Since its inception in 2005, Fitness Anywhere has been dedicated to empowering people to cultivate health, wellness and functional fitness with its TRX® Suspension TrainerTM. As part of that mission, Fitness Anywhere continually strives to make every aspect of its business as green as possible. Just as Fitness Anywhere is committed to improving its customers' quality of life through its health and fitness products and programs, it aims to enhance the quality of the environment as well. The TRX Suspension Trainer has been broadly adopted in fitness and sports training scenarios from the amateur level to the elite, and it has fundamentally changed the way people think about training.
"We want to extend that innovation into the way people think about our planet," says Fitness Anywhere CEO and founder Randy Hetrick.
It's a lofty ambition, but Fitness Anywhere has developed and implemented a broad range of green initiatives that encompass virtually every aspect of its business. From the materials used to manufacture and package the TRX Suspension Trainer and other Fitness Anywhere products, to recycling, energy and water conservation at its global headquarters, the company has demonstrated a strong commitment to doing its part to build a healthier, greener planet.
If TRX users ever put in enough time Suspension Training® to completely wear out the product, they don't have to send their spent TRXs to the city dump. Through its 'Releashing' program, Fitness Anywhere collects worn out TRX suspension trainers and has them reworked and recycled into dog leashes.
"The leashes are strong and durable enough to use on your Great Dane," Hetrick says.
Fitness Anywhere donates the recycled leashes to SPCAs and dog groomers to give back to the community.
The cornerstone of Fitness Anywhere's environmental commitment is the design of the TRX Suspension Trainer itself. The TRX is the original bodyweight-based, portable training tool that requires no electricity to use. TRX users generate all of the power themselves, resulting in an exceptionally effective, and 100 percent green, training session every workout. The TRX is made out of industrial-quality nylon and comes with cutting-edge DVDs and guides. The guides were originally laminated, but as part of its green initiative, the company switched the guides to a recyclable Polypropylene format in the summer of 2008. The original TRX packaging was plastic but in October 2009, Fitness Anywhere evolved to green packaging for the TRX. It now comes in a 100 percent recycled cardboard box.
"Our collateral materials are 100 percent post-consumer recycled, and we use soy-based inks," Hetrick says.
The company's environmental commitment encompasses many aspects of its global headquarters in San Francisco as well. When Fitness Anywhere created the TRX Training Center below the headquarters office, it was built following green practices and LEED standards.
"The TRX Training Center used recycled building materials throughout the construction," says Hetrick. "We changed all of the old T-12 lighting in the office and training center to T-8s, which reduced our carbon emissions by 58,539 pounds per year."
The Training Center also features low-flow shower heads and high-pressure toilets, which save about 86,000 gallons of water per year.
In the office at Fitness Anywhere global headquarters, the company employs environmentally friendly practices, including recycling. Paper, plastic and all of the other usual suspects are recycled. But Fitness Anywhere takes recycling a step further and also recycles batteries, ink toners, and used DVDs. When the company purchases products and supplies for the office, it chooses those made from recycled materials. Fitness Anywhere also consciously chooses vendors who use minimal packaging themselves and follow environmentally friendly practices.
Fitness Anywhere's commitment to the environment extends into numerous other aspects of the company's day-to-day operation.
"We have reduced our paper files by virtually eliminating our fax machine," Hetrick says.
The company has also reduced its VOC and toxic emissions by choosing to use naturally derived cleaning products. As a member of the PG&E Climate Smart Program, Fitness Anywhere runs a climate neutral business to reduce the company's impact on global warming pollution.
In aggregate, Fitness Anywhere's conscious approach to seeking out green solutions for every aspect of its business wherever possible adds up to make a big difference that reflects the company's overall commitment to health, fitness and wellness.
"It's important to support healthy living," Hetrick says. "If you take the time to think about your impact on the environment, you want to make sure you are not inhibiting opportunities for others in the future."
Fitness Anywhere Inc. produces and sells Suspension Training® equipment and programs to trainers, clubs, athletes, military and fitness enthusiasts. Suspension Training bodyweight exercise develops strength, balance, flexibility and core stability simultaneously. It requires the use of the TRX® Suspension Trainer™, a highly portable performance training tool that leverages gravity and the user's body weight to enable hundreds of exercises for every fitness goal.
Fitness Anywhere is an advertiser in the February 2010 issue of Club Industry magazine and the Feb. 16, 2010, Going Green Special Report e-newsletter.