Hyper Wear Inc., (Hyperwear), the leading innovator in functional fitness and health, today announces changes and additions to its leadership team and its first Hyperwear Athlete appearance by American Ninja and Spartan Pro team competitor Rose Wetzel. An accomplished track athlete, she will be competing for a spot for the Olympic Trials Rio 2016 in the 800 meters. Rose will demonstrate Hyperwear products and workouts during #IHRSA2016 at Hyperwear booth #3669 Orlando, Florida March 23^rd-24th.

Leadership changes begin with Hyperwear President Dirk Buikema, a founder of Hyperwear, being named CEO. Over the past year, Dirk has assembled a new leadership team, led a new funding round, and overseen the development of new products and growth of SandBell group exercise programs. He holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Suffolk University School of Law.

Assuming the new role of Vice President, Brand Strategy and Education, is Declan Condron, M.S. Exercise Physiology, CSCS and USAW.  Previously he was a manager at Equinox Fitness and Co-founder and creator of PumpOne, LLC, a fitness technology company specializing in multi-platform digital training systems recently acquired by Anytime Fitness. Declan joined Hyperwear as Director of Education in 2015 and has led content creation and expansion of SandBell GX and education programs.

During 2015, Pat Miles joined Hyperwear as Vice President of Sales. He has 20 years of sales and management experience with Life Fitness and SPRI Products. A Michigan native, Pat earned a BA in Business Administration from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids and attended Thomas Cooley Law School.

New to Hyperwear and reporting to Pat is Jen-Kei Pong, Senior Sales Manager. Jen-Kei has 12 years of experience in sales and was most recently with a fitness technology equipment company in Austin where he gained four years of fitness industry experience in domestic and international sales.

Hyperwear also added Kate Doyle, Marketing and Sales Manager in 2015. Kate graduated from the University of San Diego CA with a degree in Graphic Design & Photography. After 9 years in finance at HSBC and Goldman Sachs and 2 years in business development and marketing at a global synthetic turf manufacturer, Kate joined Hyperwear’s team to pursue her passion for fitness and design.

Woodinville, WA: SportsArt, a leader in eco-powered fitness technology, is returning to the tradeshow floor at IHRSA 2016, March 21^st-24^th in Orlando, FL. In addition to launching SENZA™, their new cardio user interface, SportsArt will be unveiling an innovative approach to demonstrating their ECO-POWR™ technology. They will do so by lighting a 9 ft. tall Empire State Building replica powered by three SportsArt G575U Upright Cycles.

Show attendees will be able to participate in Power the Tower contests every half hour to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Each cycle is tied to a row of lights in the tower, and are powered by each participant’s use of the cycles. The first to light the tower wins. The idea to use an Empire State building replica was born out of trying to determine an easy way to visualize the simplicity of converting human energy into utility grade power, which is as simple as plugging the bikes into a standard wall outlet.

In addition to Power the Tower, SportsArt will be using 2016 IHRSA to unveil:

• SENZA™: SportsArt’s newest cardio UI featuring a fitness first approach putting users into their workout first, followed by a wealth of technology and entertainment options second
• The G510 ECO-POWR™ Spin Bike that puts wattage from human energy back into the grid of the fitness facility.

About SportsArt: SportsArt is an industry leader in providing innovative commercial grade fitness products for the fitness, performance and medical markets. From our energy producing ECO-POWR™ line to our life changing rehabilitative ICARE solution, SportsArt is committed to helping people find their best self. For more information, visit http://us.gosportsart.com/en/.

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This week, Mondo, the global leader in the indoor sport, track and fieldand contract flooring markets, is introducing its new Functional fitness flooring (CRG’s booth, No. 3625) at the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association’s 35th Annual International Convention & Trade Show. IHRSA runs through March 24 at the Orange County Convention Center, South Building.

Comprising four different surfaces, Mondo Functional rubber flooring can turn open space into highly specialized training areas in health, fitness and recreational facilities.

The four surfaces are:

• ·       Mondotrack, for performance training, including athletic workouts, core training, performance and conditioning (plyometrics), and sport conditioning
• ·       Ramflex Inlaid Markings, for movement training, including functional training, strength equipment circuits, cardio equipment circuits, and fitness classes
• ·       Ramflex for strength training, including heavy-duty powerlifting, strength and conditioning, free weight training, and performance training
• ·       MondoArmor, for mobility/stability training, including cardio and weight-bearing calisthenics, holistic fitness classes, and mobility and stability training

Mondo Functional rubber flooring offers durability, easy maintenance and reliability in practical modules that measure 30 feet by 30 feet. It’s also Greenguard and Greenguard Gold certified for its low VOC emissions, making it safe for the environment and the people who use it. Plus, it’s nonporous, which means no mold or bacteria buildup and easy cleaning and sanitizing.

Multiple New Product Launches and a Virtual Reality Experience Will Also Be Featured at Booths 3300 & 1924

ORLANDO, FL--(Marketwired - Mar 21, 2016) - IHRSA Booth #3300 & 1924 - Life Fitness, the global leader in commercial fitness equipment, will display its full range of activity inspiring brands at IHRSA 2016. All six of its brands including Life Fitness, Hammer Strength, SCIFIT, InMovement, Brunswick Billiards and the recently acquired Cybex, which will be displayed in a separate booth, will feature products at the show, showcasing a full portfolio dedicated to healthy living and active lifestyles.

