For episode 57 we're exploring the dynamic world of sports science at the crossroads of technology with Emmy award-winning writer and the author of "Unplugged," Phil White. In this podcast we're talking about the connections between mindfulness and technology when it comes to breathing, eating, moving, sleeping, and exercising including the relationship of health club and fitness facilities and devices. We also learn from Phil about the importance of what he calls having a "white belt mentality" when it comes to both fitness and technology, and why he believes that technology's best use case in fitness is to identify a movement fault that is potentially harmful to a client, know what the correct solution is, and to have the client implement that solution. For successful coaches and trainers, we uncover why fitness technology must only be a tool in a professional's toolbox to help inform, educate, and increase self-awareness to get a client to a place where they are actually independent and no longer need that technology. When it comes to sports science being fueled by technology, what are the real game changers and the most important aspects of consciously applied devices and software to truly support and uplift the human inside and outside the club?  The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Phil white. About The Book: Unplugged: Evolve from Technology to Upgrade Your Fitness, Performance, & Consciousness In the first quarter of 2016, Americans bought 19.7 million fitness wearables, an increase of 67 percent over the previous year. By 2020, the global market for fitness-focused apps and devices is expected to grow to $30 billion. This means that more than ever, we’re looking at our wrists not only to check the time, but also to see how much we’ve moved, monitor our heart rate, and see how we’re stacking up against yesterday’s tallies. As a result of our fitness tech addiction, we’ve lost awareness of what we’re doing, how we’re feeling, and what’s going on around us. This is bad enough in the gym, but when we get outside, the constant checking of a tiny screen truly wreaks havoc, downgrading what should be a rich experience into yet another task we need to complete to meet our daily goals. And if we fall short, we feel inadequate. There’s also the issue of data inaccuracy, with many device makers now admitting that their gadgets provide only estimates. So why do we continue to obsess over data and treat it as gospel truth?    It’s time to stop, take a breath, and hit the reset button in a big way. Unplugged provides a blueprint for using technology to meet your health and performance goals in a much smarter way, while reconnecting to your instincts and the natural world. In addition to sharing the performance expertise of Brian Mackenzie and the scientific insight of Dr. Andy Galpin, Unplugged features exclusive stories and advice from elite athletes and world-renowned experts like Laird Hamilton, Tim Ferriss, Kai Lenny, Kelly Starrett, Steven Kotler, Erin Cafaro, Lenny Wiersma, Dr. Frank Merritt, and Brandon Rager. About Phil White Phil White is an Emmy-nominated writer who frequently contributes to The Inertia, SUP the Mag and Canoe & Kayak. He is the co-author, with Dr. Kelly Starrett, of the forthcoming books Flight Plan and Waterman 2.0, and is also collaborating on Game Changer with University of Michigan football performance director Dr. Fergus Connolly and Bridging the Gap with Sue Falsone, the first female athletic head trainer in Major League sports. His other books include Whistle Stop, which Larry King said, “I can’t put down,” and Our Supreme Task, which The Times Literary Supplement called “Illuminating.” About "Game Changer"  As the rewards for winning have increased, it’s no surprise that sports team budgets have followed suit. Sure, the athletic program at the University of Texas brought in $161 million last year, but the Longhorns also spent $154 million over the same period. Fifteen other college athletics program also racked up over $100 million in annual expenses. But that’s child’s play compared to the outgoings at the world’s most valuable soccer team, Manchester United, which spent more than $500 million in 2015.  The trouble is that all this spending often fails to yield better results. Teams in all sports have tried just about every gimmick to “hack” their way to better performance. But as they’ve gotten stuck in stats, mired in backroom politics, and diverted by the facilities arms race, many have lost sight of what should’ve been their primary focus all along: the game itself.  In Game Changer, Fergus Connolly shows how to improve performance with evidence-based analysis and athlete-focused training. Through his unprecedented experiences with teams in professional football, basketball, rugby, soccer, Aussie Rules, and Gaelic football, as well as with elite military units, Connolly has discovered how to break down the common elements in all sports to their basic components so that each moment of any game can be better analyzed, whether you’re a player or a coach. The lessons of game day then can be used to create valuable learning experiences in training, evaluate the quality of your team’s performance, and home in on what’s working and what isn’t.  Game Changer also shows you how to expand training focus from players' physical qualities to also advance athletes technically, tactically, and psychologically. His TTPP Model not only helps players continually progress but also stops treating them like a disposable commodity and instead prioritizes athlete health. Listen To Episode 057 As Phil Uncovers Why Phil partnered with Coach Fergus Connolly to write Game Changer Why when it comes to fitness technology Phil believes that for bio hacking or any "hacks" are only a short-term solution and are not sustainable for a life of health Understanding the white belt mentality: being humble in your service and growth in a career Training: RPE rate of perceived exertion vs. MEPS or HRV Why Phil believes one of the most important coaching aspects for trainers is to stop trying to reduce everything to the physical Exploring the Technical, Tactical, Psychological and Physical aspects of Game Changer Quantitative vs. Contextual when we view the lens of fitness technology  The Six Laws of Winning:  The Law of Knowledge The law of Human Superiority The Law of Intensity & Quality The Law of Individualization The Law of Preparation  The Law of Support  Actionable steps for club owners, operators, and fitness professionals around technology and members The role of emotional intelligence in the age of exponential technology Going back to the basics: eating, moving, breathing, sleeping, human connection with specialized training Why successful fitness trainers and clubs will encapsulate technology into a wellness ecosystem rather than just being fitness specific What Phil beliefs about college athletics that transferred to the fitness industry in both monetary concern and client care Parting guidance for owners and operators in 2018 Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Emotional intelligence is becoming a more valuable skill set every day in a world of fitness technology and a growing dependency that some coaches may fall into with too much of a focus on the actual device, rather than cuing their client for movement and behavior. Phil believes that with the right amount of mindfulness, fitness pros and coaches can use fitness tech as a tool for cueing, learning, and sensing instead of as a taskmaster that stresses them out. Understanding the six laws of winning in the fitness industry and in athletics, when we look at the segment of human superiority, Phil believes that fitness and coaching has always been and will continue to always be a truly shoulder to shoulder personal endeavor. While technology can support behaviors virtually along with concierge coaching, the most important part of your facility's approach for the client entering a relationship with a trainer to be a win is that there must be a focus on human superiority in contrast to technology. Phil believes that we all must "major in the majors" in order for health club members and personal training clients to achieve the real transformation their paying for. The law of individualization states that highly effective winners can't be mass-produced in a short training cycle, and in that same regard, no matter where our industry rides the wave of exponential tech in 2018, what's most important is that we always remember the basics of eating, moving, sleeping, breathing, and human connection. These must be uplifted by the tech we use, and in this world of distraction the fitness industry has an incredible responsibility on its shoulders: to give our millions of members worldwide a trusted space to practice those basics and never forget no matter how much technology grows to keep the human as the master rather than the servant. Power Quotes From Phil White "It's not enough to have quantitative analysis through a fitness device unless you are putting it into a behavioral and environmental context."  - Phil White on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Technology's best use case in fitness is to identify a movement fault that is potentially harmful to a client, know what the correct solution is, and then have the client implement that solution. For best success, you use fitness technology only as a tool in your toolbox to help inform, educate, and increase self-awareness to get your client to a place where they are independent and no longer need that technology." - Phil White on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Phil White Become a Member of FIT-C Game Changer Book Athlete Unplugged Phil White on Facebook Phil White books Phil White on Twitter Unplugged Book Sport Illustrated Article: Does Investing in Sports Science Actually Result in More Wins? Crossfit OURA Ring Fitbit Coaches Eye Andy Galpin Brett Jones Fitness Cal State Fullerton Pavel: Simple & Sinister Brain Mackenzie SEALFIT Breathwork Wim Hof Steven Kotler Jamie Wheal Stealing Fire Book The Rise of Superman Dom D'agostino Precision Nutrition Kelly Starrett: Supple Leopard Chris Winters: Sleep book Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor Contact the Fitness Industry Technology Council to become a Podcast Sponsor Review our various options for Sponsorship Send us a Facebook Message 

For episode 56, where learning and growing from the CTO of FitMetrix, Josh Lloyd about using technology for the member to win. This is something that we explore quite a bit on the show, but this is a deeper discussion where we are learning from Josh about the strategy and tools that will connect the sometimes disparate technology silos inside and outside the club to help bring them back together. In this podcast we're talking about not only how to use technology to enhance and uplevel the customer experience but also how to incentivize healthy living through data points collected via gamification and that relationship to smart push notifications sent to members. FitMetrix was founded in 2013 to solve a need around group training but has now evolved to a more robust platform that does much more by bringing in best practices from outside the fitness industry: FitMetrix has significant technical experience and believes customer service is the most critical path to success. With technology racing ahead faster than ever before what are the smart data sets that club owners and operators can piece together in a tracking solution designed to increase member retention while giving clients better results?  The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with  Josh Lloyd. About Josh Lloyd Josh Lloyd is the co-founder and CTO of FitMetrix, which provides state of the art technology to gyms and health clubs to give members the ability to schedule, train and receive real-time tracking of effort and performance through a facility’s website or customizable app. FitMetrix has partnered with hundreds of gyms across the nation, including Life Time Fitness, Gold’s Gym, Cycle Bar, Cooper Institute, US Fitness and more. Prior to co-founding FitMetrix, Josh was the co-founder and visionary of ShopVisible LLC, which provided business owners with smart technology that combined solutions for customer service, back office, inventory, marketing, accounting and IT into one SEO friendly tool. Due to the success of ShopVisible, Josh was ranked as one of Atlanta Business Leaders’ Top 25 Entrepreneurs in Atlanta in 2012. Prior to ShopVisible, Josh was the Director of Research and Development for CareMedic Systems Inc., as well as Omega Systems Inc. Josh has a bachelor’s degree in business from Florida Atlantic University and has 20 years of experience in professional software development. Listen To Episode 056 As Josh Uncovers Why Josh left the automotive industry to retail and now fitness How key data from treadmills, ellipticals, rowers, and other cardio pieces can be used to tailor the member experience by tying them into a deeply functional tracking solution Why getting the information from the members exercise sessions while in the club is a powerful proactive fitness facilities How to use leaderboards to drive member journey in class settings How to use smart activity data that ties into the long tail of a member's journey How proactive fitness facilities and health clubs are creating an ecosystem that contains brand evangelists  How a brand can bring value to a member even when they aren't in the 4 walls of the club  The role of wearables and insurance companies in big health data and how facilities can explore a win-win Why Josh believes that this is the most exciting time to be in the fitness industry Understanding "Emotional Resistance" – why people do things to sabotage their success in reaching fitness goals Why FitMetrix partnered with Perkville to engage more members in 2018 Actionable steps for club owners, operators, and fitness professionals around technology and members  Top 3 Takeaways From The Show The merging of the inside club data and outside club data is more important in 2018 than before. Josh believes that smart aggregate data from treadmills, ellipticals, rowers, and other cardio pieces can be used to tailor the member experience by tying them into a deeply functional tracking solution. By getting the information from the member's exercise sessions while in the club, proactive fitness facilities can now reach more of an emotional context for motivation by delivering detailed and actionable incentives to members. Josh speaks to the power of using leaderboards to drive more members to a successful health journey. At the end of the day when the technology is not there, you're self-regulating. When a member's stats are up on a leaderboard at the same time of the people next to them, they are going to push themselves harder, and everyone's going to push themselves harder, which creates a more dynamic class experience that they'll tell their friends about. When we view the power of wearables and creating a true ecosystem that is built for the member to win, clubs that partner with insurance companies and medical fitness organizations will now start to rise above their competitors as we look towards 2018 with more tools, technology, and the need for programs that reward people at their deepest needs. Power Quotes From Josh Lloyd "What we must ask as an industry is what can we be doing outside of just booking a class, outside of what is just happening in the studio, but also what are the other opportunities we can use to engage with the member?"  - Josh Lloyd on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "At the end of the day when the technology is not there, you're self-regulating. When you're up on a leaderboard at the same time of the people next you, you're going to push yourself harder, everyone's going to push themselves harder." - Josh Lloyd on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Josh Josh Lloyd on LinkedIn Become a Member of FIT-C FitMetrix on the web FitMetrix on Twitter Fitmetrix on facebook Fitmetrix partners ABC Financial Club Ready Emotional Resistance – why people do things to sabotage their success in reaching fitness goals Outside Online - The Surprising Ways Your Fitness Data Is Really Being Used 054 Sunil Saha: Fitness Loyalty Programs For Revenue & Engagement 042 Josh Cherry: The Future of Fitness Gamification 049 Michael Wood: Fitness Devices, Data, & Ecosystems Josh Lloyd - Developing The Future Of Fitness 053 Nir Eyal: Consumer Behavior & Creating Habit Forming Products John Hancock Wearables Program - Vitality Points Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor Contact the Fitness Industry Technology Council to become a Podcast Sponsor Review our various options for Sponsorship Send us a Facebook Message 

