Three Strategies for Expanding the Fitness Marketplace

The percentage of the population that goes to health and fitness clubs has hovered around 15% to 20% for decades (1). True, the idea of fitness and exercise have become more mainstream, and there are definitely more fitness businesses now than there were in the 1980s, but the fact still remains that, at best, we serve less than one fifth of the population. Taken a step further, consider that an even smaller percentage of people work with fitness professionals, and that population is directly dependent on the population that walks through the doors of health and fitness clubs. Given this, market penetration for fitness professionals is a fraction of the already small fraction that engages with the industry. This limited market penetration has not only led to the fitness industry (and its professionals) having limited impact on population health, but it also has limited the financial sustainability of organizations and professionals in our industry. When a new fitness business opens, we simply shift a portion of that market share to the new business. We don't expand the pie; we just divide it up into smaller pieces. If the industry could expand its market penetration from 20% to 30%, we'd increase our market share by 33% and with it see significant improvement in population health and our bottom lines.No one disputes the fact that, as an industry, we should attempt to increase our market share. In fact, at nearly every industry event I've been a part of for my three decades in the industry, this has been a topic of discussion. Despite this being often talked about, we never seem to move the needle on market penetration, with that number sitting at 15% to 20%. We don't have to fall victim to our past, however. We can change. We can expand our market. We can build sustainable business and expand the pie. Most importantly, we have a broader impact on population health. Let's explore how. OWNING OUR CONTRIBUTION It would be easy (and feel a lot better) to point our fingers elsewhere at the industry's limited market share. Doctors who don't refer patients to us. Health insurers that don't reimburse exercise services. The "lazy" public that doesn't want to exercise. The list could go on, but that wouldn't be productive or accurate. As an industry (and as professionals) we need to own our contribution to the problem. This is a much more productive approach because owning our contribution to the problem allows us to actually do something about it. Furthermore, it is very accurate to say we (as an industry) are as much to blame as anyone for the limited market penetration we're currently faced with. I realize that might not feel great to hear, but the objective reality is true. Think about the industry over the past 30 years. The imagery we've used on our web sites and advertisements has been nearly exclusively in-shape, young, white fitness models who decidedly look nothing like the 80+% of the people we don't currently serve. The non–evidence-based claims we've made over the "latest and greatest" plan, program, pill, or potion. This has only sown distrust with everyone from health providers to the 80+% of the people we don't serve. The before and after pictures we've published, creating the narrative that exercise is about weight loss and achieving your "beach bod," when in reality we know that exercise results in only around 5% weight loss (2). This list could go on and on, but you get my point. Now, if you're reading an ACSM journal, I would suspect that most of you adhere to a more evidence-based practice. That said, how many of us (myself included) have sat idly by letting these nonevidence practices proliferate? In doing so, we've missed the opportunity to hold our profession accountable and demand a higher standard of practice. If we're going to expand market share, help more people, and build sustainable businesses, we must move from owning our contribution to making a change in three key areas I'll outline below. INCLUSIVE IMAGERY AND MESSAGING As mentioned above, the imagery used in our marketing and promotions is very consistent with the population that currently walks through our doors. If we're using imagery of young, fit, white people, anyone who is not young, fit, and white will immediately think, "I don't belong there." People gravitate toward places they feel like they belong; that is based in the very evolutionary biology of who we are. We must strive to use inclusive and authentic imagery in our marketing. To do that we must stop using stock photography. Instead, we must be intentional about our image galleries. We must invest in doing our own photo shoots of real people, doing real exercise, inside of our real businesses. I realize stock photography is faster and cheaper, but think how much money you're losing when you don't invest in intentionally sourcing images — you're leaving yourself stuck in the 15% to 20% rut. If you want a certain population exercising with you, use imagery of that population exercising. It's that simple. Messaging also is equally important. Many fitness professionals LOVE to exercise; that's why they chose this as a profession. If you're reading this, that is probably true of you. That said, you're an outlier. The idea of "feeling the burn," "getting ripped for summer," and "pushing yourself to your limits" is not shared by the 80+% of people who don't go to health/fitness clubs (otherwise, they'd go). If anything, those are probably the last things on their minds. In many cases, this population just wants to feel better, be in less pain, and be more confident in what their body can do. It has much less form and much