Jan 9, 2007 3:05 PM
Lifestyle Medicine: Essentials For Improving The Health Of Your Club
6. Personal training. Personal training has become just that – personal. Things have definitely changed for the better. It’s no longer just about training to get bigger biceps or complete a marathon, although those are not necessarily narrow goals.
Personal training programs are including aspects of life coaching, also known as health coaching. The more your trainers know and truly understand their clients, the better able they will be to offer appropriate guidance for the client. There are many opportunities here.
7. Dietitians. Although the ideal would be to have a dietitian on staff, most clubs simply cannot afford this in their budget. You can, however, find a qualified dietitian who will work on a per diem basis and/or via a contract. I think the day will come when many/most clubs will include a dietitian as part of their staff and look back and wonder why they didn’t do it sooner. Until that day comes, be careful not to have your trainers work outside their scope of practice when discussing nutrition with their clients. It’s better to be safe than sorry by referring to a dietitian.
8. Medical director. It would be ideal as well to have a medical director on your staff. This physician will serve as your champion, and guide you and offer advice to help you fulfill your lifestyle-medicine mission.
If you can’t find that person, don’t despair. There are many qualified physicians, who are probably already using your club, willing to serve in that capacity. You just have to seek them out.
9. Equipment and facility design. Do you ever wonder whether or not your equipment is suited for specific patient needs? You should be. Most exercise equipment I’ve seen will not accommodate people over 400 pounds. And sadly, that means many bariatric patients are left out in the cold.
In addition, I’ve often wondered why more clubs don’t have indoor tracks. I’m not talking about tracks for sprint training. I’m talking about walking tracks.
One innovative facility in Virginia even put in a lounge area in the middle of their track. At first I was puzzled. Then the explanation came—de-conditioned members and/or cardiac rehab patients can only walk a lap or two without getting fatigued. The lounge area allows them the opportunity to rest for awhile and go back again for a few laps.
10. Transitions/resources. We’ve only scratched the surface here with regards to lifestyle medicine. Hence, I encourage you to look at the resources listed below for more information:
· www.lifestylemedicine.ucf – Information on the recent collaborative effort by the University of Central Florida and Florida Hospital to establish an institute for the study of lifestyle medicine.
· www.rippehealth.com – Dr. James Rippe is the Founder and Director of the Rippe Lifestyle Institute and the Rippe Health Assessment. He is also the Chairman for Lifestyle Medicine at the University of Central Florida.
· The book, Changing for Good by James O. Prochaska, Ph.D. describes what it takes to get people to change their lifestyles—once and for all.
Lifestyle medicine is still in its infancy even though it has been discussed in some form or fashion for centuries (there is evidence that the Greeks and Romans believed good health was dependent on diet and lifestyle). It’s now time for us as club managers and owners to present it to our members.
Talk Back
Pamela Kufahl
Editor
Do you have a comment on an industry issue, or would you like to write a letter for our Talk Back department about an article that appeared in Club Industry's Fitness Business Pro magazine? E-mail Pamela Kufahl, editor, or call her at 913-967-1815.