On episode 055, get ready for a compelling and insightful conversation live from Titleist Performance Institute in San Diego, CA with its Co-Founder Dr. Greg Rose, a pioneer in 3-dimensional biomechanics, strength and conditioning, and expert in fitness technology. In this podcast we're taking a deep dive into the success of TPI and it's impact on the fitness industry as a whole. If you are a fitness pro or operator that has been curious about using technology, apps, and movement screens to deliver better results to your clients and revenue to the club, you're going to enjoy this thought-provoking show.  Through the past 17 years, Greg has helped thousands of golfers of all skill levels reach peak athletic performance. His cutting edge yet research-based form of functional training combined with golf-specific motor learning drills have made Greg one of golf’s top strength and conditioning professionals.   Greg has also been an integral component in the creation of the "Jugamos Todos" program developed by TPI Sports, working in conjunction with the Mexican Ministries of Health and Education, along with the support of the Mexican Football Federation by launching this Physical Education Program deployed across the country's elementary schools to create a sports movement based program, as one of the foundations for thier official FEMEXFUT app-based Youth Pathway. What new technology can fitness pros and operators begin to harness that support low-cost movement screening, help fight childhood obesity, and deliver more ROI to clubs?  The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Dr. Greg Rose. About Dr. Greg Rose  Greg is a board certified Doctor of Chiropractic and holds an engineering degree from the University of Maryland.  Greg specializes in assessing and treating golfers, 3-dimensional biomechanics, strength and conditioning, manual therapy, rehabilitation, nutritional supplementation and therapeutic exercises. Combining an engineering background with an expertise on the human body, Greg helped pioneer the field of analyzing 3-dimensional motion capture models of the golf swing. That research has helped golf professionals all over the world gain a better understanding of how the body works during the golf swing.  Through the past 17 years, Greg has helped thousands of golfers of all skill levels reach peak athletic performance. His cutting edge yet research-based form of functional training combined with golf-specific motor learning drills have made Greg one of golf’s top strength and conditioning professionals.   Greg also helped develop the Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA), a revolutionary movement assessment that helps identify altered motor control and guides medical practitioners on how to treat patients more efficiently. Greg frequently appears on the Golf Channel.  The TPI certification seminar series has made Greg one of the most requested speakers in golf health and fitness. He has lectured in over 21 countries and has been featured in many golf and news publications. Listen To Episode 055 As Greg Uncovers How an early engineering job working on a golf course led him to be one of the first (if not the 1st) specicliazed golf chiropractors in the United States  What impact Titleist Performance Institute is creating in the fitness, golf, and technology worlds  How Greg became an early pioneer in 3D Motion Capture technology Understanding the major comments and types of 3D Motion Capture:  Video Infrared Electromagnetic  Inertial sensors  The power of performing a physical screening under 3D motion capture for athletes and fitness clients  Why the use of force and pressure tools in motion capture is so beneficial to the coach  Why Greg believes that nutrition is more powerful than working out Understanding the layers of longterm behavior change: the "elephant" in the room How sugar is as addicting to the brain as heroin for both adults and children  Why TPI will be creating a Health & Fitness Certification for the USPTA in 2018 How TPI is creating positive health impact in Mexico to combat child obesity Greg's 3 pillars of success in the fitness industry: Be the best at what you do Get results Create your community Why Greg has learned that when it comes to clients having longterm success, look at movement patterns first  Uncovering the 1-1 vs. group training paradigm: Why people work harder in groups and stay longer  Actionable takeaways for facilities looking to begin implementing new technologies for fitness staff 2018 trends and developments around the industry and globally  Top 3 Takeaways From The Show When we understand the next level of results-driven fitness technology, diagnostics are everything. Greg shared in our podcast that screening with the right technology first and programming second will create optimal results and the help to support the best movement patterns. There any many technology apps, devices, and ways to screen an athlete in both golf and general fitness out there, and exercise prescription and periodization should only come after effectively screening the athlete or the client. Greg believes that over the next several years we will see a unique way to tailor exercise programs to the client through a kiosk that screens for movement in our big box clubs. With the exponential growth of fitness technology, the screening capability and quality assessment tools will become even less expensive and ubiquitous in the industry which will lead to an increase in personal training packages and member engagement. With youth obesity of an all time high, Greg sees technology as one of the causes of the problem and also simultaneously the solution. The specialized app created to help Mexico youth is just a first step on the path to using technology as a powerful tool to move the needle back to health. We are becoming more clear everyday about the fact that in the age of a technology revolution, its really hard to get kids to move, so if we want to win the battle against childhood obesity, we must use smart technology to do so. Power Quotes From Dr. Greg Rose  "You must realize that when it comes to behavior change pshycology and losing weight, there are two parts of you: the rational and the emotional. Your logical brain understands that you need to lose weight, but your emotional being must also be convinced."  - Dr. Greg Rose on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "I think that most wearables are stuck in logic."  - Dr. Greg Rose on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "In the age of technology revolution, its really hard to get kids to move, so if we want to win the battle against childhood obesity, we must use smart technology to do so."  - Dr. Greg Rose on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Dr. Greg TPI on facebook TPI on Twitter TPI on Instagram TPI on YouTube TPI on the web Dr. Greg Rose - My TPI Dr. Greg Rose on LinkedIn 3D Motion Capture Methods   FTP #049 Michael Wood: Fitness Devices, Data, & Ecosystems NASM BCS Course Gamification Pokemon GO HRV: The Mother of All Biomarkers MIT Sports Conference eSports Mexican Football Federation Youth Pathway App FMS: Functional Movement Systems FIFA Malaria Campaign Mexico Youth Soccer Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor Contact the Fitness Industry Technology Council to become a Podcast Sponsor Review our various options for Sponsorship Send us a Facebook Message 

New technologies in the fitness space are helping everyone achieve greater results as digital reward programs are making the gym experience more enjoyable for customers and more profitable for owners. In the past, running a loyalty program was fairly expensive and required a great deal of manual effort. Now there are automated tools available and tailored to the fitness space that allow members to track progress, use points, and interact with the club, all without the need for additional staff to facilitate the process.  This episode is for club owners, operators, and fitness professionals to explore the impact of how digital reward programs can be used to drive engagement, increase spend-per-member, and improve customer retention. For episode 054 we're joined by Sunil Saha, the Co-Founder and CEO of Perkville, a company offering custom automated loyalty programs in minutes that is revolutionizing how businesses motivate their customers to help them grow. Sunil also discusses how fitness management systems are investing heavily in their API's and mobile platforms which is opening up the ecosystems for new players to come in and have an incredible impact on engagement and member experience in the health club industry. With the plethora of technologies at our disposal to increase customer loyalty, how can we use these digital platforms and automated services to enhance the member experience and reduce monthly attrition?  The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Sunil Saha. About Sunil Saha Sunil Saha is the Co-Founder and CEO of Pervkille, a company offering custom automated loyalty programs in minutes that is revolutionizing how businesses motivate their customers to help them grow. Sunil has been working in technology for over 15 years since graduating with a BA in Human Biology from Stanford and enjoys working in teams to build things that the fitness industry needs in the era of exponential technology, including product management, internet services, healthcare, small business marketing, and more. Listen To Episode 054 As Sunil Saha Uncovers The customer loyalty trends that Sunil believes will impact the fitness space in 2018   How mobile platforms are allowing companies to digitize their loyalty programs  The ways technology is impacting the member experience in small and large facilities How to measure the effectiveness of our customer loyalty programs Why larger facilities should focus on driving down their monthly attrition rates How facilities can use A/B Testing to increase referrals and optimize landing pages Strategies for facilities that sell monthly packages to increase their Repeat Customer Rate Striking the right balance on spending enough to keep members engaged without breaking the bank How facilities can generate customer loyalty by exceeding their member's expectations  Why new members need to receive meaningful rewards within 3 to 6 months of joining How to create customer advocates who will share their experience on social media and help leverage powerful word-of-mouth advertising  How to identify the activities and rewards that are compelling for your members The split testing techniques that Sunil used at LinkedIn How to use rewards to gain information by enticing members to fill out surveys Why engagement increases 30-50% when staff members are properly trained to talk about the program How Perkville is experimenting with machine learning to identify members who may stop coming to the club Additional technologies that are impacting customer loyalty in the fitness verticle How to create loyal customers by using tech to respond to member issues Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Exceeding member expectations is a critical piece for any facility who wants to increase customer retention. Sunil recommends implementing loyalty programs shortly after a member joins and allowing them to start seeing rewards within the first 3 to 6 months. This can act as a successful differentiator for your facility and quickly create a loyal and engaged customer. Along with creating this up-front value, it's also necessary to show member's their progress along the way to keep them motivated as they work towards their goals.  Leadership from the top down regarding loyalty programs through educating staff is paramount. If a loyalty program is going to be successful, it's necessary to share, communicate, and properly disseminate within the club. Sunil has seen a 30-50% increase in engagement when staff members are properly trained to talk about the value of loyalty programs.  It's important that club's find a good balance between their marketing efforts and their spending. What Perkville helps clubs figure out is how to spend enough to reward and keep members involved without breaking the bank. Facilities must identify the rewards that are compelling enough for their members, while also setting points at the right values on the earning and the redemption side.  When the club sets the points at the right values, they increase the chance of having a meaningful and cost-effective program, which at the end of the day means more members seeing their health goals come to fruition. Power Quotes From Sunil Saha "Being able to test is key to understanding how your marketing programs are performing."  - Sunil Saha on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "If you structure your membership program incorrectly, it will either cost you too much money or fail to have an impact on your business."  - Sunil Saha on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Quickly responding to customer feedback is one of the fastest ways you can build customer advocacy."  - Sunil Saha on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Sunil Saha Sunil Saha Perkville: Rewards and Loyalty ABC Financial Jonas Fitness Mind Body Club OS InTouch CRM Listen360 Medallia MyZone FitMetrix Linkedin Yahoo The Peanut Butter Manifesto GymSales Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor Contact the Fitness Industry Technology Council to become a Podcast Sponsor Review our various options for Sponsorship Send us a Facebook Message 

For episode 053, we're joined by best selling author, speaker, and behavior change expert Nir Eyal, as he shares the powerful insights and strategies that companies inside and outside the fitness industry use to create engaging products and foster repeat clientele. Today on the show, we navigate the intersection of psychology, technology, and business, as Nir provides a comprehensive approach for using modern technology to build habit-forming products and how to apply these techniques to the wellness and fitness world. We dive into the psychological principles that lead to habit change with Eyal's "Hook" model, which involves four main steps: trigger, action, variable reward, and investment. He explains the value of understanding these different stages, and how building around your user's' own internal drivers will help to create an emotionally rewarding experience and keep customers coming back for more.  With all the advances in our modern world, how can club owners and fitness pros combine new technologies and these habit-forming principles to make a profound impact on health, create loyal fans, and increase member retention? The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Nir Eyal. About Nir Eyal Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. The M.I.T. Technology Review dubbed Nir, “The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology.” Nir founded two tech companies since 2003 and has taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford. He is the author of the bestselling book, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products.In addition to blogging at NirAndFar.com, Nir’s writing has been featured in The Harvard Business Review, TechCrunch, and Psychology Today. Nir is also an active investor in habit-forming technologies. Some of his past investments include: Refresh.io (acquired by LinkedIn), Worklife (acquired by Cisco), Eventbrite, Product Hunt, Marco Polo, Presence Learning, 7 Cups, Pana, Kahoot!, Byte Foods, Anchor.fm, and Symphony Commerce. Nir attended The Stanford Graduate School of Business and Emory University. Listen To Episode 053 As Nir Eyal Uncovers Behavior design principles that can build healthy habits into our wellness routine The crucial difference between forming habits and developing addictions How to maintain our ethics when manipulating the habits and behaviors of the consumer How gym's can use tech to create sustainable and healthy behavior change for their members The basic tenants of products and services that lead to habit formation How facilities can minimize advertising costs by increasing member retention Understanding our "present bias" nature how to speed up reward systems How to create present moment rewards that hook people into healthy behaviors Why simplicity is key for creating sustainable behavior change How clubs can use client's biometrics and activity data to create a virtual coaching experience  How we can leverage "tribe effect" and "social contagion" to steer our actions Communication tools that to add accountability and build engaged communities How to identify the needs of your target consumer and deliver on your promises The "Hook Model", a basic framework of the 4 key stages: Trigger: How does the loop initiate? In the beginning, this may be through external triggers (such as an email, notification, icon badge, etc) but through successive loops, the user eventually creates internal triggers where a particular thought or emotion will send them back to your product. Action: Once the user is aware they need to use your product (through the trigger), what it the simplest action they can perform to get some kind of reward. For example, a Facebook "Like". Variable reward: How are they rewarded for this behavior? This could be social validation (e.g. "my friends approve!"), collection of material resources (e.g. add a photo to a collection) or personal gratification (e.g. inbox zero). The "variable" part is important - rewards should not always be predictable, encouraging users to repeat the cycle. Investment: Finally, the user needs to put something back in to increase the chance of repeating the loop. This could be content (e.g. a book in your Kindle), user entered data (e.g. profile information or linked accounts), reputation (e.g. something to gain a 5 star seller review), or a learned skill (e.g. I'm now really good at this software program). The investment also sets up the trigger to for the next cycle of the loop. Top 3 Takeaways From The Show It's more profitable for clubs to keep their existing members than to acquire new ones. Gym owners must not fall into the mentality that losing customers each year is simply par for the course and that all they have to do is keep advertising to bring in new business. Nir recommends placing a heavy emphasis on using tech that will engage the member and keep them coming back so businesses save on costly advertising and avoid aggressive marketing campaigns.  Nir reminds us that we have to understand that human behavior is symptomatic of what's known as “present bias." This tendency proves the importance of creating an immediate reward system to hook our customers and bring the gratification from their actions closer to the present moment. Using exciting new tech and social contagion can help create better exercise habits in members by adding more enjoyment to the workout experience.  With the exciting advances in technology, it's important to develop a truly ethical framework for "hooking" people through psychological manipulation. Some of the technologies we see today drive addiction with little regard for the detrimental impact on the consumer's health, but Nir believes if we keep wellness at the forefront of our product creation and tech implementation we will be successful in building healthy habits to enhance the lives of our consumers. Power Quotes From Nir Eyal "Wherever new technologies suddenly make a behavior easier, new possibilities are born ."  - Nir Eyal on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "The big problem with humans is that we have a "present-bias" and don't assess the future consequences of our behaviors. We can change our actions by using technologies to bring the rewards closer to the present moment with the long-term goal of getting people to enjoy these behaviors."  - Nir Eyal on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "There are only three ways to capture your competition’s users’ habits. Either make the reward more fulfilling, send users through the hook faster, or cycle through the hook more frequently."  - Nir Eyal on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Nir Eyal Amazon: Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products Kindle: Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products  Audible: Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products Nir's Blog The Hook Model The Four by Scott Galloway 023 The Truth About Health Clubs & Behavior Change - Jan Middelkamp 048 Bryan O'Rourke: The Latest In Betterment Technology 2017 Google Facebook Apple Amazon Alexa WhatsApp Get Fit Over 40 Gym Hero Pro Fitbit Dexcom Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward-looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor Contact the Fitness Industry Technology Council to become a Podcast Sponsor Review our various options for Sponsorship Send us a Facebook Message 

For Episode 052 we're joined by Simon Hall, Principal Consultant at Fitness Business Experts and the General Manager of MYPT App, to show us the strategies needed to leverage technology and social media for generating leads, creating an engaging community experience, and increasing customer retention. Even in our fast-paced digital world, we still see a serious lag in the adoption of social strategies and new technologies with many of today's clubs and personal trainers. This failure to take advantage of social platforms and new advancements in the fitness space will cause many facilities to suffer as others begin to offer a more exciting and emotionally engaging experience.  Coming up, Simon breaks down the concept of creating a "Club-Within-A-Club." With the recent success of studio and boutique training centers, he shows how larger gyms can create a similar appeal within their existing facilities by transforming the experience around exercise classes. We talk about how many forward thinking club's now have specific ecosystems for their group training programs through using new technologies, upbeat music, and specialized branding. These features add a custom feel for the members and fosters a community around these segments of the gym that provide their own unique atmosphere apart from the main facility.  We also talk about the shocking statistics of members who aren't aware their gyms are even on Facebook. Simon explains the importance of having someone to be the technology "Champion" in the club, who takes charge of social media interaction, and leads the digital front for customer retention. It's one thing to have the technology, but implementing and bringing it to the consumer in a seamless way calls for someone who is tech-savvy, enjoys creating content and posting on social platforms, and has a true passion for building a trusted bridge between their customers and technology. With the high level of competition and rising consumer expectations in our industry, how can clubs and fitness professionals take advantage of new technologies and social platforms to offer a unique experience, build an engaged community, and increase member retention? The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Simon Hall. About Simon Hall From hotel health club receptionist to respected industry consultant, Simon has held key roles: General Manager of Fitness & Marketing for the New Zealand YMCA, Manager of the Australian & New Zealand Fitness Industry Survey, consultant to many leading independent and popular fitness club chains. He was also Chairman / board member of Fitness New Zealand. As Principle Consultant at Fitness Business Experts, he assisted all types of fitness businesses and operations to manage their business, improving operational efficiency, setting and managing marketing strategy, membership sales processes and training and anything to improve their bottom line. Simon is also the General Manager of MYPT App, a mobile app development company. MYPT has created a Personal Training management platform for trainers to manage all aspect of their business from lead generation to accounts tools and client management.  Along with his proven insights on fostering a deep connection between clubs and their members, Simon is also revolutionizing how personal trainers manage their business with MYPT App. This incredible lead generation tool is opening the door to hundreds of new potential clients for qualified fitness professionals in their local areas, as well as offering the payment and accounting systems that trouble so many small business owners. Listen To Episode 052 As Simon Hall Uncovers How MYPT App is helping fitness professionals manage their business and attract new leads Simon's volunteer work protecting his local beaches as a Surf Life Saver The current digital strategies clubs should implement to increase retention rates The power of creating a separate boutique "Club-Within-A-Club" experience inside larger facilities Important trends in fitness technology that Simon has noticed over the past 30 years How boutique clubs are utilizing new technologies to up-level the customer experience Leveraging social media to engage with members, create a community feel, and increase customer retention The benefits of sending fitness reports to your members after classes and workouts How big-box clubs can implement a uniquely branded, high-engagement group exercise model Why the boutique portion of your facility is a good place to begin implementing technology The geographical location features of MYPT App that connects clients with qualified local trainers Blending technology into the club to keep members motivated, active, and retained New combination boutique studios that combine 2 or more offerings such as yoga, spin, boxing, group training, etc. Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Clubs have no choice and now must fully embrace social media as an important tool for customer retention and member engagement. Currently, even though the majority of clubs have Facebook Pages and most their members are on social media, many facilities are failing to leverage these powerful platforms to connect with their customers. Simon recommends simple actions like displaying your social feeds on screens in the lobby and having group trainers casually invite members to engage and tag their gym and workout on social media. Many trainers have a difficult time with lead generation and managing the accounting side of their business. If a fitness professional would like to spend more time perfecting their training craft and less time attracting new customers, there are now technologies that can solve this problem. The MYPT App is creating leads by pairing trainers up with local clients in need of their services while also providing calendars, scheduling, reminders, payment processing and so much more.  Simon shows us the increased potential of fitness technology when combined with a "Champion" in the club who can lead the technology charge. In an era of exponential technology growth, what's most important to fitness professionals and operators is to understand where they are missing opportunities to engage and increase retention by formulating a trusted bridge between their customers and the technology.  Power Quotes From Simon Hall "Owners and operators need to place a much higher focus on the two biggest challenges we still face in our industry, customer acquisition and retention."  - Simon Hall on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Whether it's for social media or high-end features, clubs need someone to 'Champion' their technology, get people involved, and ensure a smooth integration with members."  - Simon Hall on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Clubs who are taking their time to adopt new technologies need to quickly get on board. Consumer expectations are rapidly increasing and businesses who fail to implement new features and foster a community atmosphere though social media will be left behind."  - Simon Hall on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Simon Hall MYPT Website MYPT Facebook MYPT Instagram Simon on LinkedIn Simon's Slide Share Presentations Fitness Industry Technology Council: Fit-C Fitness Business Experts Surf Life Saving Bru Coffee - Bondi Beach YMCA of Sydney Australian Fitness Industry Survey Statistics Digme Fitness Studios Rachel Cosgrove Orangetheory Fitness Harbour Clubs Barry's Bootcamp 050 Bryan O'Rourke Tim Webster Facebook LinkedIn 1Rebel UK Flow Athletic District Fitness Results Fitness Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor Contact the Fitness Industry Technology Council to become a Podcast Sponsor Review our various options for Sponsorship Send us a Facebook Message 