"At this year's IHRSA conference, we'll be showing the full breadth of our world-leading portfolio of brands," said Chris Clawson, president of Life Fitness. "Customers will get to see the entire spectrum of Life Fitness' brands and products, all of which align to the goal of providing first class customer experiences and promoting healthy activity."

Products on display at the Life Fitness and Cybex booths at IHRSA 2016 include:

• Life Fitness Discover SE3 Tablet Console - Life Fitness will unveil its innovative new Discover SE3 console which helps exercisers stay connected by enhancing the workout experience. The Discover SE3 console features a new user interface for simple discovery and a host of other digital advances, such as Bluetooth and Near Field Communication (NFC) connectivity and customizable Attract screens. Also new to the console is streaming entertainment offerings from services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Pandora Radio, as well as on-console access to apps such as YouTube, ESPN, BBC and more.
  
  
• Hammer Strength Accessories - The new line of Hammer Strength Accessories will allow customers to make their equipment fully functional with a wide array of quality training tools from bumpers, bars, plates and dumbbells to plyo boxes and resistance bands. With over 500 options, the accessories line has endless options for nearly all facility types.

ECOFIT, industry leader in networking cardio fitness equipment, introduces Cintel, Cardio Intelligence, at IHRSA​ 2016​. Cintel, is a cross-brand cardio management solution designed to network hundreds of cardio pieces on the health-club floor without costly networking infrastructure.

Victoria, BC (PRWEB) March 23, 2016

ECOFIT’s key to successful cardio management is a robust, high density, long range wireless technology. ECOFIT's solution has been designed from the ground up to address unique challenges in busy club environments. The patented technology works with new and existing cardio equipment, is low cost and does not tie up valuable WiFi bandwidth.

Bryan O’Rourke, president of the Fitness Industry Technology Council says about ECOFIT, 
“We have entered a new era where big data technology, like that offered by ECOFIT, will have a major impact on Health Clubs by providing intelligence that can significantly enhance profitability and user experience. We are so proud of ECOFIT and all of FITC's supporters and the contributions they are making to this new era of technology in the fitness industry.”

The Cintel solution is scalable and designed for easy facility adoption on an enterprise level. Cintel works with all of your cardio brands and allows viewing of the the ‘health’ of all cardio equipment from anywhere at anytime. Cintel also helps manage purchasing decisions based on real-time relevant data.

ECOFIT Networks is pleased to announce finalized partner agreements to be the Cardio Management Solution for Precor, Star Trac, Stairmaster, Woodway, Octane and True Fitness.

“Cintel offers the most advanced suite of cardio management available today.” - Dave Johnson, Co-founder of ECOFIT

Cintel Delivers:

-Cardio Tracking and Management 
-Comprehensive Custom Reporting 
-Critical Equipment Status Notifications 
-User Defined Summary Dashboards

Meet the ECOFIT team at IHRSA 2016 at any of their partner booths Precor, Star Trac, Stairmaster, Woodway, Octane and True Fitness.

IHRSA Announces Rasmus Ingerslev as Chairperson for 2016/2017 IHRSA Board of Directors

IHRSA, The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, announced during IHRSA 2016, the association’s annual convention, that Rasmus Ingerslev, executive vice chairman of Wexer Virtual, will be the 2016/2017 chairperson of the IHRSA Board of Directors. His term will begin July 1, 2016.

Rasmus Ingerslev, the IHRSA Board’s first non-North American chair, is an experienced fitness industry entrepreneur who successfully developed and sold fitness dk and Fresh Fitness, two of Denmark’s largest health club groups. He is a past recipient of the IHRSA European Club Leadership Award, and is a co-founder of the Danish Fitness & Health Organization (DFHO). Rasmus resides in Sweden with his wife Mauna and two young children, Isabel and Victor.

“IHRSA is an international organization, with members from over 70 countries and attendees at the recent IHRSA 2016 from 80 countries. The board's election of Rasmus as their next chair emphasizes that fact,” said Joe Moore, IHRSA president and CEO. "Rasmus has enthusiastically supported IHRSA and the industry in a variety of capacities through the years. And now the staff and I look forward to the energy and commitment Rasmus will bring to his term as board chairperson."

Rasmus will take over the reins as Chairperson in July from Molly Kemmer, regional director for EXOS | MediFit, who will serve an additional year on the board as Ex-Officio. "I look forward to continuing to work closely with Rasmus, the board, and the IHRSA staff, to serve the industry and the association's members. Rasmus brings a tremendous breadth and depth of experience regarding organizational growth, as well working with boards of directors. The association is fortunate for his leadership."

The incoming chair is very thankful for the confidence of his fellow board members by voting him into this role; but also comfortable, as there is full alignment with IHRSA’s core purpose; to grow, promote, and protect the industry and his 18-year tenure in the industry. In regards to what he brings to the table and outlook on the future, Ingerslev is optimistic.

“My foundation for success has been innovation, often including technology, but more than anything networking! I am a true believer in Success By Association, IHRSA’s slogan, and look forward to bringing my best efforts and experience into the chairmanship for the benefit of the organization and the industry. We have taken on a big task, wanting to reverse the global inactivity epidemic. But if we, being IHRSA, our partners and members, can continuously move the needle just a little bit forward in regards to the number of people we help lead better lives through exercise, we are a success.”

About IHRSA

The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association is a not-for-profit trade association representing health and fitness facilities, gyms, spas, sports clubs, and suppliers worldwide. IHRSA and its members are dedicated to making the world healthier through regular exercise and activity promotion. IHRSA's events provide a vast array of speakers on business and corporate culture, instructional sessions on all aspects of succeeding in the health club industry, social events to mix and mingle with peers, and the most spectacular trade shows in the industry.

