Life Time Earnings Up in Second Quarter
Membership growth and in-center revenue led Lifetime Fitness to a 33 percent increase in second quarter earnings, according to financials filed by the company today with the Securities and Exchange Commission. ...
The Fitness Company Files for Chapter 11
WILMINGTON, DE – A fitness chain has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and it’s not Bally Total Fitness. The Fitness Company (TFC), which opened its first club in 1981, filed Chapter 11 petitions earlier this month in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware....
West Cook YMCA’s Purchase Postponed
OAK PARK, IL -- The West Cook YMCA’s purchase of 7.7 acres in Forest Park, IL, for $4.3 million was recently postponed. According to the West Cook YMCA’s Web site, the Y hopes to create a $19 million, 65,000-square-foot facility that will include two indoor swimming pools, an indoor track, basketball and volleyball courts, multipurpose meeting rooms for dance and fitness classes, a cardio and weight training center for adults, and a family activity center with interactive equipment and educational materials for youth and families. ...
Follow the Leader: Sailors Pass Fitness Test
NEWPORT NEWS, VA -- Through the healthy-living example of one command fitness leader (CFL), 96 percent of the sailors on the pre-commissioning unit (PCU) George H.W. Bush passed the Navy’s Spring Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA). ...
Healthy Workforce Act Introduced
WASHINGTON, DC – Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) recently introduced legislation that could encourage businesses to implement workplace wellness programs for their employees....
24 Hour Reaches 24 Years
SAN RAMON, CA – 24 Hour Fitness is celebrating the 24th anniversary of its first club opening. ...
Celebrity Fitness Trainer Faces Legal Troubles in Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS – Tracy Anderson, a fitness trainer to celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna, is the subject of an investigation in the state of Indiana....
Texas School to Open Rec Center to Faculty, Alumni, Families
AUSTIN, TX – The University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) recreation center, which is scheduled to open this fall, could have professors, alumni and families of students working out alongside UTPA students, The Brownsville (TX) Herald reported....
Weight Warriors Drop Pounds at Hurlburt Field Air Force Base
HURLBURT FIELD, FL -- More than 50 active duty service members, civilians, retirees and dependents participated in the second annual Weight Warriors program at Hurlburt Field Air Force Base (AFB) in Florida. Based on the popular reality television series “The Biggest Loser,” the program helped participants develop regular fitness and healthy eating habits. ...
Bally Secures Extensions Through July 31
CHICAGO – Bally Total Fitness has secured extensions of existing forbearance arrangements until July 31 from beneficial holders of a majority of its 9 7/8 percent senior subordinated notes due 2007 and its 10 1/2 percent senior notes due 2011 as well as from the lenders under its $284 million senior secured credit facility, the company announced today....
Mukilteo YMCA Breaks Ground on Expansion
EVERETT, WA -- More than 500 people celebrated as the Mukilteo Family YMCA, a branch of the YMCA of Snohomish County in Mukilteo, WA, broke ground July 11 on its 14,000-square-foot expansion. ...
Noted Fitness Researcher Dies
PALO ALTO, CA – Dr. Ralph S. Paffenbarger Jr., a medical professor and researcher whose study of the connection between exercise and longevity impacted the modern physical fitness movement, has died. He was 84. ...
JCC Maccabi Games to Celebrate 25th Anniversary
NEW YORK -- Nearly 5,000 coaches and Jewish athletes from across the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Israel, the United Kingdom and Venezuela will convene at three sites in August to take part in the 25th anniversary JCC Maccabi Games, an Olympic-style athletic competition. Host communities include Houston (Aug. 5-10), Baltimore (Aug. 5-9) and Orange County, CA (Aug. 12-17). ...
Crunch Names New CEO
NEW YORK – Tim Miller, who has nearly 20 years experience as a hotel executive, is the new chief executive officer of Crunch Fitness, the club chain announced today....
Upgrades Planned at University of Hawaii
HONOLULU – The campus center at the University of Hawaii will receive a makeover, according to Honolulu TV station KGMB9....
Titan to Team with Gold’s Gym
DALLAS – Titan Fitness Holdings announced today that it is in the process of closing on funding that would allow it to become one of the largest franchise owners of Gold’s Gym locations in the United States....
Shareholders Propose New Plan for Bally
CHICAGO – Liberation Investment Group, the second-largest shareholder of Bally Total Fitness which last month threatened to sue Bally over its pre-packaged Chapter 11 reorganization plan, has come up with an alternative reorganization plan....
Study Says It's Never Too Late to Reduce Heart Disease Risk
CHARLESTON, SC – The old saying "better late than never" really is true when it comes to healthy lifestyle behaviors. People 45 to 64 years old who added new healthy lifestyle behaviors could substantially reduce their risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and reduce their death rate, according to a study published in the July 2007 issue of The American Journal of Medicine. ...
Scam Involves YMCA's Name, Could Affect Fund-raising
SOUTHINGTON, CT -- Two teens used YMCA fund-raising as a ruse in a scam and could face fraud charges if caught, according to WFSB 3, a television station in Hartford, CT. ...
Branches Come Together to Host Special Olympics
KADENA AIR BASE, JAPAN -- More than 1,500 volunteers from different branches of the U.S. military and the local community helped with the 2007 Special Olympic Games, held for the eighth consecutive year at Kadena Air Base (AB) in Japan. ...
Bally Reports Revenue Increase
CHICAGO – Revenue for 2006 increased by 6 percent for Bally Total Fitness, according to its 2006 financials and annual report, but that won’t be enough to stave off the company’s planned Chapter 11 filing. ...
New Jersey Governor Signs Sales Tax Exemption Bill
TRENTON, NJ – New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine signed a bill today that would exempt the initiation fees, membership fees and dues charged by nonprofit health and fitness clubs from the state’s 7 percent sales tax. ...
FTC Franchise Rule to Take Effect July 1
WASHINGTON, DC -- Revisions to the federal Franchise Rule will take effect on July 1, but the changes won’t become mandatory until July 1, 2008, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC’s Franchise Rule has been in place since 1978 to offer potential franchisees the information they need to weigh the risks and benefits of investment in a franchise. ...
Study: Fitness Wages Above the U.S. Hourly Standard
SAN DIEGO -- Fitness industry wages are generally well above the U.S. hourly standard, according to IDEA Health and Fitness’ 2006 Fitness Compensation Survey, released this month....
Bally Begins Soliciting Approvals for Chapter 11 Plan
CHICAGO – Bally Total Fitness announced today that it has commenced the formal process of soliciting approvals for a prepackaged Chapter 11 plan of reorganization from holders of the company’s 10 ½ percent senior notes due 2011 and the 9 7/8 senior subordinated notes due 2007. The voting agent must receive votes on the reorganization plan no later than 4 p.m. EDT on July 27, unless the deadline is extended....