For Episode 51 we are joined by Garrett Marshall, Divisional CEO of Fitness On Demand, to discover how digital video programming is helping facilities enhance personalization, take advantage of underutilized space, and provide a greater variety of exercise formats to the consumer. We're also exploring how to leverage the consumer fitness groundswell in our space. Fitness On Demand™ is a market-leading delivery platform of virtual fitness. Since 2010, their services have allowed facilities around the world to economically deliver premium fitness programs to their users. With programming and services designed to optimize space, streamline operations, and offer unparalleled variety, their services are a perfect addition to fitness facilities, apartment complexes, hotels, and more. It's been shown that on average, functional training and studio rooms inside of clubs remain vacant 60-70% of the time. These new technologies are allowing facilities to capitalize on this space and provide a new digital experience to their members. Aside from the traditional gym setting, we also see this feature becoming a powerful amenity at resorts, hotels, and health facilities who want to provide their customers with an effective and engaging workout experience 24 hours a day. With the groundswell of consumer health and fitness awareness on the rise, how can we leverage these cloud hosted technologies to take advantage of underutilized space, reduce operating costs, and provide members with unique and engaging workouts? The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Garrett Marshall. About Garrett Marshall Garrett Marshall is the Divisional CEO of Fitness On Demand™, a market-leading developer of fitness delivery products for media and programming. Garrett combines a breadth of experience with an industry-specific, laser-focused, career path. Investing himself fully in each opportunity along the way, Garrett has been fortunate to play a role in several successful fitness businesses. His achievements span a variety of employment positions in small and large organizational settings.  In the past, he served as a consultant to the commercial division of Snap Fitness, the Chanhassen, Minnesota-based franchisor of compact, state-of-the-art, 24/7 fitness centers, and as the manager of business development for Fitness on Request, based in North Maple Grove, Minnesota, which also markets video-based group fitness workouts. His first foray into the industry was as a membership sales associate with Life Time Fitness, Inc., a chain of large, full-service clubs based in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Listen To Episode 051 As Garrett Uncovers How on demand fitness programming will apply to the commercial fitness space Ways that commercial brands can take advantage of the rising consumer health awareness How clubs can utilize technology to minimize the "dead" times in studio and functional training rooms The frequency and format preferences that members desire from on-demand fitness training Garrett's insights from 15+ years in the fitness & technology space His recipe for success when implementing video training into the group exercise setting The need for commercial operators to have a digital and mobile strategy Fostering connection and the "tribe effect" using digital platforms The 28-day on-boarding process that customers receive when implementing Fitness On Demand How clubs can reduce costs by using on-demand fitness to replace the live classes and formats they have simply carried over to satiate member demand The Fitness On Demand mobile application that gives club members access to their routines and regimens when they can't make it to the gym. Knowing when to schedule virtual programming to meet medium-interest times in the day, or when to leave the product open for on-demand to use How Fitness On Demand integrates with the Health Kits on Google play and iOS to capture key pieces of vital work out activity when members engage through their mobile application Task management systems Garrett recommends for busy professionals How Fitness On Demand plugs into non-traditional facilities like resorts and hotels  Garrett's conviction and purpose that fuels his leadership in the fitness industry The top factors that currently appeal to the consumer: Experience, Convenience, Personalization, and Education  Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Garrett believes that although it's one of the most engaging amenities, group fitness has also traditionally been one of the largest operating expenses for facilities. To address this issue, Fitness On Demand is uniquely positioned to help the customer add more value with digital video programming by offering added frequency, availability, and a variety of training formats, while at the same time reducing labor costs. Clubs can seek out technologies like Fitness On Demand to offset the expenses of underutilized space and for a digital replacement to live group classes.  Personalization is one of the top appealing factors we see over and over when researching the behaviors of fitness consumers. In order to personalize products and services, you need to intimately know your target demographic. This requires we understand our customer's behaviors, whether it be a current member or a new prospect. Achieving this comes down to the value of data we collect as club owners and operators, and how we act and execute based on that information. In order to effectively integrate and utilize new technologies in the club, there needs to be continuous education for fitness professionals and staff members. It's imperative to take a top-down leadership approach and ensure every level of employee within the club, from management to the trainers and sales staff, knows what the integration of any new technology will achieve, has a complete understanding of why they are doing it, and can easily communicate that to members and new prospects. Power Quotes From Garrett "In order to personalize your products and services, you have to intimately know the behaviors and preferences of the target consumer." - Garrett Marshall on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Data collection needs to be at the forefront for all aspects of how the member interacts with the facility." - Garrett Marshall on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "As much as our product is designed to be an on-demand and self-service tool, it's a feature that really requires ongoing implementation; not just installation."  - Garrett Marshall on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Garrett Marshall Garrett on Linkedin Fitness On Demand Fitness On Demand Classes Fitness On Demand Facebook Garrett Marshall: Leveraging the Consumer Fitness Groundswell IHRSA Live 2017 - Garrett Marshall IDEA World Fitness Convention IHRSA CES 24 Hour Fitness Lifetime Fitness Wellby® Daily Burn 039 Shannon Fable: Demystifying Group X With Technology Toodledo Productivity App Siri Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor Contact the Fitness Industry Technology Council to become a Podcast Sponsor Review our various options for Sponsorship Send us a Facebook Message 

As we fast-approach the one year anniversary next month for the fitness + technology podcast, today we're guided through some of 2017's most critical insights at the bleeding edge of trends and forecasts in our industry with the president of the Fitness Industry Technology Council, Bryan O'Rourke. In this special 50th episode, we cover so much ground and discuss the pivotal fitness and wellness devices for the cloud so that our club operators, owners, and trainers can embrace the meaningful technologies and avoid falling behind the competition. We learn from Bryan about his take on the the way our 3 basic models in the commercial fitness space are being disrupted, how technology makes you the CEO of your own health, why more people die today from overeating than from famine, and the social and economic forces at play that have a direct impact on how all of us will do business in fitness in 2018 and beyond.  If you've been listening to the show for a while and have received value from one or many of our expert guests, simply leave us a five star review for the podcast. Your voice helps the show reach more leaders and savvy fitness-tech minded professionals like you find the show, and gives our industry what it needs most right now: the credible, trustable, and tactical information to thrive in this digital era. Over the past 50 shows, we've made a big focus on simplifying a sometimes cumbersome job of finding the reliable and detailed information about the trends occurring in the industry so your business can make informed technology decisions, and in this powerful conversation, we also uncover with Bryan how the rising level of consumer expectation will impact the need for club owners and operators to both embrace and implement the key technologies that will make a difference.  With legacy technology systems in the United States driving risk aversion and slowing technology adoption in the fitness industry, what can we do as a fitness technology community to close the gap and serve more clients than ever before?  The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Bryan O'Rourke. About Bryan O'Rourke Bryan O'Rourke is an experienced CEO, strategist, investor and advisor who helps organizations and professionals realize their full potential and solve their biggest challenges. With a track record of building teams and growing global brands, his network of associates and partners have served organizations large and small. His present focus is on fitness, wellness, health clubs, technology, innovation, finance, marketing and business development, but his expertise and consultancy extends to a number of disciplines and industries. As an executive and owner in multiple companies he is also President of the non-profit Fitness Industry Technology Council, driving innovation and collaboration the fitness space. He is considered a leading expert on technology, consumer and business trends and his views have been published in periodicals like the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Inc. Magazine, CBI and many others. IHRSA named him one of 13 to watch in 2013. Bryan has contributed to two significant books on Innovation in the fitness sector. He delivers engaging customized keynotes and strategic working sessions and is a highly sought after speaker and facilitator who has delivered his message at industry conferences and organizational events on four continents. Listen To Episode 050 As Bryan & Josh Uncover How technology makes you the CEOP of your own health How to use the tools and resources from the Fitness + Technology show to accelerate your businesses and career Bryan's favorite interviews and insights from the past 50+ episodes Blending the human aspect with technology to create an all-inclusive health, wellness, and training experience How to find reliable and detailed information about the trends occurring in the industry so that businesses can make informed technology decisions The gap between what's happening in the marketplace and how business owners are choosing to operate The large number of businesses that don't have a reliable resource or means to analyze the data they collect Connecting the dots between credible data and creating long-term behaviors changes for club members The growth and collaboration we see with medical components and our health and fitness routines How the CTA and Wellness Subcommittee are creating important standardizations for tracking and using data The technology that may lead to a "dream dashboard" that will include activity and biosignature data Why the U.S. is lagging in technological adoption compared to many Asian countries and the protocols that might help close the gap How Apple's iOS 11 updates will allow for a more seamless club ecosystem The need for club owners to embrace current technologies so they don't fall behind the competition How the Fitness Industry Technology Council is supporting and mentoring new businesses and entrepreneurs The ways that machine learning and AI may affect the health and fitness industries The 3 basic models we see in the commercial fitness space Membership  This model is about selling first and lacks a focus and emphasis on the health outcomes of members.  Community/Entertainment People connect to their communities in a socialization construct with exercise being the main component. We are seeing this become more present with obstacle course races such as Spartan and Tough Mudder, and engaging group fitness activities such as Zumba. Outcomes This is the smallest piece of what we see in today's marketplace, although Bryan feels it's where we will find the most growth in years to come. People are realizing that with the rising costs of health care and the wellness epidemics we are facing, there is a serious need for a more holistic, proactive, and results-focused approach from their trainers and facilities. Top 3 Takeaways From The Show As the speed of technology increases, it's more important than ever for club owners, operators, and fitness professionals to make it a priority and "bake" into their weekly calendar the job of seeking out reliable and detailed information about the trends affecting our industry. This habit will provide the ability to make informed technology decisions and ensure members and clients receive the user experience the market is demanding. The advancements in tech have created a seamless fitness experience at many leading facilities, and clubs that fail to stay on top of the current trends members want in today's marketplace will surely lead to falling behind the competition. To succeed in this new era of the fitness industry, it's imperative that business models include an emphasis and focus on the health outcomes and results of their members - not just new business units. As our population is suffering from more disease and the rising cost of health care becomes unsustainable, people across our nation are now seeing that a proactive and results-oriented program is of extreme importance. Bryan believes that in this age of over-information, it's imperative that we don't fall into paralysis by analysis and fail to implement new technology. We are reminded in a previous episode by Marty Weems from Team EXOS that we have to keep pushing forward in this regard.  With Bryan's leadership and through this show, you can trust that the Fitness + Technology podcast will continue to seek out the most trustable information you depend on as we move faster towards wellness, fitness, and betterment technologies that are changing the landscape of how you run your fitness business. Power Quotes From Bryan "From a recent survey, two-thirds of businesses use digital marketing platforms, and one-third of those companies admit they don't know how to use it."  - Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "In today's modern world, fitness is evolving into the larger space of overall physical and mental betterment."  - Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "The greatest products and services of our fitness space have not been created yet."  - Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Being proactive as the CEO of your own health is really important to both the quality of anyone's life in the long run and in the cost of maintaining your quality of life in a sustainable way. That dynamic is not going to go away, in fact it's going to become even more pronounced."  - Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Bryan 2017 Fitness Technology Council Fitness Tech Trend Report Episode 010 Technology & The One Thing That Hasn't Change About Fitness - Robert Dyer Episode 023 The Truth About Health Clubs & Behavior Change - Jan Middelkamp Episode 007 Behavior Change, Technology, & Fitness -  Dr. Michael Mantel Episode 026 Fitness Technology & Attrition: What Works Best? - Marty Regan Episode 024 Connected Fitness & Beyond - Dan McDonogh, Under Armour Episode 037 The Movement For A #PHIT America - Jim Worthington Episode 032 Technology Disruption Vs. Adoption - Adam Zeitsiff Epidode 043 Technology & Force Multiplied Fitness Training - Team EXOS Episode 029 Technology & Medical Fitness - JR Burgess Episode 036 Remembering Michael Scott Scudder Episode 044 Dave Wright - Fitness Industry Technology Council Episode 047 Fitness Industry Technology Council - Steve Groves Episode 041 John C. Havens: Artificial Intelligence In The Fitness Industry Episode 048 The Latest In Betterment Technology 2017 - Bryan O'Rourke Episode 001 Bryan O'Rourke: A New Era of Exponential Technology Part 1 002 Bryan O'Rourke: The New Era of Exponential Technology Pt 2 Spartan Race Tough Mudder CTA - Health and Fitness Technology Standards CES 2018 Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Sportec Conferece "The Leapfrog Effect" 17th Annual IHRSA European Congress - London (Oct. 23-26) Garmin Fitbit Siri Alexa Amazon Echo Google Home The Apple Watch Apple AirPods EuropeActive Events Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor Contact the Fitness Industry Technology Council to become a Podcast Sponsor Review our various options for Sponsorship Send us a Facebook Message 