For additional information, please contact
Rasmus E. Ingerslev, rasmus@wexervirtual.com, or Meredith Poppler, pr@ihrsa.org.

For bios and photos of current board members, please visit ihrsa.org/board. 

Since the early 2016 the federal network of fitness clubs X-fit has opened free new franchising clubs – in Chelyabinsk, Volzhsk and Magadan.

Despite difficult economic situation in the country, franchising business model tends to keep developing rapidly, and sport segment is not an exception in this case. In January-February 2016 the federal network of fitness clubs X-fit opened new Fit-Studio clubs in three Russian cities and thus gave prominence to thousands of region citizens to lead healthier lives. Each club is provided by innovative sport equipment, as well as all trainers and instructors have finished a special X-fit training program before starting the work. 

“Today franchising is one of the most effective business models, - said Raisa Zareva, the director of franchising in federal network of fitness clubs X-fit. – In X-fit this program is being implemented for many years, and we can state confidently that sport and healthy life are becoming more demanded among the population. We strive to provide all our clients with an opportunity to gain satisfaction from sports training. X-fit clubs are multifunctional; thus everyone will find a program they like”.

The first Fit-Studio sport-center in 2016 was opened in Chelyabinsk on January 15th. The fitness club is provided with high-level equipment in accordance with X-Fit high standards. The 1000 sq. meters area includes two group programs halls, cardio zone and cycle-studio, zones of functional training, crossfit, pilates and yoga. Besides, new club provides with services of programs for children, fitness testing and bar.

A solemn opening ceremony of Fit-Studio fitness club in Volzhsk (Republic of Mariy El) was held on January 30th. Despite the relatively small area – only 240 sq. meters – new club has all needed equipment for full-time fitness training and comfort family leisure time: training room with modern equipment, group programs zone, massage room, children fitness studio and playing room.

On February 13th X-Fit fitness-club was opened in Magadan. The key competitive difference of new club is its orientation on women audience in particular. The fitness center proposes to citizens a functional training zone, provided with high-class equipment and two group program halls. Besides, the club has massage room, sauna and fitness-bar – all that needed for women to care about themselves.

X-fit’s franchising business, designed for healthy lifestyle popularization, was launched in 2008. The network implies two basic franchise models. The first one associates under X-Fit brand the business and premium class fitness clubs with more than 2000 sq. meters area and marine water or filtered water pools. The second model includes Fit-Studio brand’s comfort clubs that may have area of at least 220 sq. meters.

Children fitness direction - one of the main priorities in the activities of the federal fitness chain X-Fit. While working with children - individual approach is especially important, so X-Fit actively promotes personal training format for kids. Today in every X-Fit club parents can rely on the assistance of an experienced qualified instructor, who will reveal the potential of the child.

Children’s fitness trainer in X-Fit chain – a teacher and instructor possess different training methods and able to transfer skills to children of all ages, from 3 to 14 years. The challenge of the individual child training - to identify the personal characteristics of the child and to create conditions for its full development. Personal training advantages are evident. It`s an opportunity to choose optimal physical activity for a particular child and possibility to adjust the individual program developed by the trainer at every stage of training process. Pursuing individually, easier to interest the child and motivate him to achieve certain results, to select the most appropriate mode of training. Always keeping in mind questions of parents and capabilities of the young athlete. Parents can be absolutely sure about the safety of their child - the attention of the trainer is directed solely at him. With individual training you can find the "key" to every child.

 “Modern children, especially those living in big cities have plenty of opportunities for harmonious development, but often experiencing a shortage of live communication.  The reasons are following: due to intense school curriculum teachers are not able to devote attention to every child, after school children are much more rarely than their parents spend time with their peers, new-fangled gadgets take the lion's share of the rising generation leisure. In addition, the busy mothers and fathers has extremely little time to play with their children.  That is why today social and educational functions are so important, which lies on the people, spending time with the children after school hours. In particular, a coach in the fitness club can become a friend and mentor for a child, support which is so needed to him”, - Says Elena Solovyova, Deputy Director General for the federal network of fitness X-Fit fitness club.

In addition to personal training, X-Fit trainers conduct split-training (for two children). Classes are held in playful way, in the specialized children's rooms, using adapted for every age simulator.

IHRSA 2016 Showcases Industry Success

International gathering attracts global fitness leaders and new attendees from Southeastern U.S. and Latin America.

Thousands of fitness industry leaders celebrated IHRSA 2016, the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association’s 35th Annual International Convention & Trade Show. The event showcased the newest and most innovative equipment, programs, and technology from over 400 exhibitors, reinforced the industry’s commitment to increase physical activity levels across the globe, and provided an unparallelled venue to learn, network and exchange ideas. The high-energy event, gathering thousands of health club operators, suppliers, and fitness industry professionals together from over 80 countries, was held in Orlando, Florida, March 21-24, 2016. 

“You are all doing magnificent work,” said Joe Moore, IHRSA president and CEO in his State of the Industry presentation to kick off IHRSA 2016. “The number of health club visits is going up again—this is a great trend. And everyone at this Convention—whether from clubs or companies exhibiting at the Trade Show—had a hand in making this happen. You are all helping more people get active.”

IHRSA 2016 by the Numbers

• Convening for IHRSA 2016 were over 10,700 industry professionals, including approximately 6,500 convention and trade show attendees.
• 81 countries were represented by this year’s convention and trade show attendees.
• The exhibit hall, with 415 exhibitors filling the 470,000 sq. ft hall - IHRSA’s largest ever trade show - was alive with activity during the two-day trade show and early morning workouts.