more function for many nonexercisers. We must move from a weight-centric, Spartan perspective to one that is more physical and mental health-promoting. We must use language that aligns with what people are looking for, which is feeling better. If we can shift our imagery and messaging to something that is broader and more inclusive of the population as a whole (not just "traditional" exercisers), we'll begin to cast a wider net. We must move from a weight-centric, Spartan perspective to one that is more physical and mental health-promoting. We must use language that aligns with what people are looking for, which is feeling better. If we can shift our imagery and messaging to something that is broader and more inclusive of the population as a whole (not just "traditional" exercisers), we'll begin to cast a wider net. SUSTAINABLE OUTCOME MEASURES Many of you reading this column probably consider yourself part of the health-care system to one degree or another. I know I certainly consider qualified fitness professionals to be essential frontline health-care providers. If our industry was viewed as more of an essential service, like health care, we'd most definitely expand our market share. If we operate from the perspective we're part of health care, we have to embrace a foundational concept in health care — outcomes. This is something our industry (and professionals) have done poorly over the years. The ability to reliably measure a broad range of health/fitness outcomes and use that data to support our work has been strikingly lacking, at least at the commercial level (i.e., outside of research settings). I've met with many health-care professionals and public health officials who have said to me, "you don't need to convince me exercise works, you need to show me that you can get the people that need to do it, to do it for long enough to improve their health." That is a profoundly accurate and instructive statement. It's also a statement that has its roots in producing and measuring a broad set of subjective and objective health outcomes. Moving beyond merely assessing body composition, we must move to broader measures of fitness (to include aerobic and muscular fitness) and connect those improvements to the betterment of physical and mental health metrics. It is not enough to produce these outcomes discretely; they must be sustainable. The path to sustainable outcomes is only possible if we empower the individuals we work with to take ownership of their own health and fitness. Empowerment comes by client-centered coaching, respecting individual autonomy, and increasing self-efficacy. The coach-based approach is very much the "guide on the side," instead of the "sage on the stage." Rather than be the expert that unilaterally tells the client what to do (which can disempower), we must work to come alongside the individuals we work with and collaborate on outcomes that are impactful to them, as well as an exercise program that is meaningful enough to adhere to. As a profession, we must commit to a rigorous and expansive assessment of the outcomes we produce with individuals. We must produce these outcomes within a coaching paradigm that ensures sustainability. We must use those outcomes (or lack thereof in some cases) to hold us accountable and make us better. Finally, we must share this outcome data to establish the credibility of our profession. If we can show people that exercise can work for them, by showing them how it works for people who are like them, we will begin to penetrate the 80%. If we can show people that exercise can work for them, by showing them how it works for people who are like them, we will begin to penetrate the 80%. CROSS-SECTOR COLLABORATION The fitness industry, in many cases, has adopted a siloed perspective. We've stayed in our clubs, gone to our own conferences, and read our own publications. Although this is not uncommon in many professions, it has definitely prevented us from expanding our market share. Many different sectors are involved with, or have a vested interest in, physical activity and exercise. Health care certainly recognizes its importance. Parks/Recreation departments encourage community activity through their parks and programs. Schools provide physical education to students. Employers provide wellness and exercise benefits to employees. The list could go on. The point here is that we're only one small piece of the physical activity ecosystem. By never leaving the microecosystem of our industry, we fail to meet the 80% of the population where they're at (which is doctors' offices, parks, schools, companies, churches, etc.). The National Physical Activity Plan has 10 distinct sectors for a reason; it takes the whole of society to help increase physical activity and exercise (3). Where are the 80% of the people who are not exercising with us found? They're found outside of our walls. Collaborating with other like-minded individuals and organizations allows for a natural expansion beyond our limited market share. THE FORMULA AND THE CHOICE The formula for change is simple (as I laid out above), but it is not easy. Entrenched ways of doing things have kept our industry market share consistently low for decades. We must embrace the discomfort of change and realize the immense potential we have to make a true difference on population health if we expand beyond the 20%. This leaves each of you faced with a choice. Stick with the status quo and sustain an industry with limited impact or have the courage to implement the principles in this column. I hope you'll choose the latter. If you do, I truly believe you'll build a healthier business and a healthier world at the same time.