We're exploring fitness devices, data, and ecosystems that matter with the CEO of Michael Wood Fitness and the CFO of Koko FitClub, Michael Wood. In this podcast, Michael uncovers what he believes is the recipe for success in merging the digital experience with in-person training. Michael is widely recognized as one the nation’s top strength & conditioning experts. Through his leadership, Koko FitClub started as a integrated software company back in 2005. Not long after, they developed a strength training product with the goal of creating a unique turn-key coaching facility where the need for on-site trainers was to be obsolete. They saw moderate success with this new style of automated coaching, and soon realized that a critical component was missing:  Human connection. When Koko FitClub realized their digital experience needed to be upleveled to provide their members with both the technology and human connection they were looking for, they innovated a unique way to blend their tech with traditional training and semi-private exercise classes. From these pivotal changes, the members had a one-of-a-kind experience of tracking, coaching, and programming that provided a new and exciting way of working out.  Listen in as Michael also speaks to technology and its role in taking a proactive and holistic approach to our wellness and shares the essential nutrition and mindfulness apps that support monitoring to make lasting changes in health behaviors. This all-encompassing wellness approach that Koko delivers, inside and outside of the club, shows the true value of providing members with a unique blend of digital coaching, in-person training, and the online tools and resources to transform their nutrition and mindset. But with the almost endless ocean of new technology, apps, devices, and platforms emerging in fitness and wellness, what are the integral parts of the optimal ecosystem in 2018? The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Michael. About Michael Wood Michael Wood, CSCS, is widely recognized as one the nation’s top strength & conditioning experts. He serves as CEO of Michael Wood Fitness, formerly the Sports Performance Group, founded in 1988. The award-winning fitness-consulting company calls some of the biggest names in the athletic, academic, and entertainment industries their clients. The company has completed more than 35,000 training sessions to date under Michael’s guidance. Michael is also the Chief Fitness Officer at Koko FitClub, LLC, which develops interactive software and hardware for the $60B worldwide fitness and wellness industry. Koko FitClub is a national franchise with currently more than 100 locations throughout the United States and Canada. Michael’s honors have included receiving the coveted Boston Magazine “Best of Boston” award and in both 2004 and 2005 Men’s Journal named Wood one of the top 100 trainers in the United States. In the December 2004 issue, the magazine also included Michael on their trainer “Dream Team,” comprised of the nine best trainers in the U.S. He is also a member of the Fitness Industry Technology Council and works with clients via the Wellness Roundtable. He is also a former member of Power Bar Team Elite. Michael has also raised money for two scholarship funds when he reached the summit of Africa’s highest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,340′), in 2008 with Thompson Safaris. His professional experience includes director of business development and business director at two Velocity Sports Performance franchise locations, and director of strength and conditioning at New England Sports Academy. In addition, he had the great fortune of working as assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Connecticut and senior exercise physiologist at the Nutrition, Exercise Physiology and Sarcopenia Laboratory at the USDA-HNRC on Aging at Tufts University. Michael has also consulted for Sage Strategies, LLC, a premier management consulting firm specializing in the health and fitness, as their corporate fitness expert. Listen To Episode 049 As Michael Uncovers Why the fitness industry has seen the numbers of tech devices rapidly increase and how this affects our space How the integration of digital coaching and in-person training provide a unique gym experience at Koko Fitclub Why he founded Michael Wood fitness, LLC to address the unique demands of the fitness industry The mission, vision, and change he is creating with Michael Wood Fitness Michael's proven insights from nearly 30 years at the forefront of fitness and wellness technology Why human connection was a critical component in the success of Koko's automated member tech Koko's Smart Trainer technology that demonstrates various exercises and 30 minute workouts from celebrity trainers The "personal USB stick" that allows every member to track data from their workouts Why trainers are a necessity on location to assist members with the digital aspects of the club Koko's principles of success that ensure they stay above the national average for weekly visits The functional training classes that are attracting the younger clientele Why Michael believes integrating fitness and lifestyle data into our programs will drive proactive health  Understanding the "betterment" technology sector what this means to our fitness space Using nutrition tracking to produce a sustainable behavior change The top nutrition apps that are helping us to eat better, lose weight, and get healthy Koko's online nutrition program and tools that provide a holistic wellness experience Why Fitbit and Dexcom are partnering to produce continuous glucose monitors  Using biomarkers and genetic testing to get a deeper picture of our health Delivering the personal attention that brings out the best in member experience   Koko's 3 pillars of individualized coaching: Foundation How Koko FitClub coaches works closely with members to set goals and outline a realistic plan to get there. They re-establish your body’s natural movement patterns and work to build a foundation of fitness in just a few weeks. This is where you’ll build a workout habit that “sticks”. Concentration To concentrate on goals, instructors safely increase the intensity of the coached workouts, including total-body strength and cardio conditioning. A personalized nutrition plan will help improve energy and fuel greater results from the workout. Transformation Reshape the body from the inside out with a sustainable, coached training program designed to burn fat and build lean muscle for life. With just 2-3 sessions a week on average, members feel stronger and leaner with more energy to take on new challenges. Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Michael reminds us of the incredible potential of fitness technology when combined with dedicated coaching and human connection. In an era of exponential technology growth, what is most important to fitness professionals and operators is to understand their unique and signature type of service that utilizes the best-of-the-best in the tech but also formulates a trusted bridge from a member to a dedicated coach. Michael shared that Koko's digital coaching model didn't actually find true success until the physical coach was inside the gym. Whether it's for personal training or facilitating the integration of Koko's technology, the human connection aspect is a highly critical piece of their success.  It's important to remember that fitness begins from the inside out. While of course exercise is an essential piece to any wellness routine, Michael believes we must now pivot in the fitness industry towards a comprehensive wellness approach with a key focus of mindfulness. He recommends apps like Sugar Rush to help regulate our intake and glucose levels, and Inside Tracker to get a better understanding of our biomarkers. But regardless of whatever device or application used it's the true integration of personality, technology, and human connection that will drive a successful ecosystem. Power Quotes From Michael Wood "In addition to our digital coaching, the in-person trainer is key for helping members learn our technology and get results in a safe, quick, and effective manner."  - Michael Wood on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Once we were able to pair our digital experience with a good knowledgeable coach, Koko's success was taken to a new level." - Michael Wood on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "The best exercise program in the world isn't going to change someone if you can't adjust their mindset and behavior."  - Michael Wood on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Michael Michael Wood Fitness KoKo FitClub Men's Journal Velocity Sports Performance Khalsa Chiropractic 048 Bryan O'Rourke: The Latest In Betterment Technology 2017 Tufts University Headspace Welltory MyFitnessPal Under Armour Sugar Rush - Discover Added Sugars in Your Food 042 Josh Cherry: The Future of Fitness Gamification Fooducate Koko Fuel Nutrition InsideTracker Shapa App Thomson Safaris Mathews McGarry: What is Heart Rate Variability Training? Nudge Coach Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor Contact the Fitness Industry Technology Council to become a Podcast Sponsor Review our various options for Sponsorship Send us a Facebook Message 

On this podcast we explore the deeper impact of the 2017 fitness industry technology trends and beyond in this era of exponential growth with the President of the Fitness Industry Technology Council, Bryan O’Rourke, for a special featured podcast from the FIT-C webinar recorded LIVE just days ago. With technology becoming not just a thing we use, but something we will become with no boundaries, Bryan reminds us that if we can think it, it can be. Yet even with all the technology that is creating more opportunity in and out of the fitness space than ever before, we also must understand the unforeseen consequences that tech is producing and how we can adapt to transcend the negativity around those changes.  You’ll learn why Bryan believes we are in the "knee of the curve" when it comes to rapid adoption and creation of new exponential tech, how this relates to the 4 key driver dynamics of why technology must serve specific purposes for business including omnipresence, personalized service, sustainability, and aesthetic UX design. Bryan also uncovers how Amazon is using data points, cognition, algorithms, and how this effects a new paradigm of value creation when look at our older paradigms that were less data centric. From AI coaching, Habit DNA based customized eating plans, ELF mindfulness tech, AI Therapy, Augmented reality and so much more, Bryan spotlights how the fitness industry can leverage these new technologies to deliver higher value business models that support growing our industry, and why he believes we will shift away from the negative consequences of technology to ubiquitous delivery that makes tech more like the air we breathe, more powerful, and more able to impact our fitness business than ever before.  About Bryan O'Rourke Bryan O'Rourke is an experienced CEO, strategist, investor and advisor who helps organizations and professionals realize their full potential and solve their biggest challenges. With a track record of building teams and growing global brands, his network of associates and partners have served organizations large and small. His present focus is on fitness, wellness, health clubs, technology, innovation, finance, marketing and business development, but his expertise and consultancy extends to a number of disciplines and industries. As an executive and owner in multiple companies he is also President of the non-profit Fitness Industry Technology Council, driving innovation and collaboration the fitness space. He is considered a leading expert on technology, consumer and business trends and his views have been published in periodicals like the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Inc. Magazine, CBI and many others. IHRSA named him one of 13 to watch in 2013. Bryan has contributed to two significant books on Innovation in the fitness sector. He delivers engaging customized keynotes and strategic working sessions and is a highly sought after speaker and facilitator who has delivered his message at industry conferences and organizational events on four continents. Listen To Episode 048 As Bryan Uncovers The unintended consequences that arise from technology  Putting technology into historical context Why we are close to the exponential curve of technology adoption exploding at a rapid pace The importance of technology being able to serve people wherever and whenever they choose Technology's impact & the Old Paradigm vs. the New Paradigm of Value Creation for organizations:  Data points and information Cognition and learning Dollars and transactions Users How the new age of products and services are more interrelated than ever before  How businesses are using data collection to increase revenue and improve the user experience Exploring the 4 Quadrants of user model context:  Omnipresence  Personalized service  Aesthetic UX design  Sustainability Technological improvements in the world of nutrition Using biofeedback and measuring activity in the brain to help you create a desired state of mind The increasing functionality of sensors being built into phones How AI is affecting the fitness space The augmented reality that's been built in the iPhone 8  The technology that is detecting medical conditions before they become problemtatic Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Bryan believes that developing Omnipresence will be the key to our success in the digital world. Whatever we do as an industry should have a physical, digital, and hybrid version. To truly lead in the era of exponential technology our products and services need to be available wherever and whenever our customers and communities choose to participate. When it comes to services, Bryan's guidance and research shows that technology must be extremely relevant, contextualized, and personalized to the user. The more personalized it is, the more valuable it is. It's critical to keep the user experience in mind, especially in such a high touch and intimate setting like the fitness space. The user experience must be beautiful, simplistic, and frictionless. When we look through the lens of technology, we must see it as a tool to apply the four key drivers for all organizations including omnipresence, personalized service delivery wherever and whenever, aesthetic UX design with frictionless use, and lastly sustainability. Bryan reminds us we are at the precipice of a mass adoption at the "knee of the curve" and now is the time to explore how this will transform all the operations both inside and outside of your fitness business. Power Quotes From Bryan "We're moving to an evolution of technology being ubiquitous to the point that it's like the air we breathe." - Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Mindfulness is a rapidly growing area and a counterbalance to how technology has overtaken many of our lives"   - Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Many of the service personnel will soon be robotic. This technology is already here and will become mainstream in the next 5-10 years."  - Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Bryan YouTube Video: The Latest In Fitness Technology Bryan O'Rourke - SlideShare Bryan’s Twitter Account 2017 FIT-C Technology Trends Report Join FIT-C as a valued member Google Results for Bryan O’Rourke Club Industry Show - Chicago (Oct. 4-6) 17th Annual IHRSA European Congress - London (Oct. 23-26) Homo Deus: Yuval Noah Harari The Inevitable by: Kevin Kelly Life 3.0 by: Max Tegmark Trendwatching Blue Apron Waterlogged Shopwell Somadome meditation pod Motosumo Forge Nudge Vi from LifeBEAM Handstand Zwift iPhone 8 MLB augmented reality Kardia Senosis Digitsole Motiv Ring Google Home x.ai Amazon Whole Foods Pepper AI Robotics Wysa Habit Fitspot ZWIFT Cycle Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor Contact the Fitness Industry Technology Council to become a Podcast Sponsor Review our various options for Sponsorship Send us a Facebook Message 

With the recent update for Apple's iOS 11, today on the podcast we're learning about what this means to the fitness industry from the Chief Information Officer & Vice President of Good Life Fitness, Steve Groves. If you're like most of us in the fitness space, you've been hearing rumors for months about how Apple has been gearing up to change the landscape of how we do business, take payments, collect activity data and engage our members using GymKit and opening up the bidirectional NFC reading capabilities, along with so much more. On episode 047, we're exploring this pivotal subject in depth to uncover the real truth behind how club staff, front desk, trainers, and everyone that compliments a member's journey will now shortly be able to serve at a higher level, and save the member valuable time by using this bidirectional NFC for the creation of a truly "seamless experience" that so many in our industry have been asking for.   This iOS update points the needle of progress in the right direction and opens up a future where using the iPhone to gain access to a club and all of its amenities with a simple fingerprint touch through the mobile device, is a reality. Apple's NFC functions coming to the Apple Watch with watchOS 4, and iOS 11 might also be handling much more than just Apple Pay transactions and Passbook check-ins. With over 2700 fitness technology companies listed on Angel List, and with the pivotal new updates for iOS 11, how do we get closer to clarity in a fast-expanding space?  The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Steve Groves. About Steve Groves Steve Groves is the CIO & VP at Goodlife Fitness with over 20 years of success in bridging the logistical and communication gaps between business leaders and their technical teams in order to achieve results. Steve is a industry pro who specializes in collaborating with senior management and company boards to drive the strategic use of technology, both to support employees and to delight customers. Steve is an expert in uncovering "the art of the possible" in terms of using digital technology to personalize the customer experience. He is a creative thinker with an eye towards the technology trends on the horizon and has extensive experience in ICT service management, Internet strategy, digital media strategy, mobile application design, productivity consulting and management of high performance teams. Listen To Episode 047 As Steve Uncovers How to bridge the logistical and communication gaps between business leaders and their technical teams How we can drive the strategic use of tech to support employees and delight customers Ways digital technology is helping us personalize the customer experience How apple and IOS 11 are affecting the fitness industry Steve’s journey of rising to CIO of Good Life Fitness The beginning stages of the World Wide Web Enhancements in communication between workout equipment and the Apple Health Application How AI is impacting the fitness space Smart Activity Coaching with the Apple Watch What we can learn from adjacent industries such as hospitality and retail How tracking may revolutionize personal training How Bi-directional NFC will create a more seamless user experience How Apple and Samsung are mimicking the capabilities of RFID chips within their phones Why a large portion of club operators are slow to adopt new technologies The need to fail fast and quickly abort projects that aren’t working Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Club owners and operators are at the beginning of an exponential increase in data communication with cardio equipment, the Apple Watch, and Apple’s Health App as the connectivity of wearables and other fitness and wellness technology open up new API's and data silos beyond the 4 walls of the club.  When it comes to game-changing advancements in the fitness technology space, it's important to keep a close watch on what Apple is up to in the next 6 months. The new iOS 11 updates are driving more precision accuracy standards to be established for wearables including heart rate information, treadmill speeds, and other activity data sets that will be fed into Apple's HealthKit and used by tech-savvy fitness organizations.  It’s important for all of us in the industry to remain curious regarding the future of technology so we can make the appropriate decisions from a budgeting and directional standpoint. However, Steve reminds us that trying to look too far out over the horizon is irrelevant, as the advancements in AI, robotics, and image technologies make it virtually impossible to predict how tech will transform the world in 10+ years. One thing is for sure, if there is change happening at the intersection of fitness and technology, by listening to this show you'll be connected to the pulse of what matters most for your fitness business. Power Quotes From Steve "I think for many of us, the holy grail of monitoring our health will be automatic tracking of what we ingest." - Steve Groves on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "If I could take everything that I’ve learned over the past 5 years and apply it to one roll in our company, it would be personal training." - Steve Groves on the Fitness + Technology Podcast What many of us in the technology space are trying to do is eliminate friction from various transactions that happen within our clubs." - Steve Groves on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Experimentation comes with failure.  For whatever reason, I don’t think the culture of our industry is able to tolerate that very well.  I’m hoping we start to see more companies that are willing to experiment with different technologies.  Even when they fully know certain tech won’t work properly or be adopted by their members." - Steve Groves on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "We have to recognize when something isn’t working, and be willing to kill a failed project within 30-60 days at the most." - Steve Groves on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Members look to us as fitness and wellness experts. We can’t only focus on the 2-3 hours a week they are using the facility. Organizations need to to think about the time their members spend outside of the gym." - Steve Groves on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Steve Steve Groves on LInkedIn Good Life Fitness on the web Good Life Fitness on facebook Good Life Fitness on Twitter Good Life Fitness on Instagram Good Life Fitness Group Training programs  The new Apple iOS 11 Bi-directional NFC Apple’s Gym Kit Watch OS 4 Jay Blahnik, Apple LIke The FIT-C Facebook Page Fitbit is surging after it announced a big health partnership: Continuous glucose monitoring   My Fitness Pal Runkeeper 019 Brian Hayden: The Future of Strength Training ResMed S Plus 045 Lee Embley: The Evolution of Fitness & Wellness Technology iOS 11 could use the iPhone’s NFC chip for more than Apple Pay Advertisers are furious with Apple for new tracking restrictions in Safari 11 IHRSA Conference 2018 How To Keep Innovators Happy? Use The 'Dandelion Principle' Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor Contact the Fitness Industry Technology Council to become a Podcast Sponsor Review our various options for Sponsorship Send us a Facebook Message 