New Location, New Attendees

IHRSA 2016’s new destination of Orlando, Florida attracted many new attendees. Attendance from the Southeast increased by 380%. Attendance also increased from New England by 68%, New York and New Jersey (44%) and the Mid-Atlantic (35%), while attendance was lower from California and the Southwest. The new location also influenced travel on a global level, as attendance was up from Latin America by 19%.

Who attended:

• 57% of all attendees were first-time attendees
• 30% of attendees answered that they were a facility owner
• 37% of attendees answered that they make the final decision on equipment purchases

Education Highlights

Each day of the four-day event was highlighted by an inspiring keynote presentation. Business strategist Jay Baer started the convention with an engaging Monday morning session highlighting the marketing challenges small businesses have in today’s ‘hyper-connected digital society’ with his talk on Youtility: Smart Marketing is About Help, Not Hype, sponsored by SPRI.

Tuesday began with a presentation from leadership and business consultant Greg McKeown, CEO of THIS Inc., on Leadership Essentials and how one can master becoming an “essentialist” by committing to the “disciplined pursuit of less” rather than the “undisciplined pursuit of more”. His keynote was sponsored by Technogym®.

And on Wednesday, attendees enjoyed a lively multimedia presentation from Randi Zuckerberg, who provided tips on social media use and suggestions for fostering a creative workplace culture in It’s Dot Complicated: Exciting Trends Impacting Your Business Right Now, sponsored by Matrix Fitness. The Randi Zuckerburg keynote was made available as a live stream so IHRSA members across the globe could watch.

And last, but certainly not least, behavior engineer Nir Eyal headlined day four—a day of thought leadership—with his keynote presentation on Consumer Behavior: Creating Habit Forming Products, focusing on how technology is designed to impact our day-to-day behaviors, and how recognizing this can help us change our habits, sponsored by MYZONE®.

Additional Convention highlights included:

• The 20^th annual IHRSA Financial Panel hosted by Rick Caro,
• The 2^nd annual Health Promotion & Wellness Track,
• A special presentation from content marketing expert Ann Handley during the Industry Leadership Council Summit, sponsored by ABC Financial, and
• The Women’s Leadership Summit on maintaining Well-Being in Work and Life by Dr. Beth Cabrera, Ph.D., sponsored by the American Council on Exercise.

In addition to the various receptions and networking events, keynotes, and leadership events, IHRSA 2016 convention-goers had more than 150 educational, exercise, and networking sessions to choose to attend, many simultaneously translated into Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

2016 Award Recipients

Three industry leaders were recognized during IHRSA 2016 for their commitment to the industry and serving their local communities. The Outstanding Community Service Award was presented to The Claremont Club of Claremont, California; The Julie Main Scholarship was presented to Maureen (Mo) Hagan, of GoodLife Fitness and canfitpro; and the Associate Member of the Year was presented to Visual Fitness Planner. Criteria, past award winners and applications for next year’s awards are available at ihrsa.org/awards.

The Annual Bash for Augie’s Quest

For the 11th consecutive year, IHRSA proudly hosted The BASH for Augie’s Quest, an aggressive cure-driven ALS research initiative established by fitness industry pioneer Augie Nieto, who has been fighting ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease) since 2005. Jim Worthington, the owner, president, and CEO of the Newtown Athletic Club (NAC), in Newtown, Pennsylvania, and his staff were honored with the 2016 Augie’s Quest Leadership Award. NAC members, employees, and sponsors raised a total of $100,000 for ALS research, and Worthington’s matching donation upped their total 2016 contribution to $200,000! Worthington currently serves on the IHRSA Board of Directors. The 2016 BASH raised over $1.4 million thanks to the generosity of the fitness industry. Since 2007, Augie’s Quest has raised over $46 million in support of finding effective ALS treatments.

IHRSA 2016 Multi-Media

• Audio MP3 recordings of approximately 70 IHRSA convention sessions will be available for sale later this month at . Video recordings of select sessions will be added in May 2016.
• Official show images are available for a limited time at , password ihrsa16press.
• The IHRSA Live team provided thorough coverage of the Convention through the IHRSA blog and social media accounts, including experimenting with live-streaming video on Periscope. The event hashtag—#IHRSA2016 —trended several times on Twitter throughout the Convention.  
• For video presentations on some of IHRSA’s 2016 Exhibitors, click here.

IHRSA 2016 Sponsors

IHRSA gratefully acknowledges all of the sponsors that helped to make IHRSA 2016 possible: ABC Financial Services, American Council on Exercise (ACE), Anytime Fitness, LLC, ASF Payment Solutions, Augie’s Quest, Balanced Body, Blink Fitness, bootybarre, Cardio Gym Pty LLC, ChinaFit, CSI Software, Cybex International, Inc., Direct Source Fitness, Fitness Brasil, Fitness Business Canada, Fitness Industry Council of Canada , Frog Fitness, Healthy Learning™, Intel Corporation, Intenza Fitness, InTouch Follow-Up, Iron Grip Barbell Company, Jonas Fitness, Inc., JumpSport Fitness, Inc., Keiser Corporation, Listen360, Management Around Sports, Matrix Fitness, MCore FTS, Mercado Fitness, Merrithew™, Microsoft, MINDBODY, Inc., Motionsoft, MYE Entertainment, MYZONE, Net Profit Explosion (NPE), Netpulse, NuStep, Inc., Octane Fitness, Ojmar US, Orangetheory Fitness, Parisi Speed School, PFP media, PILOXING®, Polar, Power Systems, Inc., Precor Incorporated, RealRyder® International LLC, Regupol America, SPRI Products, TAG Digital Marketing, Technogym SpA, The Retention People, Total Gym®, TRUE Fitness, Twin Oaks Software, Virtuagym, Visual Fitness Planner™, W.W. Grainger, Inc., and World Gym International.

