

Mike Alpert, president and CEO of the Claremont Club, Claremont, CA, agrees. In addition to a full-service day spa, Alpert's club includes medical rehabilitation facilities operated in conjunction with local hospitals.

"Wellness is something that I've always believed in as an owner/operator of a club, and even now in my new role," Alpert says. "And today with the economy the way it is, the obesity epidemic and rising health care costs, wellness is really coming into its own."

While the term wellness means different things to different people, Melissa Baumgartner of Midwest Fitness Consulting LLC, St. Louis, MO, says wellness encompasses seven dimensions: social, spiritual, intellectual, emotional, environmental, physical and vocational. (See "The Seven Dimensions of Wellness" article for more information.) From her perspective as a fitness trainer and wellness coach, Baumgartner also sees a shift in focus ahead for the fitness industry.

"To me, fitness is a very small piece of overall wellness. Fitness is physical activity and exercise, while wellness includes social, spiritual and even vocational aspects," Baumgartner says. "A fitness professional tells their client what to do with a fitness plan, but that hasn't been working if you look at the obesity epidemic. But if we shift the paradigm and ask clients what they want to do, we can make a plan together to create a permanent lifestyle change."

However, to truly be a wellness resource, clubs must have more than a token yoga class or other programming, Hutchinson says. She notes that when things get tough, people tend to see their fitness memberships as unnecessary expenses.

"If a business is going to understand wellness, they really need to embody it, not just have programming," Hutchinson says. "For instance, when someone walks in the door, they should be treated well and get the same feeling they would when they walk into a spa. It just feels good."

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© 2012 Penton Media Inc.