Today we're learning from Leon Rudge, the Director of Digital Experience at Life Fitness on the 10 steps to implementing a digital fitness strategy. We've had double digits of expert guests provide so much value over the past 40+ shows in this category of digital strategy and tools, but on today's show we're going laser and concise to extract the 10 powerful steps that club owners, operators, and trainers can build from the ground up when they look at the actual technologies in our space that will support growing both the bottom line and the customer journey and experience for members. Be sure to explore all the different resources and white paper links from Leon in the podcast today and if you've been enjoying the series, leave us a five star review for the podcast; it helps the show reach more intelligent and proactive fitness leaders like you. You can also ask myself, Bryan O'Rourke, Leon, or any of the previous guests who've been on the show a question by simply typing in your question in the review box. In an industry that seems to be fairly static, and at times even paralyzed by the over information about fitness technology, what are the practical and on-the-ground steps that fitness leadership can take to successfully implement a digital fitness strategy? The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Leon Rudge. About Leon Rudge Leon Rudge is the Director of Digital Experience at Life Fitness. He is part of a global team of digital technology experts who work hard every day to understand how they can bring more clarity, insight and experience to the fitness industry, their customers and their exercisers. Leon Brings over seven years of deep experience in the fitness industry. Listen To Episode 046 As Leon Uncovers Why leon believes there is so much confusion about digital technology from vendors and operators The 10 Steps To Implementing A Digital Fitness Strategy 1. Raise Awareness 2. Create Your Digital Team 3. Asset Discovery 4. Member Centricity 5. Destroy Your Own Business 6. Create Your Vision 7. Create Your Strategy 8. Create Your Digital Core 9. Communicate the Vision 10. Do It Again How Leon grew his skills in digital marketing and what that gave him to now serve the fitness industry  Why Leon believes the fitness industry has become "too static" Why Leon sees it's most important in the age of technology to fail fast, learn fast and fix fast as you move forward The value of autonomy and giving yoursefl the permission to fail when it comes to driving tech solutions  How to identify the "quick wins early" in in asset dicovery  Why the new entrants listen firstand build second  Why the fitness indsurty has been slow to the omnichannel aspect for retargeting ads across social and Google   Understadbning Leon's term "Thinking Like An Exerciser"  Deliniating the custmer journey vs. the customer experience  The paradigm of owning vs. sharing the value in digital fitness   Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Leon shares that digital is a massive revenue generating category but it's important not to get too hung up on this fact in the early months of your journey. You’ll need to learn before you can earn. If you put earning first, you will blind yourself to the fact that you're actually just trying to understand how to fundamentally change the way you interact with your members, and they interact with your business. You’ll figure the revenue models out soon enough after you've done the deeper work and the ten steps towards implementing a digital fitness strategy. In terms of digital health and fitness, Leon sees a confused industry but even worse, he sees a number of companies capitalizing on the confusion. This compounded confusion he sees slowing the adoption of digital tech our space and leaving us vulnerable to disruptive new market entrants. What we must do as an industry is seek clarity about what technologies will serve why we do and how we want to do it. Getting clear on the customer journey and experience before ever selecting a piece of technology will help operators and owners transcend this confusion. When it comes to creating a successful and sustainable digital fitness strategy in the club, knowing more about your digital self than you ever have before is an important context. Operators and trainers must to create a culture of being able to fail fast, learn fast, and fix fast to innovate and thrive in the digital world. It's important to remember that it's okay to fail in the digital world, but  you've just got to fail quickly. I always encourage operators owners and trainers to start small, then test, measure, and learn to iterate fast. Power Quotes From Leon "We've got some great minds in this business, dedicated people that have worked in the industry for decades, but the members are changing, societies changing, everything's changing and some of the things that we put in place aren't necessarily always going to be right."   - Leon Rudge on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "In terms of digital health and fitness, I see a confused industry but even worse, I see a number of companies capitalizing on the confusion. The compounded confusion is slowing the adoption of digital tech our space and leaving us vulnerable to disruptive new market entrants."  - Leon Rudge on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Leon Leon Rudge on Linkedin Life Fitness on Facebook Life Fitness on Twitter LIfe Fitness on Instagram Life Fitness on the web Life Fitness White Paper Robert Dyer's FTP Episode Jamie Cole FitConnect FTP Episode   The Lean Startup Method Rapid Application Development IHRSA Technology IHRSA facebook IHRSA Twitter IHRSA YouTube Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor Contact the Fitness Industry Technology Council to become a Podcast Sponsor Review our various options for Sponsorship Send us a Facebook Message 

With the fitness industry poised to further expand its impact and transformation within the wellness industry space, we're growing smarter today from one of the world's most influential minds in the active healthy lifestyle sector, Lee Embley, to discuss the best-of-the-best takeaways from his 40+ years around technology innovation and digital trends. With his impressive body of work, he is now leading a mission to connect the role of fitness to an even larger ecosystem of wellness, driven by artificial intelligence and big data sets through his up and coming platform Optimal AI Coach. We know now more than ever that fitness has been and will always be a powerful and integral piece in what is at the core of all club member's goals, which is to be healthy and well in their body, mind, and spirit, so on this podcast we're excited to unpack the nuances of what Lee believes is the "biggest miss" right now in the fitness industry, how human longevity plugs into our standard fitness models, why the ultimate value proposition for wearable technology is wellness and not just fitness, and how Lee's own health journey has inspired him to radically shift his focus in the coming years. With fitness industry experiencing the most radical transformation in decades, what are the most powerfully distilled concepts that club owners, operators, and fitness professionals must understand when it comes to fitness and wellness technology?  The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Lee Embley. About Lee Embley  Over the past three decades Lee Embley has been innovating and influencing the bleeding edge in the Active Healthy Lifestyle Sector, building brands in retail, connected-tech, digital-media, and financial-services, including the following: ProWoman Sports USA first all women sporting goods retail brand, merchandising functional design, fashion and leisure wear, early footwear product development with ProWoman Strider the first women lasted track and field running shoe, equipment to the fit-active female market. PWS became the first national sales organization to secure a exclusive distribution with hundreds of colleges and universities with female specific sports programs. Acquired, Tennis Lady Group UK.  Lee also developed the First e-Commerce business model "Network Credit Service,"providing credit reports to small business via, major information hubs i.e. CompuServ, Dow Jones Newsnet. NCS provided 500,000 businesses via trade associations and national franchises system achieving a $53MM in second year revenue. (Acquired by TRW New Credit Service) Mr. Embley founded the NCSB, the first sports, performance, data and evaluation platform. An athletic scouting and evaluation system to enable high school athletes who are not recruited a system to evaluate their athletic skills by professional scouts. Acquired, Pro-Serve, as well as "Radiance Rewards," the first AHL credit cards for health fitness conscious women. His work continued with Leap4Life the first "Wearable Marketplace" designed for the health and fitness consumers to fully experience the motivation of active lifestyle. L4L hacked and mitigated the sustained engagement factor with a unique combination of attributes. The methodology and technology applied data science and social to achieve success. His latest body of work is the "Optimal AI Coach: O.AI.C" an application to enhance fitness and performance through deep learning and integration of lifestyle data via technology. All the data collections are in place, wearable, mobile, retail to create the next generation highly personalized coaching system. Listen To Episode 045 As Lee Uncovers Why Lee's "S.T.E.E.P. model" is still viable today as the pressures on the human condition are quite profound How Lee constructed his business strategies based on this analytical model he adopted while at McKinsey How understanding the S.T.E.E.P. analysis will define a way to determine shifts triggered by seminal events in Social, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Political segments.  How these five pillars are cornerstones of every civilization and how technology can support Unpacking what Lee sees as the "Fatal Flaw" in fitness: A lack of sustained engagement for clubs  The impact of wearables vs. the impact of active healthy lifestyle data: what happens with the new era of AI and how it will change operators everyday tasks Exploring pattern recognition via wearables Microdata vs. Macrodata: Understanding the data sets of the human ecosystem  Exploring the trends in women's fitness "from beauty to strength" transition  The "Big Miss" and why using relevant data sets in fitness is ripe for disruption Challenging the paradigm of seeing technology as a threat to the 4 walls to monetizing member's outside of them  Plugging in human longevity to the standard fitness model through intrinsic motivation  The Optimal AI Coach: Lee's bleeding edge technology platform that will use accelerated data sets to help shift fitness into wellness Understanding "Game Theory" models when contrasted with Self Determination Theory  Why the ultimate value proposition for wearables will be wellness from the data not just fitness  How Lee's battle with Stage 4 Cancer has inspired the emotional, physoical,  Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Lee reminds us that the need for speed creates new value. “Things” only have value when they are put in motion. Anything standing still is valueless, be it money, inventory, information, an empty hotel room, data, machinery, technology, people. Early warning systems are designed to foretell of impending disaster. Those in any industry who ignore the warnings will eventually fail, as seen with the assault on the retail sector which is not a surprise. Lee’s strategy is to identify weakness or obsolesce within a sector under siege and define alternative strategies. Always focused on the evolution of the consumer of the product or service enables Lee or any savvy professional to spot an early trend before it grows into a recognizable market. With a large focus on collecting data, Lee believes that it's the use of pattern recognition via artificial intelligence that will truly guide the transformation in our fitness industry to serve an even larger ecosystem of wellness. When we look at the wearable tech component, this is the area that is most ripe for disruption. Lee believes that the active lifestyle persona must be taken into consideration including their body, mind, and spiritual capacities in order for technology to serve their deepest needs. With the exponential growth in wearable technology's ability to support these three capacities the future of fitness and wellness technology is both inspiring and promising. Power Quotes From Lee "When it comes to connecting the dots of success for technology, it's distilled down to one term and that is relevance. If there's not relevance, then at the end of the day then there's no sustainability. The real issue is properly determining where each generational segment is focused on the spectrum of the active healthy lifestyle" - Lee Embley on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Anything standing still is valueless. It doesn't matter whether it's people standing still, money standing still, information standing still. The only way it gets value is when you put it in motion. The reason there are thousands of brands in the graveyard is because they could not accept the fact that the change was upon them."  - Lee Embley on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "You have to start with the question 'where am I and my capital at risk?' and then get into some significant valuation. Forecasting the economy does not necessarily mean that your segment of the economy is going to be disrupted."  - Lee Embley on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Lee Lee Embley on LinkedIn LEAP4LIFE on the web  TechnoGym + AI Developments  The Big Miss. Change is soft cultural, hard to define...Really! "Wearable Gamification", Where The Big Money Is...The Uber Of Fitness One "New" Wearable Feature Will Change Everything... Cash In On Your Data!  Wearable Market Long Term Success, Only As Good As The User Experience Zoom Media for clubs  Self Determination Theory 010 Robert Dyer: The One Thing That Hasn't Changed About Fitness 044 Dave Wright: Fitness Tech, Data Accuracy, & Machine Learning 024 Connected Fitness & Beyond - Dan McDonogh, Under Armour Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor Contact the Fitness Industry Technology Council to become a Podcast Sponsor Review our various options for Sponsorship Send us a Facebook Message 