About IHRSA

The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) is a not-for-profit trade association representing health and fitness facilities, gyms, spas, racquet and sports clubs, and suppliers worldwide. IHRSA and its members are dedicated to making the world healthier through regular exercise and activity promotion. Preparations are well underway for IHRSA 2017 taking place in the very popular L.A. Live Complex in Los Angeles, California, March 8-11, 2017, while the next event on the IHRSA Calendar is The IHRSA Institute, which provides executive level education for club fitness professionals, running August 2-5 2016 at UNC in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Today, the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) launched the IHRSA Tax Weekend Challenge to increase support for two bills in Congress designed to use the tax code to encourage exercise: the PHIT Act (the Personal Health Investment Today Act, H.R. 1218 / S. 2218) and the WHIP Act (the Workforce Health Improvement Program Act, S. 2296). The campaign was launched to coincide with the federal tax filing deadline, which for most Americans is April 18, 2016; filers in Maine and Massachusetts have an April 19 deadline.

IHRSA encourages the fitness industry to voice its support for these two pieces of legislation that would make physical activity more affordable and accessible for all Americans by sending an electronic letter to their elected officials.

“Legislation like PHIT and WHIP form the gateway that leads to a healthier nation. Passing these bills would advance opportunities to make fitness all-inclusive, regardless of an individual’s financial standing or access to the amenities provided by health clubs,” said Helen Durkin, Executive Vice President of Public Policy at IHRSA.

The PHIT Act would allow citizens to use flexible savings accounts (FSAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs) to pay for health club memberships and other fitness expenditures such as fitness equipment, exercise videos, and youth sports league fees. Individuals would be able to use $1,000 pre-tax for these expenses and families would be granted up to $2,000. Under the existing law, pre-tax medical accounts can only be used for expenses like prescriptions and doctor’s visits.

The WHIP Act would prevent employees who are offered employer subsidized health club membership from paying a tax on the benefit. Current law imposes the income tax on the value of the membership, unless the fitness center is located on-site. Its passage would renew opportunities for engagement and new membership, as 82% of Americans say that they would exercise regularly if their employer subsidized a health club membership.

Passing these two pieces of legislation would not only help guarantee that Americans have access to the resources that allow them to be physically active, but their passage would also be beneficial for combating rising healthcare costs.

Currently, 75% of national public and private healthcare expenditures are used to diagnose and treat chronic diseases connected to rising obesity rates and inadequate levels of physical activity. And on top of that, businesses lose $15 billion annually to cover the cost of worker health insurance and absenteeism.

Reversing this trend starts with getting people more physically active. Statistics have shown that every $1.00 spent on encouraging physical activity results in $3.20 in medical cost savings, and that is why IHRSA is urging the industry to take action.

IHRSA’s goal is to send 1,000 messages of support to Washington D.C., emphasizing the importance of and the benefits associated with creating and maintaining healthy lifestyles. To send your message, please visit votervoice.net/IHRSA/campaigns/44403/respond.

Additionally, IHRSA would like to thank the sponsors of PHIT and WHIP. We appreciate the efforts of Senator John Thune of South Dakota (PHIT), Congressman Charles Boustany of Louisiana (PHIT) and Senator John Cornyn of Texas (WHIP). Their unwavering commitment to advancing legislation that promotes healthy behaviors demonstrates their loyalty in helping us secure the future health of this country.

About IHRSA

The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association is the not-for-profit trade association representing health and fitness facilities, gyms, spas, sports clubs, and suppliers worldwide. IHRSA and its members are dedicated to making the world healthier through regular exercise and activity promotion. IHRSA’s mission is to grow, promote and protect the industry; and provide its members with benefits that will help them be more successful. For additional information on IHRSA’s public policy, advocacy, and government relations efforts, please contact gr@ihrsa.org. 

Los Angeles, California (April 13, 2015) - Gold’s Gym Southern California Group announced Josh Wheeler as their new Vice President of Fitness.  The SoCal Group runs and operates twelve Gold’s Gym locations in four counties including Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and San Bernardino.

With almost two decades of experience under his belt, Josh was an obvious choice for this position and a valuable addition to the Gold’s Gym SoCal family. Josh possesses the knowledge and experience to lead his Gold’s Gym SoCal’s Fitness team into a successful 2016 and beyond.

Being the CEO of 5 Gold’s Gym franchises, adding Josh to the team strengthens Gold’s Gym SoCal’s position and is part of an ongoing strategy to revolutionize personal training for members of all ages!

The entire Gold’s Gym SoCal Team is excited to have Josh lead the Fitness Team.  “He’s a perfect fit!  We’re excited he joined the team” says William Banos, COO.