For episode 044 we're excited to bring you one of the most sought after leaders in our space for an important discussion around data collection accuracy and its relationship to the growing demand for AI and machine learning in the fitness industry. We're talking with our returning guest, Dave Wright, the CEO of MYZONE for his second appearance on the show to explore the impact of collecting fitness data for practical use, the difference between incidental versus concerted activity when we look at fitness consumer activity,  where the gaps are in adoption and how our industry can rise to the demand for true omnipresence. We're also uncovering how MYZONE is proactively educating fitness professionals and leaders on how to take in the right data set, understand it, and use technology to support executing a sustainable health and fitness experience for the new era of our consumers. With more data sets being delivered than ever before, what are the most important ones and what do fitness leaders, trainers, and operators really get to pay attention to not only for ROI, but to deliver an enhanced customer experience? The answer to that question and many more takeaways for club operators, owners, and fitness professionals in this episode with Dave Wright. About Dave Wright  Dave Wright is the CEO & owner of Creative Fitness Marketing, a global company with offices in the UK, Australia and North America that has served the international fitness community since 1990, specifically helping people be more and stay more physically active.  He is also the CEO and creator of MYZONE® - a cloud based and wearable technology "Physical Activity Heart Rate Monitor & Fitness Tracker," used to monitor and increase exercise adherence.  As a health club operator with 10 health clubs, and a board director of the UK’s Fitness Industry Association, an international presenter, Dave is featured regularly in international trade magazines. Listen To Episode 044 As Dave Uncovers Why Dave believes that the wearable accuracy still has room to improve in order to achieve comprehensive functionality through "trustable" accuracy Incidental vs. concerted activity: Exploring the different segments of fitness consumer's movement activity  Understanding the 8 aspects of MYZONE's success for club owners and operators:  Products User communication Group display Intuitive reporting Effort points (MEPs)  Operator resources Best practices User interface Why time sedentary vs. active is one of the top three activity metrics any club owner or operator should be tracking The true standards of what really measures physical activity via World Health Organization Why Dave believes that the future of fitness technology will align with health insurance industry  Exercise adherence: what tech-based programs will deliver in 2018   Artificial Intelligence + Machine Learning: how MYZONE is taking a deeper look into utilizing these technologies to serve the fitness industry New developments around wearable tech in our industry Education for fitness professionals: MYZONE's educational curriculum in fitness and technology Virtual coaching & biometrics remotely monitored by a coaches: how dave sees biometric data being used specifically around coaching  How MYZONE has integrated Facebook to the customer journey Identifying the gaps for improvement and opportunity in regards to fitness data collection What data collection methods will be of most service to both the end-user and the coach or fitness professional Commonality of technology requests in regards to functionality they are looking for What is the deeper technology functionality that will benefit club owners and fitness pros in 2018 Top 3 Takeaways From The Show As operators and owners begin to use wearables and data sets more and more via incidental and concerted activity from their fitness consumers, Dave believes the most important thing is attaining trustable data. Your database in order for artificial intelligence or machine learning to be leveraged powerfully must be cleaned and trustable. Once these data sets are verified as being "clean" then you can start plugging in long-term behavior change strategies for the customer's journey. For savvy club owners and operators, as well as tech-minded fitness professionals, gathering all the right information about fitness and technology can be challenging at times. In addition to the Fitness + Technology Podcast, Dave suggests partitioning time for dedicated research around fitness tech trends by simply going to the Kickstarter website where you will see the intentions and possibilities around fitness tech in our space. Now is the time to set aside calendar blocks for this research, as staying on top of tech trends will help drive fitness facility and career success as AI and machine learning useage exponentially grow. With the rise of demand from all customer segments who want that seamless omnipresence from clubs both at home and inside the 4 walls, Dave sees that we are extremely behind the curve as an industry. He spoke to us about the "frictionless experience," otherwise known as the use of automatic triggers combined with machine learning and AI technology that will deliver seamless interactions required between the customer's exercise, activity, and lifestyle data sets that will change the way we do fitness, forever.  Power Quotes From Dave "Meeting the customer where they are is the most important thing in the age of technology. As an industry, currently one defendable position we have is not our bricks and mortar, it's our knowledge and our motivational skills including the ability for the trainer to spot, help, and support their customers personally."  - Dave Wright on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "If the data is not accurate then it's very hard to apply any form of machine learning. As operators and owners you might have various records on your database, but if that database is not cleaned and checked to make sure you can run credible data off the backend (with the same applying for any data from biometrics) then you can't yet start looking at behavior trends. Yet, that's the most exciting part of it, where we can start to spark really powerful change with the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning." - Dave Wright on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "What are the limitations and why is it, as an industry, that for the best part of 50 years that 50% of all the people that join clubs now in January actually leave by November, or even stop exercising for April and May? It fascinates me as a business that it costs seven times more money to get a new member to your club then to keep an existing one, yet so much of the membership campaigns in health clubs around the world are just focused on filling the top end of the bucket, rather than asking how can we stop the flow of members out the back door." - Dave Wright on the Fitness + Technology Podcast #015 Resources Mentioned From Dave The 2017 FIT-C Fitness Technology Club Survey MYZONE website  MYZONE on Facebook  MYZONE on Twitter MYZONE on Instagram Ring: Doorbell company Fitbit: It All Hinges on The Watch KickStarter Technology + Fitness Segment Fitness + Technology Podcast #11 - Tom Cortese, CEO, Peloton Press about MYZONE Dave in Global Sports Jobs Technology Video Stuff Magazine features MYZONE At Midtown Athletic Clubs, MYZONE Engages Members Companies start implanting microchips into workers' bodies HILTON Hotels: Integrating Fitness As A PIllar of the Customer Journey MYZONE Signs on as ClubConnect Education Partner ROCK health digital health funding in Q1 2016 Fitbit accuracy questioned in May 2016 (lawsuit)  How wearable tech will be the heartbeat of the modern gym  Wearable Technology Awards MYZONE 2016  Fitness + Technology Podcast #015 - Dave Wright The Current State of Wearables Fitness + Technology podcast #001 Bryan O'Rourke: A New Era of Exponential Technology Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor Contact the Fitness Industry Technology Council to become a Podcast Sponsor Review our various options for Sponsorship Send us a Facebook Message 

Today on the podcast get ready for an in depth interview with not just one, but three high-level fitness industry professionals from EXOS, a leader in the field of human performance employing more than 3,500 people in over 400 locations worldwide. We're exploring how new technologies are force multiplying the reach and efficacy of fitness professionals to deliver an intimate and powerful experience for both clients and athletes across the world.  This interview is going to inspire you and be quite thought-provoking as we challenge the conventional wisdom in the fitness industry for one of the most powerful conversations we trust this industry must go with the use of technology to finally scale a trainer and a team's services to a level of sustainability through what team EXOS calls "force multiplied fitness training." As you know if you been listening to the show for a while or if you spent years in our space, the hour-for-hour trainer model is undergoing the largest disruption in over 50 years. In our opinion, it's right on time because there are too many of our fitness professionals leaving the space with an incredible amount of service and passion left inside them. The technology we're discussing today has the power to shift the service models upside down and radically transform how our industry will grow. You'll learn what force multiplication means to fitness, how technology can multiply a fitness professional's and club's service to clients, how to harness mobile technology and cloud-based services, and why the future of sustainable excellence in our industry lies within the data sets that we're talking about in depth today on the show Just how much time do we have until the "dream dashboard" comes to fruition, including all the biomarkers, steps, activity, machine learning and artificial-intelligence-coaching combined with the irreplaceable human connection from a professional breaks ground in our space?  The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Marty Weems, Stefan Underwood, and Tristan Pierce on this episode of the fitness + technology podcast. About Marty Weems  Marty joined the EXOS team (formerly Athletes’ Performance) in 2006 as its first Vice President of Sales. His business experience includes the telecom, wholesale distribution and pharmaceutical industries before joining EXOS. Since 2009 he has focused on developing international export business to new markets. Marty earned his undergraduate degree at Furman University (South Carolina) in addition to a MS Education and MBA from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He now specializes in developing strategic solution plans for elite international sports organizations utilizing the services and products of EXOS and its partners. Marty is a leader in three areas of the business: Education for industry professionals; Consulting and support services for international sports teams; and developing EXOS facilities in foreign markets. Marty’s international business experience includes China, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, Australia, Russia, Germany, UK, Colombia, Brazil, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Israel. As a services exporter, EXOS has been recognized as 2015 “Exporter of the Year” from the City of Phoenix; 2015 “Export Excellence” Award from Arizona District Export Council and 2016 President’s (POTUS) “E” Award for Exporting Excellence. Fast Company magazine has recognized EXOS in its “Top 10 Most Innovative Companies” lists in 3 of the past 7 years. About Stefan Underwood Stefan Underwood has been with EXOS (Formerly API) since 2011 and brings 14 years of experience as a Performance Specialist to the EXOS team. Currently, Stefan serves as the Director of Continuous Improvement at EXOS, sitting within the Performance Innovation Team. Underwood oversees all internal education efforts within EXOS. Prior to this latest role, Stefan served as a Performance Specialist for EXOS and applied his diverse skill set to a variety of opportunities including Tactical Education, Performance Education and Movement Coach for the NFL Combine program in Florida. Stefan is a certified USA Track and Field coach (USATF), NSCA Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach (RSCC), and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). Prior to EXOS, Underwood has stops throughout his career as the Manager of the NSCA HQ Performance Center in Colorado Springs, the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Colorado College Men’s Hockey (NCAA Div 1), and experience working in the private setting with professional athletes from NHL, MLB, UFC, IndyCar, NFL, NBA, Olympic Sport, in addition to extensive experience with youth developmental programming. Throughout his career he has brought his practical experience and passion for performance to presentations on 4 continents and has been a speaker for EXOS, the NSCA, NASM, and other private events. About Tristan Pierce  Tristan Pierce helps drive the design of EXOS product and programs with thought leadership, research, and cross-team collaboration. His education background is in kinesiology and his professional experience includes two years of product and program design and seven years of performance coaching in a variety of settings with primary focus on general population. He loves to mountain bike, and so far has only had to get stitches once. About EXOS  EXOS is a leader in the field of human performance, a category it created more than 15 years ago. Today, EXOS employs more than 3,500 people in over 400 locations worldwide. With award-winning facilities, technology, and services, EXOS helps people take control of their health and performance so they can achieve what matters most to them. EXOS is trusted by hundreds of clients, including one-quarter of Fortune 100 companies, world champions in sports, and leaders in health care, military, and community organizations. Listen To Episode 043 As Our Guests Uncovers What is force multiplication in fitness and where does fitness technology plug in?  Skillset: The future of sustainable excellence in the industry lies within the data. Frustration from trainers: "The business I thought I was getting into is not what I thought it was going to be.” Price: Why a race to the bottom on price in fitness facilities makes trainers burn out  Disruption: Being able to force multiply yourself as the coach or trainer through the use of technology to deliver a intimate and powerful experience for the client or athlete. Education: Train The Trainer - Why EXOS has delivered CEC’s for over 10 years with technology  The bleeding Edge of Technology + Fitness: What will we do to connect these gaps?  Destination Business Model: Exploring the delivery model without the 4 walls with traveling teams  Why only 5-6 % of EXOS business exists within the 4 walls of the club  Understanding the Team EXOS Services:  SPORTS PERFORMANCE TRAINING TACTICAL PERFORMANCE TRAINING ADULT TRAINING YOUTH AND HIGH SCHOOL TRAINING PHYSICAL THERAPY ON SITE EDUCATION: including Human Performance Technology NUTRITION  CORPORATE WELLNESS “Journey” Platform  What is the JOURNEY Platform for EXOS? Uncovering Corporate Wellness programs for Google, LinkedIn, ITEL, and a 300+ Staff for the US military bases to keep armed forces healthy and sustainable. Medical Fitness Centers: How will technology and trainers close the gap between gyms and hospitals? Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Team EXOS reminds us that embracing technology is just the beginning to mass adoption and transformation. For a success, a tech-minded fitness professional must execute on "simple things done savagely well" and not allow themselves to get lost in all the noise and programs out there. Marty Weems reminds us that no matter what tech you use, you must do the things that get the job done each day by executing forward. The danger of technology disconnecting us on a personal level is real, but only if we choose to not be mindful and have high integrity behind the usage of fitness technology tools. Team EXOS believes that when there's an opportunity for human interaction in the club, it needs to happen as part of a great relationship with old-school tools like enthusiasm and customer service combined with some of the most powerful technology we've ever seen. To truly force multiply fitness training it takes an open mind and a clear vision about what is possible when we combine humanity and technology. With the work of team EXOS in an industry with a high value on transforming people's lives through fitness and health, there is no doubt that we are on the path to the most incredible digital transformation of our lives. Power Quotes From Team EXOS  "With fitness technology, I still firmly believe in people and the connections between them. One of the elements within our human performance philosophy that we've authored is really about member segmentation. As we start looking at different generations, the first actionable step is to have a very honest appraisal of who your primary demographic is that you're trying to market to by understanding your member segmentations including active aging, youth athletes, and others to identify where they fall is the first part in deciding anything else."  - Stefan Underwood on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "We all know to drive sustainable and impactful change for folks you have to address upstream behaviors. If you do that, then downstream things will start to shift in the right direction. So how can you leverage technology to better understand who a person is across a lot of different critical behaviors that are important to human performance? For fitness professionals, if you can deliver a digital assessment to really understand who someone is and what their habits are, this will empower you as a coach like never before to be able to deliver high value." - Tristan Pierce on the Fitness + Technology Podcast= "In terms of what to do, first, embrace technology and find the tool or few tools that can work for you and then execute on those. So often it comes down to simple things done savagely well and not getting lost in 500 different evaluation and programming tools. With fitness technology, pick your angle, approach, and methodology and do the things that get the job done each day by executing forward."  -  Marty Weems on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned In This Podcast  IHRSA Fitness Technology Predictions EXOS on the web EXOS on Facebook EXOS on Twitter Bryan O'Rourke - IHRSA Technology Team EXOS HQ - Phoenix, Arizona EXOS Technology Human Performance Technology EXOS Clinical Performance EXOS Team Segments JOURNEY Platform Gretchen Rubin: Social Contagion  Wearable Tech Market To Be Worth $34 Billion By 2020 Bobby Cappuccio: Fitness + Technology Podcast Episode 027 Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor Contact the Fitness Industry Technology Council to become a Podcast Sponsor Review our various options for Sponsorship Send us a Facebook Message 

For episode 42, we tap into the roots of what technology is making an impact on the floor of one of the fastest growing studios in our space, Delta Life Fitness with CEO, Josh Cherry.  In our previous episodes around fitness studios and making fitness fun through tech and gamification with Lindsey Rainwater and Shannon Fable we've talked about what various cloud-based solutions and tactical approaches are important to create an enhanced user experience, but on today's podcast we take an even deeper dive into what is driving the growth of this up-and-coming franchise that is utilizing data sets for an outside the box gamification fitness experience for the growing niche of female-focused training. You'll learn from Josh Cherry on this episode how Delta Life Fitness uses a digital leaderboard in the lobby to harness the social contagion factor for their female members to engage inside the four walls and create the emotional hook to make better choices in the other 23 hours of their day. You'll also learn some of the biggest lessons that Josh experienced firsthand in growing Delta Life Fitness from a hot asphalt parking lot to just a few years later having multiple successful facilities nationwide, what are the three pillars of gamification success for all studios to deploy, how the utilization of private Facebook groups is shifting customer expectations when it comes to real human connection, and why Josh believes that a digital assessment for posture and client intake is pivotal to convert a new member into a lifelong customer. With all the technology solutions out there that claim to "gamify" the fitness studio experience, what are the most powerful actions that leading-edge facilities are taking through technology?  The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Josh Cherry. About Josh Cherry Josh Cherry is the Director of Franchising and CEO and Co-founder at Delta Life Fitness: a women’s only group training workout segmented into intervals of cardiovascular and strength training. By incorporating the science of the female metabolism, Delta Life’s training is specifically designed to maintain a target zone that stimulates metabolism and increases energy.  Josh spent almost 14 years in the Marine corps before helping co-found this female-focused boutique studio and graduated from Texas A&M university.  Led by skilled trainers, participants use a variety of equipment including TRX suspension training, free weights, and battle ropes, burning up to 900 calories including after-burn. The results are more energy, visible toning, weight loss and extra calorie burn post-workout. Women throughout the United States are seeing the changes, both physically and mentally. As Delta Life Fitness grows, they continue to look for franchisees to assist with their expansion.  Listen To Episode 041 As Josh Uncovers Why Josh believes that most colleges prepare Club Owners to be "perfection-minded" that hurts them Understanding the real definition of "gamification" in the fitness industry How to use data sets to make female fitness a truly enhanced experience Why having gamification data through automated technology (zero touch from the clients) can up engagement Understanding the key pillars of gamification that prove member success at Delta Life Fitness: Steps (lifestyle) Water (lifestyle) Sleep (lifestyle) Heart Rate (training specific)    How habit tracking will yield not only the optimal results for weight loss, but also when used in a virtual coaching program, will give more revenue opportunities to fitness professionals and clubs How a private Facebook group can radically transform the engagement in a group fitness environment Why Josh believes that having a digital assessment for posture and client intake is pivotal to convert a new member to a lifelong customer What is the mindset of a fitness studio owner when looking at new technology solutions  How the use of a leaderboard in the lobby of a studio can tap into social contagion Understanding the personality types of our female focused exercisers: what do they want and why What it really takes to maintain long-term success using technology as a fitness studio owner What all fitness professional get to pay attention to for fitness technology in 2018  Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Josh reminds operators and fitness professionals that when it comes to choosing technology to gamify your facility's experience, in order to transcend overwhelm you must keep it simple: know what makes you different, and find one or two really great things that allows you to gamify the process for your niche clientele. Accept that it may not work perfectly the first time and that you may have to revamp a few times to learn what works best. It's not just about people and is not just about technology, you get to accept that it will take time to find the balance between the two. When it comes to the moving the needle of profit through gamification, knowing exactly the type of member you are serving and exactly how you want to serve them is paramount. Josh believes whether you use technology or not, the gamification model has to be driven from specificity to succeed.. As the technology around fitness and medical services continue to grow, Josh speaks his truth that the days of trainers and doctors only working face-to-face with clients are about to be a thing of the past. Gamification is one of the necessary components of a bigger ecosystem that will provide apps for a mobile experience that is 100% seamless and based on the data of biometrics. This will allow the professionals to monitor us, the end-users, without us frenetically monitoring ourselves. In the same regard of enhanced medical and fitness service delivery models we also know that the intention of saving people time, money, and delivering better health through new technology will always be more powerful than just the technology itself.  Power Quotes From Josh "College almost prepares us to be perfection minded, whereas in the Marine Corps, we have to get the job done today with what we have. A good plan executed violently today is better than a perfect plan executed two weeks from now."  - Josh Cherry on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Successful fitness gamification has to be twofold, both inside the four walls of the club and in what's going on the other 23 hours that you're not in the gym." - Josh Cherry on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "We've decided that at Delta LIfe Fitness we do not serve the 8 to 80 men, women, and children. We know exactly who we serve and we spend all of our time trying to identify the needs of our clients and building a program specifically designed to maximize the metabolism of our Delta Life Fitness ladies. We don't want to train everyone, we're building one training program for one specific person and by doing that we can really serve that one person well."  - Josh Cherry on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Josh Josh Cherry on LinkedIn Delta Life Fitness on the web Delta Life on Facebook Delta Life Fitness on Twitter Nudge Coach Go-Giver Book Nutrino App Delta Life Fitness: the "Go To" Gym for Women Looking to Tone Up and Get in Shape NPE: A Marine Corps pilot and a draftsman grow from park bootcamps with 5 people to a MILLION DOLLAR business with 850 clientsprocess and fitness FTP Episode # 018 w/ Nudge Coach Co-Fouder, Mac Gambill CBI Magazine: Delat Life Fitness  Delta Life Fitness on YouTube MYZONE InBody Assessment Tools Gretchen Rubin: Social Contagion  Bobby Cappuccio: Fitness + Technology Podcast Episode 027 Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor Contact the Fitness Industry Technology Council to become a Podcast Sponsor Review our various options for Sponsorship Send us a Facebook Message 