Gold’s Gym Southern California Group boasts twelve locations in the region.   The Northridge, CA based company, operated by brothers Angel and William Banos opened their first gym in North Hollywood in 1988 and are celebrating 27 years in the business.  Their other state-of-the-art locations include Hollywood, Downtown Los Angeles, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Culver City, Fullerton, West Covina, Valencia, Santa Ana, Arcadia and Montclair.  The brothers have been recognized for the success of their locations and for outstanding leadership by the Gold’s Gym franchise system, with more than 80 accolades.   Angel Banos was inducted into the franchise’s Gold’s Gym Hall of Fame at the company’s annual convention in July 2013.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (April 13, 2016) — The number of people playing tennis in the U.S. and the number of tennis “play occasions” increased in 2015, according to the latest figures released by the Tennis Industry Association (TIA) and U.S. Tennis Association (USTA), which were part of the Physical Activity Council (PAC) Annual Participation Study.

In addition, the PAC study shows that tennis is the only traditional participation sport to see an increase in overall participation over the last eight years—increasing 6% since 2007. All other traditional participation sports—soccer, basketball, baseball, football, volleyball, golf, fishing and racquetball—saw declines in that time period. The PAC study is the largest single-source independent sports participation survey in the U.S., measuring participation in more than 120 sports and activities.

For 2015, total tennis players numbered 17.96 million, which is a .3% increase from 2014, according to the PAC study. “Core” tennis players—those who play 10 or more times a year—increased .5% to 9.96 million. The number of tennis “play occasions” also increased in 2015, both overall and for core players. Overall play occasions were up .8% to 446.4 million; core players accounted for 418.3 million of those play occasions.

Last year, there were 2.07 million new tennis players, which is a 3.8% increase compared to 2014. Another 2.2 million players “returned” to the game in 2015, which is a 14.8% increase. The total for combined new and returning players in 2015 is a 9.2% increase from 2014.

In addition, 14.75 million Americans who are non-players are interested in playing tennis, and another 12.8 million who may not have played in the past year “consider themselves” tennis players.

Youth participation, however, saw slight declines. For ages 6 to 12, participation was at 2.11 million, a 1.1% drop from 2014, while the number of 13- to 17-year-old players fell 5.5%, also to 2.11 million players..

Of particular note is the Cardio Tennis program, which in 2015 alone grew 12.6% in participation, to 1.82 million players. Cardio Tennis, which was developed in 2005, was first measured by the PAC study in 2008 and has grown 119% in participation in the past seven years.

Also noteworthy is increasing tennis participation among Hispanics in the U.S., which has been a priority for the USTA. In 2015, Hispanic tennis players jumped 12.2%, to 1.79 million players. Participation among Asians in the U.S. increased 5.6% in 2015 to 1.98 million. However, African-American players declined by 1.7% to 1.9 million, and Caucasian participation dropped .8% to 11.89 million.

Pennsylvania’s Senate Recognizes April 25^th – 29^th as “Every Kid Healthy Week”™ 

To encourage healthy lifestyles for kids and raise awareness about childhood obesity and physical inactivity, the Pennsylvania Senate passed Senate Resolution 345, the “Every Kid Healthy Week Resolution,”™ which dedicates the week of April 25^th – 29^th to initiatives that promote physical activity for children.

“I was proud to introduce my Every Kid Healthy Week resolution in the PA Senate. As a father of a young daughter, it is imperative that we teach our children healthy eating habits, being active and making good choices when reaching for a snack,” said Senator Sabatina, the Resolution’s author.

In Pennsylvania – a state where 14% of children ages 10-17 are obese and less than 20% of the state’s youth meet recommended levels of aerobic and muscle strengthening physical activities – this resolution creates an opportunity to engage youth, and their families in regular physical activity, and educate them on the risk factors associated with a sedentary lifestyle.

Research has shown that there is a link between physical inactivity and obesity in kids and adolescents – and this link has proven to be costly. Currently, 75% of national public and private healthcare expenditures are used to diagnose and treat chronic diseases tied to rising obesity rates and insufficient levels of physical activity. Pennsylvania, alone, has some of the nation’s highest health costs, ranking 11th out of 51 in healthcare spending per capita.

Increasing rates of physical activity can help children lose weight and improve academic performance, insulin response, blood lipid levels, and prevent obesity and related chronic diseases like diabetes in adulthood.

“It is encouraging to see the state of Pennsylvania adopt policies that recognize and promote the benefits of physical activity for children, since exercise preferences that we develop in childhood often become habits that we carry into adulthood,” said Amy Bantham, IHRSA’s Vice President of Government Relations and Health Promotion. 

In fact, studies have shown that 80% of adults ages 18 and over who reported having PE in school said they were active in 2015 and 39% were regularly active to a healthy level (151+ times per year). However, only 61% of adults who did not participate in PE reported activity and less than a quarter participated 151 times or more in 2015.

And health clubs play a large role in helping to cultivate these habits by creating a safe, supportive environment for people to be regularly active. Many of Pennsylvania’s 1,318 health clubs have created programs for children and adolescents, as well as programs for families to exercise and live healthier lives together. In fact, in the U.S., there are now 8.2 million health club members under the age of 18. The membership growth rate for this youth segment is the greatest by far of any age bracket, increasing by 78.7% since 2009 according to research from IHRSA, The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association. As the not-for-profit trade association representing health and fitness facilities, gyms, spas, sports clubs, and suppliers worldwide, IHRSA is committed to advancing physical activity for all ages and supports legislation that instills healthy habits in future generations. 

IHRSA would like to individually thank the resolution’s co-sponsors, Sen. Bartolotta, Sen. Brewster, Sen. Browne, Sen. Costa, Sen. Dinniman, Sen. Farnese, Sen. Fontana, Sen. Greenleaf, Sen. Haywood, Sen. Leach, Sen. Rafferty, Sen. Schwank, Sen. Teplitz, Sen. Vulakovich, and Sen. Yudichak.