For episode 41, we're take a deeper dive into the ethical considerations of artificial intelligence inside and outside the fitness industry with expert guest John C. Havens and his work at the IEEE: a global technology organization with over a half million members in 160+ countries.  I know you're really going to enjoy this podcast with our expert guest in artificial intelligence, as one of the most requested topics during our IHRSA FIT-C roundtable discussion earlier this year was the technology considerations and policies for artificial intelligence and machine learning in outside industries that are effecting our space. So whether you are a brand new listener to the show who is an owner, operator, or fitness pro interested in how artificial intelligence will empower you to serve your clients with more context, or you've been listening to the show for a while and will use the information you receive to help drive the change we need in our space, this podcast is delivering much more than just industry trends. It's giving a deeper look towards how artificial intelligence is changing our industry today and in the future. Make sure to check your show notes by heading over to www.fittechcouncil.org/podcast to take a deeper dive into the resources mentioned that are impacting your career. With the exponential growth technology is driving in our space, what are the ethical considerations, governmental policies and regulations surrounding the use of artificial intelligence that will impact the fitness industry across the world?  The answer to that very big question and so many more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with artificial intelligence ethics expert, John C. Havens. About John C. Havens John C. Havens is the Executive Director for the IEEE Global AI Ethics Initiative: A Global Initiative for Ethical Considerations in Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems. He is a writer, speaker, activist and consultant focusing on the intersection of technology and culture. John aims to help people increase their wellbeing by taking a measure of their lives. Listen To Episode 041 As John Uncovers Understanding the impact and modern day definition of AI: Cognitive Computing Machine Learning Deep Learning AGI and ASI: Artificial General Intelligence vs. Artificial Super Intelligence Why successful wearables combined with AI enable not distract the fitness consumer  Why John believes that simplicity of design is the most powerful benefit of AI Privacy and personal data: understanding the implications and guidelines for AI Why John believes that augmented reality and artificial reality will combine with artificial intelligence to help grow revenue and customer experience in the fitness industry Understanding "choice or consent policy" when opting into SaaS solutions Understanding Affective Computing: AI and machine learning being designed to measure human emotions  Why club operators must pay attention to the 2018 EU data policy that will affect the fitness industry Top 3 Takeaways From The Show For our club owners that serve members outside of the United States in 2018, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation Act is the most important change in data privacy regulation we seen in 20 years. Be sure to click in the resources section below to learn more about how this will affect your fitness business. John reminds us that we look at artificial intelligence one of the key factors to consider in how our fitness industry will benefit is by allowing the user experience to be as simple as possible. In a world of multiple data sets and limitless wearable devices, John believes that will separate the great fitness companies from the good is how they will use AI to achieve the most intuitive and simplistic user experiences for their customers.  Regardless of how much you already know at the intersection of machine learning and artificial intelligence, the time to take a serious look at this technology was yesterday. Be sure to contact the Fitness Industry Technology Councilby heading over to the website or sending us a message on Facebook if you have any questions about how this technology integrates into your business so you can serve your customers in the age of exponential technology. Power Quotes From John "No data lives in isolation, and for HIPAA and any other regulations especially in the USA, we have no access to our data. This is not to put down any app creator or organization, because I am a huge proponent for AI, but data access should be up to the individual."  - John C. Havens on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Well-being can be a confusing term because a lot of people associate well-being with mood, while other people will know there is more of a fitness oriented aspect to well-being as an industry. In the economics of well-being there are indicators like the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals OECD or for environmentalists the Happy Planet Index." - John C. Havens on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From John  John C. Havens on the web John C. Havens books on Amazon John C. Havens on Twitter John C. Havens on Linkedin John C. Havens on Mashable John C. Havens on The Guardian IEEE on facebook: Advancing Technology For Humanity IEEE on Twitter IEEE on LinkedIn The Cult of Biohacking: Outside Magazine United Nations Sustainable Development Goals The Ethics of Using AI in Advertising Top 10 Artificial Intelligence Companies In Health and Fitness Fitness Tracking on your Finger Facebook Shuts Down AI Program Google Deep Mind Moore’s Law Rock My Run Ethically Aligned Design: Prioritizing Wellbeing for Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems Webinar Data Policy that will effect the fitness industry: GDPR - European Policy IEEE P7006 IEEE P7008 “Nudging” Go - AGI story Term of Adhesion: In Law Practice Craig Bradley: Fitness + Technology podcast Bobby Cappuccio: Fitness + Technology Podcast Episode 027 Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor Contact the Fitness Industry Technology Council to become a Podcast Sponsor Review our various options for Sponsorship Send us a Facebook Message   

For episode 40 we're pulling back the curtain to see what successful fitness operations and new technologies are creating loyal customers from the co-owner of one of the top 10 gyms in the United States, Rachel Cosgrove from Results Fitness. For all sizes of clubs across the industry, we realize now more than ever how truly important it is for operators to focus on personalized communication and engagement through social media, email, and text to meet the demands of the fast-evolving customer experience our members are asking for.  In this show, you'll learn from Rachel why she believes it's the hand-crafted emails and time-capped Facebook contests that can deliver high value to members outside the club, what lessons she's learned from over 20 years in fitness, what are the best practices in the transitions from trainer to a successful operator, and why the boomer generation are now requesting more text communication for fitness as their digital literacy increases. It's clear that even with a high performing facility like Results Fitness and many others, there are still some very large gaps to be filled when it comes to integrating technology solutions seamlessly into both the fitness professional's toolbox and to a customer's journey. But what does one of the top 10 gyms in America do to for both human touch and technology integration for successful fitness operations? The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Rachel Cosgrove.  About Rachel Cosgrove  Rachel Cosgrove is the co-owner of Results Fitness, voted one of the top 10 gyms in the United States three years in a row by Men’s Health Magazine. She is a consultant for Nike, on the advisory board for Livestrong.com and Women's Health Magazine, and is a featured columnist for Women’s Health Magazine and the Huffington Post. Rachel is the best selling author of the "The Female Body Breakthrough," and has also been featured in numerous magazines including Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Oxygen and many many more including Dr. Oz.  As one of the featured speakers for Perform Better, she lectures nationally and internationally on topics such as strength training, fat loss, business in the fitness industry and nutrition specifically for women helping them to reach their potential in all aspects of their life. She is also the best-selling author of the book, Drop Two Sizes: A Proven Plan to Ditch the Scale, Get the Body You Want & Wear the Clothes You Love. Extremely goal oriented, Rachel is always looking for a new physical challenge and draws from experience making her a better coach. Rachel and her team at Results Fitness strive to be the best part of their members’ day every day, achieving results, changing lives, and having fun while doing it. They are on a mission to “Change The Way Fitness Is Done.” Listen To Episode 040 As Rachel Uncovers How Club operators can deal with overwhelm at the intersection of technology and fitness business operations As a club operator why if you're not delegating, you're being selfish Where to start if a club owner is feeling overwhelmed by depending on your core values  Understanding the new member orientation process and which category the client falls into:  Look better  Feel better  Perform better Understanding the personality types of the new client:  outgoing, introvert, ect Why at Results Fitness, Rachel and her staff send clients an email breakdown of their heart rate training zones after each session or class Why at Results Fitness, Rachel and her staff use handwritten cards and personally written emails for a higher level of service and client experience How beyond giving a phenomenal workout experience, why a personality matrix to understand the type of communication a new member wants and what type of personality they have will create a loyal fitness customer How Rachel uses Facebook to engage current members with "club bucks" and attract new members How to use Facebook to increase the digital literacy of members 50+ Why Rachel specializes in working with women and communication in the fitness industry  Why heading into IHRSA with a game plan will be yield more success when researching and discovering new technology platforms for clubs How Rachel transitioned from being a trainer to a business operator: what systems and change were involved Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Rachel reminds us that when it comes to fitness and technology, change is inevitable. It's part of growth and it's part of running a business. If you're not somebody who embraces change and who really wants to find a better way constantly then you're not going to be in business for too long.  The new member orientation process is pivotal in securing a long-term customer.  Rachel believes that using a combination of personality typing and personalized communication via heart rate monitors, intimate emails sent after workouts, as well as speaking to the new member in the language they most understand will create a loyal customer who becomes an advocate for your fitness facility. As successful club owners like Rachel take a deeper look into the technology solutions that are rapidly entering our space, it's not just about collecting data for data sake. What's most important is that we collect data with the primary intention of constantly improving and enriching the customer experience. Power Quotes From Rachel  "If you're not delegating responsibility to your staff and trying to run everything on your own, you're actually keeping your team from stepping into roles that they can accel at and bring even more value to your company. When you choose to not let go and have your staff take over the roles they deserve, you're essentially being selfish as an operator."  - Rachel Cosgrove on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Change is inevitable, it's part of growth and running a business. If you're not somebody who embraces change and who really wants to find a better way constantly, then you're not going to be in business for too long." - Rachel Cosgrove on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Members are craving personal connection now more than ever. If we ever start to get replaced by online trainers, artificial intelligence or an app, then the truth is we must elevate our game." - Rachel Cosgrove on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Rachel  Result Fitness on the web  Rachel Cosgrove on LinkedIn Rachel Cosgrove on Facebook Rachel Cosgrove on Twitter Rachel Cosgrove on the web Rachel on IDEA Fitness Rachel on LIVESTRONG Thomas Plummer - Fitness Industry Consultant Zappos Company Culture: Creating Core Values Jim Collins: Good To Great Delivering Happiness: Tony Shea, Zappos How Successful People Think: John Maxwell  Mind Body Software In-Body FitMetrics Skipio Texting Application Perform Better Series Fitness Business Summit IHRSA Bedros Keuilian: Fitness Business   The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Results Fitness University Bobby Cappuccio: Fitness + Technology Podcast Episode 027 Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

For episode 39 we take an in depth look at the current landscape to demystify the common misconceptions at the intersection of group fitness operations and technology solutions. For an increasing number of Group Fitness Managers in 2017, it's the growing demand to seamlessly tie in the scheduling, communication, metrics and substitution of fitness instructors through the cloud that is causing a major disruption in our industry. To help uncover what will be of most service to our industry's GroupX space, we're learning from the Founder of GroupX Pro, Shannon Fable, an experienced business and program developer in the health and wellness space with over 20 years in the industry who specializes in group fitness operations. As you'll learn from Shannon, with all the fragmented offerings, types of classes, fitness instructors, number of studios, equipment fees and other variables needed to run a successful Group X program, we identify just how the landscape has changed so dramatically over the past two decades and why now the hardest part for operators is stepping back to understand the best technology solutions and what continuing education courses will support their GFI's. What are the core competencies for Group Fitness Managers and instructors at the pivotal crossroad of technology, personality, and programming? The answer to that question and many more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Shannon Fable. About Shannon Fable Shannon Fable is an experienced business and program developer in the health and wellness space. With 20 years in the industry, she has presented and educated in six continents on group fitness, personal training, management, business development and time management.  With a proven track record for assessing needs and developing programs, systems, and structure for a wide variety of businesses in the fitness industry, she has also carved out time to write, mentor, and star in over 25 fitness and management related DVDs.  Shannon is a certified Book Yourself Solid® Business Coach interested in helping fitness professionals navigate the industry and find their place. She owns both Balletone® and Sunshine Fitness Resources. Most notably, along with her developer husband, she co-created and founded GroupEx Pro®, a revolutionary software designed to streamline and operationalize the management and marketing of group fitness programs for health clubs. Listen To Episode 039 As Shannon Uncovers How SaaS solutions can seamlessly tie in the scheduling, communication, metrics and substitution of fitness instructors through the cloud Understanding the project management side of GFM/GFI technology: How to give yourself a good timeline and carve out space for implementation Exploring the 3 core competencies of the GFM/GFI landscape How being able to see "past the dollar signs" drives long term revenue and member retention Why GFM's must hire and inspire the right team that's willing to embrace technology first Why setting up technology requires such an interesting skillset Shannon's method for reducing inputs for better outputs: How to distil down to what you need to the desired result Why Shannon believes that core competencies for group fitness is knowing the body and how it works but the other is how they interact connect and communicate with customers  Why Group X are "scared to rock the boat" How technology disruption is changing the GFM/GFI landscape  How to adapt and integrate new technology for serving the group fitness environment  GroupEx Pro® Case Study: YMCA Twin Cities Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Shannon believes that the technology barriers to entry in the fitness industry have never been lower, but at the end of the day we must to educate fitness professionals and teams about how they are going to use integrity and intention behind the technology.  No matter what technology solution a club deploys, it is essential for leadership to focus on the outcome and ask" "What do we need to do in the on-boarding process and in training to truly get to the outcome we want?"  From 20 years of working in GroupX, Shannon teaches operators to first hire and inspire the right team that's willing to embrace technology instead of saying "this is how we've always done it let's just keep doing it this way." The biggest core competency of group fitness is ultimately to motivate and inspire people and groups to move more, and more often. The use of cloud-based fitness technology helps to support this by increasing gamification, communication, and engagement to the members that need it most.  Power Quotes From Shannon "We have a lot of people trying to infiltrate the fitness space that know technology but that don't necessarily understand the nuances of what happens in clubs."  -  Shannon Fable on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "It's making sure that you hire and inspire the right team that's willing to embrace technology instead of saying 'this is how we've always done it, let's just keep doing it this way' and I think that's tough, because a lot of group fitness managers and personal training managers don't get into the space from a traditional business background so they may not have had to deal with technology." -  Shannon Fable on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Setting up technology requires such an interesting skillset because it's not just about being able to utilize the program, it's about being able to see the big picture and what you want to accomplish with the technology, to then distill it down to what you must input to get to the desired output." - Shannon Fable on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Shannon Group Ex Pro Group Ex Pro on Facebook Shannon Fable's Website Shannon Fable on Linkedin Shannon Fable on IDEA Connect Shannon Fable on Twitter Shannon Fable on Instagram Shannon Fable in Club Industry FTP Episode #015 Dave Wright: MYZONE & The Current State of Wearables Club Industry: Shannon Fable - Should Your Fitness Studio Be Dependent on Personalities or Programs? The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Orange Theory Fitness Stages Flight Cycling David Allen: Getting Things Done IHRSA Leadership Fitness Industry Leadership Council - ILC Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