Additionally, IHRSA would like to thank our member clubs for supporting this resolution by sending messages of support to legislators, emphasizing the importance of increased physical activity for children.

“This resolution is a first step in reminding folks how important a few healthy changes in their lifestyle can greatly alter their wellness,” said Senator Sabatina.

About IHRSA

The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) is a not-for-profit trade association representing health and fitness facilities, gyms, spas, sports clubs, and suppliers worldwide. IHRSA and its members are dedicated to making the world healthier through regular exercise and activity promotion. IHRSA’s mission is to grow, promote and protect the industry; and provide its members with benefits that will help them be more successful. For additional information on IHRSA’s involvement in advancing health promotion initiatives, please visit ihrsa.org/health-promotion.

IHRSA Members have the opportunity to apply for two full scholarships to The IHRSA Institute, which will be held August 2-5 at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School in Chapel Hill.

The John McCarthy Merit Scholarship, named for IHRSA’s first executive director, and The Curt & Jane Beusman Institute Scholarship, named for two of IHRSA’s most passionate founders, each have a value of $2,900. Qualified candidates should be able to demonstrate their passion to the health club industry, and absolute commitment to their service, sales, and leadership skills. Both scholarships include a full Institute registration, lodging, meals, program materials, social events, and a $500 travel stipend. The deadline for scholarship applications is May 13. Details can be found at ihrsa.org/institute-scholarship/.

“The variety of material covered and incredible networking opportunity The Institute provides is above and beyond worth it,” said 2015 scholarship recipient Melissa Hall of Merritt Athletic Clubs. “It likely cannot be matched in value and experience.”

Featuring a faculty of industry experts and UNC professors, The Institute provides a strong overall base for anyone working in the fitness industry. The curriculum includes classes on subjects such as Strategic Planning; Innovation; Financial Management; Staff Hiring, Training & Retention; Social Media & Digital Strategies; Member Experience & Engagement; and more courses essential to successful running a club.

Small, intimate classes are designed to facilitate interaction and foster long-term peer networking. “It’s an immersive experience,” said Pam O’Donnell, IHRSA Vice President of Membership Experience & Development, noting that the program attracts attendance from across the globe. “Participants and faculty continue discussions informally and during planned social events outside of the classroom.”

“I typically send three or four people to The IHRSA Institute. I’ve been in the industry for 37 years and went for the first time myself last year,” said Jim Worthington, Owner and President of the Newtown Athletic & Aquatic Club. “I experienced an unbelievable program, and the networking opportunities were amazing. I walked away with 74 action items I want to implement in my club!”

Those interested in attending The Institute are encouraged to register at ihrsa.org/institute-register by June 20 for the best rate.

The IHRSA Institute is sponsored by Core Health & Fitness, MINDBODY, National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and SPRI.

About IHRSA

The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) is a not-for-profit trade association representing health and fitness facilities, gyms, spas, sports clubs, and suppliers worldwide. IHRSA and its members are dedicated to making the world healthier through regular exercise and activity promotion. IHRSA's events provide a vast array of speakers on business and corporate culture, instructional sessions on all aspects of succeeding in the health club industry, social events to mix and mingle with peers, and the most spectacular trade shows in the industry. 

Beach Fit studios in the United Kingdom are making waves with a revolutionary approach to membership fees by rewarding discounts based on the user’s energy output.

With SportsArt ECO-POWR™ equipment and the SENZA+ app, members are able to track how much utility-grade energy they generate and send back to the power grid with every workout.

This approach helps to reduce the gym’s carbon footprint and further promotes Beach Fit’s aim to become a sustainable ‘ecogym.' It also increases customer loyalty, as members receive discounts off of their monthly membership dues based on their overall energy output.

Beach Fit's sustainable approach to People, Planet, and Profit is also drawing a lot of attention from media and quickly becoming a new best practice for operators in the fitness industry aiming to cater to millennials.

Read the full article on the Shoreham Herald.

For more information on ECO-POWR™, contact Ivo Grossi at 800-709-1400 ext. 119 or email him at igrossi@gosportsart.com.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — April 26, 2016 — Netpulse, the #1 provider of mobile apps for health clubs, announced today a new integration with MYZONE, an accurate heart rate monitoring system that rewards effort. The integration will enable health clubs to offer members direct access to MYZONE wearable data within their club’s mobile app. Members can now check-in to the club, view class schedules, book personal training sessions and access their MYZONE workout data all from one app.

“As Netpulse is the top provider of mobile apps for many of the clubs we work with, it was a no brainer for us to integrate MYZONE, the top heart rate based member engagement system, into their mobile platform,” said Emmett Williams, President of MYZONE. “Our goal has always been to offer technology solutions that motivate people to reach their fitness goals through feedback. This integration will give users of MYZONE technology one-touch access to that feedback, so they can more easily stay motivated and engaged.”

MYZONE is an accurate monitoring system that measures heart rate, calories burned and effort in real time, helping users reach their fitness goals. The system allows exercise data to be uploaded wirelessly both inside and outside of the club. This data can be accessible to a user, trainer and club owner, providing both accurate and relevant data that can be viewed anywhere in the world.

“The MYZONE monitoring system is changing the way people train, giving them real-time data that helps them more efficiently and effectively reach their goals,” said Kelly Card, Netpulse’s Vice President of Sales. “Integrating this technology with the Netpulse mobile app platform gives both trainers and members a more seamless training experience.”

Netpulse provides a customizable mobile app platform for the fitness industry. The modular platform enables club operators to easily implement the features they need and integrate with existing club technologies, such as member management software and wearable tracking technologies like MYZONE. This provides a seamless digital experience for club members, while allowing clubs to quickly bring a cost-effective mobile app to market.

The MYZONE integration is now available on the Netpulse mobile app platform.

Paris, 3 May 2016 — The Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD (BIAC) today convened a high-level Forum to identify the central role for business as partners in bringing innovative solutions in health and well-being.

The Forum, moderated by Riz Khan, saw senior representatives from government, the OECD, and the private sector, as well as leading experts in health and well-being, working together to improve understanding of current global health challenges and identify effective policy recommendations. They called on the OECD to strengthen public-private dialogue to improve health outcomes by encouraging partnerships that leverage innovation in business to prevent and reduce disease risk factors.

“Private sector innovation can bring benefits and opportunities that will make societies healthier and economies more productive,” said Nicole Denjoy, Chair of the BIAC Health Committee, which coordinates business input to OECD. “This Forum provides sports, pharmaceutical, medical device and food and beverage industries and employers with a cross-industry platform, allowing them to contribute positively to improving health and well-being.”

OECD countries urgently need to find ways to improve the sustainability of their healthcare systems in the face of increasing levels of non-communicable diseases. BIAC identifies key priorities and potential solutions for governments to improve the productivity of economies and well-being of populations, including: 

• Using business collaboration to respond faster to changing consumer and societal needs
• Scaling up partnerships for promoting healthy lifestyles and behaviors 
• Developing sustainable healthcare systems that leverage private sector-led innovations 

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About BIAC: BIAC speaks for business at the OECD. Established in 1962, we stand for policies that enable businesses of all sizes to contribute to growth, economic development, and prosperity. Through BIAC, national business and employers federations and their members provide expertise to the OECD and governments for competitive economies, better business, and better lives.

For more information, contact Ali Karami-Ruiz, Director, Policy and Communications, BIAC karamiruiz@biac.org +33 1 42 30 09 60

Mini–football tournament among corporate teams took place in X-Fit Altufyevo.  It was the first championship in the series of activities carried out within the framework of a new approach to work with clients. Representatives of the leading IT-companies - IBM, Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, Cisco and Dell took part in it.

Account managers of corporate direction X-Fit decided to go non-standard way and offered the largest IT-companies not only to conclude their contracts with the fitness chain but also to participate in the competitions. The main goal of the tournament – to show new level of services offered by X-Fit to their corporate clients. The idea of the championship is not unique, but X- Fit also invited potential customers to participate in the sport competitions.

“People are tired of aggressive sales and monotony – all fitness clubs offer a similar range of services, - said Leo Lions, corporate network manager of the sport direction projects in X-Fit. – The procedure of corporate contracts formalizing is very prompt, takes just a few days, but the fact of making decision about cooperation often stretched in time. That is why we decided to acquaint potential customer with the services and opportunities that they will have when they will start to train in X-Fit clubs, and offered to take part in mini-football tournament”.

The conceptual feature of the tournament was the cluster approach - IT- companies were offered to match themselves with their rivals. "Interest games" attracted the attention of industry giants such as Microsoft, IBM, SAP, Oracle, Dell, Google, Apple, Cisco, Acer, Intel. Then, with the sales funnel in four days several corporate contracts were signed, with the result that participating teams determined team members.

After the draw teams were distributed with following results: group A included Microsoft, Dell and Cisco; group B – IBM, SAP and Oracle. From the first minutes of the game it was obvious that all the participants came to win. The tense struggle, storm of emotions and support of the fans had done their job: the 3^rd place was taken by representatives of IBM, the second went to Cisco and the winner of the 1^st X-Fit IT Cup 2016 became the team of Oracle.

Taking into consideration the success of the tournament and the scheme of the new approach to work with the corporate direction, X-Fit develops serious of events that will attract the attention of the potential customers. In the near future new projects, connected with water programs, basketball and tennis will be realized.

MISSISSAUGA, ON. (May 17, 2016) – K&K Insurance Brokers Inc., Canada, a subsidiary of Aon plc (NYSE:AON), today launched a convenient website for fitness studios that provides the ability to quickly obtain a quote and buy liability insurance online at www.kandkcanada.com. Proof of coverage is provided instantly via email upon payment by credit card. The program is available across Canada except in Quebec. 

The fitness studio program offers commercial general liability coverage for exercise facilities under 3,000 square feet and protects the insured against covered liability claims for bodily injury and property damage arising out of premises, operations, products and completed operations, personal and advertising injury. 

Premium is based on square footage and annual revenue; limits of $1 million, $2 million and $5 million are available. Optional Excess Medical Payments for Participants and Equipment and Contents coverages are also offered. Coverage is provided through an insurance carrier rated A- (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company. 

All descriptions, summaries or highlights of coverage are for general informational purposes only, are not intended to constitute legal or other professional advice and do not amend, alter or modify the actual terms or conditions of any insurance policy. Coverage is governed only by the terms and conditions of the relevant policy.

Media Contact:

For further information, please contact K&K Insurance Brokers Inc., Canada: Joan Warren-Phenix 905.214.6401.

About K&K Insurance Brokers Inc., Canada

K&K Insurance Brokers Inc., Canada is a managing general agent offering insurance products and services for the sports, motorsports, recreation, leisure and entertainment industries. K&K Insurance Brokers Inc., Canada is a licensed insurance producer in all provinces and territories of Canada.