In this podcast, we're excited to bring you two expert guests at the intersection of fitness, technology, and education. So many of the leaders we've had on the show have given us a powerful inside look behind the curtain of what fitness tech apps, platforms, and devices are positively impacting our space, but many in the health, wellness, and fitness worlds still have looming questions about exactly how these technologies will plug in into our healthcare ecosystems. A bigger and even more specific question around fitness technology is how will the education and integration of these new innovations support long term behavior change for our industry's members?  With the rise of technology, how is the academic world answering the call to create that trusted bridge between the knowing and the doing when it comes to applying technology and facilitating positive health outcomes?  We're answering these questions and much more in this episode with fitness technology expert Ted Vickey, for his return to the show from episode 008, and Jessica Matthews, an award-winning and industry leading health and wellness educator.  You'll also learn about applying evidence-based coaching strategies with behavior change techniques to facilitate meaningful lifestyles, how health and fitness pros can collaborate with colleagues in a wide variety of settings to provide an integrative approach to health, and why Point Loma Nazarene University has created the Kinesiology, M.S., Integrative Wellness, to teach students about using technology that provides lifestyle interventions to prevent and effectively manage chronic disease. About Ted Vickey  For over 20 years, Ted Vickey has immersed himself in fitness technology. Starting as the Executive Director of the White House Athletic Center through his fitness consulting company, FitWell, and continuing with his latest project as a Ph.D. researcher on Social Networking and Exercise at the National University of Ireland, Galway, Ted has proven to be an early adopter and advocate in technical systems and their applicability to fitness.  Ted believes we can take advantage of technology to not only motivate individuals across the globe to get out the door and move but to be in closer contact with healthcare providers.  He is an emeritus member of the Board of Directors for the American Council on Exercise and has consulted with key organizations such as the Department of Commerce, the Securities and Exchange Commission, Fruit of the Loom, TSA and more. He is an emeritus member of the Board of Directors of the American Council on Exercise, the largest non-profit accredited certification organization in the fitness industry.  In his role as senior advisor for disruptive health technologies with Canyon Ranch Institute, he is committed to improving the health of all people through the use of wellness and fitness technology, including wearable technology, to enhance and further innovate new and existing CRI partnerships, programs, initiatives, and evaluation. Ted's work with the Canyon Ranch Institute catalyzes the possibility of optimal health for all people by translating the best practices of Canyon Ranch and its partners to help educate, inspire, and empower every person to prevent disease and choose a life of wellness. By education, Ted is an Exercise Scientist, by experience an Entrepreneur, and by passion a Connector. About Jessica Matthews Jessica Matthews, M.S., E-RYT 500 is an award-winning, industry leading health and wellness educator. As a seasoned yoga teacher and innovative college professor, she has developed and implemented graduate degree programs as well as comprehensive 200-and 500-hour yoga teacher training programs at the college level in addition to teaching a variety of associate, undergraduate, and graduate-level health and exercise science courses. A former exercise physiologist and licensed educator based in San Diego, California, Jessica serves as faculty of kinesiology and integrative wellness at Point Loma Nazarene University where she developed the Master of Kinesiology in Integrative Wellness program. She is also a yoga studies professor at MiraCosta College where she co-created the advanced 300-hour yoga teacher training program. Jessica has a genuine passion and unique ability for transforming people's lives. Armed with a wealth of practical, proven and science-based information through 17 years of work in the health and fitness field, her mission is to positively shift people's perspectives about themselves, their lives, and what they are capable of achieving. A well-known and trusted expert in establishing and supporting vibrant, conscious awareness of each dimension of well-being, Jessica's holistic approach to wellness is rooted in mindfulness and includes physical, emotional, mental and spiritual components. Jessica is a top level instructor, accomplished writer, captivating speaker and respected educator.  About PLNU, Kinesiology, M.S., Integrative Wellness Kinesiology, M.S., Integrative Wellness At the heart of your interest in the study of holistic health and well-being is a passion to serve others in body, mind, and spirit. PLNU’s one-year, online Master of Kinesiology in Integrative Wellness will prepare professionals who can improve health in the U.S. through interventions in behavior change, nutrition, and physical activity. No matter how the degree is applied, it can become the vehicle that health and wellness professionals will use to apply evidence-based strategies that facilitate sustainable health behavior change that can lead to weight loss, healthy eating, regular physical activity, stress reduction, and overall improvements to health and well-being. The integration of lifestyle medicine within healthcare systems is not just effective, but powerful and life-changing for individuals and society. Listen To Episode 038 As Ted & Jessica Uncover Why PLNU's online Master's in Kinesiology, Integrative Wellness is at the bleeding edge of fitness technology education What new wellness technology innovations will impact the educational programs in colleges over the next 2 years What self-monitoring strategies will create impact for students in the PLNU program  Why Ted Vickey believes the current personal training model is not sustainable The common misconceptions about wellness and fitness wearables  Why the INTL Consortium for Health and Wellness Coaching has partnered with PLNU  How to serve millennials with a shorter attention span through technology Devices and apps that will engage millennials in positive health outcomes  The morphing of fitness trainers into wellness coaching  Why Jessica believes we are now in a time where fitness pros are more empowered than ever before Exploring: Technology Education For A New Era of Fitness Professionals Top 3 Takeaways From The Episode Jessica believes that as an industry we really now have to understand that when it comes to wellness, a lot of the things that will manifest physically often are things that come from what we're dealing with mentally, emotionally, or perhaps even spiritually. This connection is a big step for the fitness industry. First to accept, and secondly, to now work with clients from a "whole person" approach that supports meaningful changes in all of those areas through collaboration with other niche professionals inside the integrative care model. Point Loma Nazarene's Master's Program for Integrative Wellness is on the bleeding edge of the needed education in fitness technology segment. This knowledge will support corporate wellness program directors to facilitate health change at the workplace and ultimately save their companies money, will support personal trainers and other fitness professionals by using technology to learn how to better lead their clients, and in registered dietitians, RNs, and medical assistants who use the degree to deliver obesity interventions to patients.  Ted & Jessica both believe that it is the education and integration of health technologies that will ultimately lead to a better planet. For anyone who is interested in being of service in our health and fitness world, educational programs like PLNU's online Master's in Kinesiology, Integrative Wellness will support professionals to improve health in the U.S. through interventions in behavior change, nutrition, and physical activity. Power Quotes From Ted & Jessica "The iPhone 6 is one million times more powerful than the computer used to put the man on the moon. What I suggest is that we as the fitness industry, the health industry, and the healthcare industry realize this is our moonshot. This is how we can make a difference, and that is by using technology to make a difference in the lives of those that we have the opportunity and the privilege to serve." - Ted Vickey on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "There is certainly a missing piece in our healthcare system, and honestly, a missing piece in the fitness industry. We really have to understand that we work with "whole people," encompassing the body, mind, and spirit. In order to really impact meaningful changes in behavior and improve health outcomes we must understand the dynamics of what it is that motivates people to make these changes and how they can be sustainable. That strategy essentially boils down to our evidence-based practices." - Jessica Matthews on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned On The Episode PLNU - Online Kinesiology, M.S., Integrative Wellness PLNU - Integrative Wellness on facebook Ted Vickey on Linkedin Jessica Matthews on LinkedIn Ted's "The Wireless Future of Wellness Is Now" TEDx Talk Ted Vickey's Website Jessica Matthew's Website FTP Episode #008 Ted Vickey: How New Technologies Are Changing Our Fitness Landscape UCSD Center For Integrative Medicine International Consortium For Health and Wellness Coaching Moore's Law You Now Have a Shorter Attention Span Than a Goldfish Fitness Industry Leadership Council - ILC Heal App: Interview With Dr. Renee Dua  011 Live From CES 2017: Fitbit Group Health - Amy McDonough Mio Wearables Nokia Wellness Devices Jessica's favorite books: Jon Kabat-Zinn Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Wellness and fitness technology regulations for 2017 Tech disruption in the fitness industry by Amanda Vogel  Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

For episode 37 we're learning about the exponential benefits and current progress of the #PHITAct, and why it is so vital to fitness industry growth, with the Vice-Chair of IHRSA and the Owner of Newtown Athletic Club, Jim Worthington. After the recent report published by PHIT America In 2017 - "The Inactivity Pandemic," it should not come as a surprise that Nike, The Cooper Institute, The American Heart Institute, Shape America, & Pop Warner Football are all joining forces to pass the #PHITAct through both the Senate and Congress. As you'll hear on today's show with Jim, this legislation has the potential to massively uplevel our industry reach and help put prevention in our healthcare system. Earlier in 2017, you heard from Bryan O'Rourke in F+T episode #020, about how even with as much as we're doing collectively in the fitness industry to help fight the obesity epidemic, the reality is that the current healthcare model is broken.  What we have now isn’t healthcare, it's sick care, and the passage of the #PHITAct will bring legislative power to help change that by getting more people active and healthy than ever before. With this turning of the tide, the #PHITAct will also help Americans save 20-30% on yearly expenses related to physical activity. As an industry professional, we need your help today to make this bill pass. Be sure to tap on your show artwork and click the link: "Ask Congress To Pass #PHITAct." What simple yet effective actions can thousands of fitness leaders in our space take to create more revenue and serve large numbers of brand new members? The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness professionals in this episode with Jim Worthington. About Jim Worthington Jim Worthington is the owner of the Newtown Athletic Club (NAC) a 250,000 square foot lifestyle club on 22 acres established in 1978 in Newtown, PA. He is also a real-estate developer and a supporter of start-up entrepreneurs. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in 1978 from West Chester University and working as a racquetball pro and club manager, Jim took on an ownership role at the NAC in 1981, building the club to its current status as a Top 100 Club in America for the past 20 years.    Mr. Worthington is now the sole owner of the club which is considered the third largest privately owned individual health club in the nation. As a 40-year industry veteran and a member of IHRSA (International Health Racquetball and Sports Association) since its inception, Jim has contributed to countless industry publications, attended every IHRSA conference and now serves on the IHRSA Board of Directors as the Vice Chair. He has pioneered many club concepts such as bundling membership fees, membership integration initiatives and all-inclusive programming.   His club has received numerous local and national honors as a reflection of his maverick leadership and vision. Jim has also founded the Delaware Valley alliance of Health and Sports Clubs and the NAC Have a Heart Foundation (501c3) which handles all of the NAC’s charitable initiatives and oversees the “My Right To Try” advocacy work to help terminally ill patients receive FDA Phase 2 and 3 potentially life-saving trial drugs earlier. Jim is a visionary and leader not only in the fitness industry but also in his community donating to many charitable causes and generally making the world a better place. Listen To Episode 037 As Jim Uncovers What the PHIT Act will do for the future of the fitness industry space  Why the PHIT Act is so vital to our industry growth What is the current status of progress for the PHIT Act in Congress What is IHRSA doing to support the PHIT Act passage in Congress What are the detailed benefits of the PHIT Act for the fitness industry and other sports, health, and wellness industries such as massage, DCT, chiropractic and many more How industry professionals can take appropriate actions to help support IHRSA and the PHIT Act in 2017 Why it becomes easy for busy fitness industry professionals to get involved in their day- to-day roles and miss the "big picture" of how bills like the PHIT Act can help them help more people  What new possibilities Jim Worthington sees on the horizon at the intersection of fitness and technology How club owners, operators, and fitness professionals can leverage their members and networks to spark change  How to ask your congressional representative to support the passage of PHIT America Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Jim reminds us that our Congressional representatives work for us. As a fitness industry professional, it may feel somewhat overwhelming to believe your vote will create impact for this bill, but the truth is that the IHRSA organization is here to support getting your voice heard. Be sure to tap on the show artwork today right from your phone, and click here: "Ask Congress To Pass #PHITAct." IHRSA can only do so much. When it comes to relationships with your Local Senators, State Senators, and Local Congressmen, it's really the obligation of the people in the industry, the club owners, and the operators, to reach out and make this a priority for their representatives. Jim believes this is the biggest opportunity we've ever seen for the fitness industry to grow its participants and change more people's lives. The #PHITAct is far bigger than just our space, it's a way to bring fitness down to the levels of the less fortunate and to those who can't afford a health club membership. It allows for lower-economic citizens to have access to more of the same things that everyone else does. The reality is that not everyone has the ability to attend a fitness facility, and the #PHTAct will make a huge difference for the health of so many who need it most. Power Quotes From Jim "IHRSA can only do so much. When it comes to relationships with your Local Senators or your State Senators and Local Congressmen, it's really the obligation of the people in the industry, the club owners and the operators, to reach out and make this a priority to get them on board with the PHIT Act. Frankly, that's where my frustration lies. I feel like this could be the biggest opportunity for our fitness industry to grow the amount of participants and change people's lives."  -  Jim Worthington on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "I urge everyone to get out there and make that call to push the PHIT Act over the goal line. If we don't do it this year, I don't know if we're ever going to because we've been talking about this for 10 years." - Jim Worthington on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Jim Ask Congress To Pass #PHITAct Jim Worthington IHRSA Jim Worthington LinkedIn IHRSA facebook IHRSA Twitter IHRSA YouTube IHRSA #PHITAct Toolkit S.482 - PHIT Act of 2017 PHIT America: 2017 Inactivity Pandemic Report FTP Episode #020 Bryan O'Rourke: How Will The #PHITAct Change Our Industry FTP Episode #030 JR Burgess: Medical Fitness For IHRSA & Health Clubs The Opportunity Of An ERA Is Here With Passage of #PASSPHIT Jim's Favorite Book: "Age Wave: How The Most Important Trend Of Our Time Will Change Your Future" FTP Episode #015 Dave Wright: MYZONE & The Current State of Wearables Newtown Athletic Club The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Rick Caro IHRSA Bryan O'Rourke IHRSA Norm Cates IHRSA John McCarthy IHRSA Helen Durkin IHRSA IHRSA Leadership Fitness Industry Leadership Council - ILC Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

For episode 36 we are remembering the dynamic health and fitness career of our friend and industry leader, Michael Scott Scudder.  "As some of you may know, a very well-known fitness industry consultant passed away unexpectedly early in July. He was a dear friend of mine, and a dear friend of many people. He was a colleague that we respected for his trends, views, and research that he shared openly with the industry. For this podcast, we're sharing with you an interview that Michael and I did 6 years ago on what's happening to the fitness industry and what our thoughts were at the time. We're doing this in his honor because many people are mourning his loss, and we thought it would be a good thing to think back on all of the great things that he's done and reflect upon his views and mine of six years ago. Please keep Michael and his family in your prayers, he will be dearly missed." - Bryan O'Rourke About Michael Scott Scudder Michael spent over four decades in the fitness business as Salesperson, Trainer, Manager, Executive Director, Owner, Consultant/Advisor, Conference Speaker, Webcaster, Independent Fitness Facility Researcher. His energy and expertise supported building systems to help clubs become more successful and use internet technology to bring these web based strategies to the industry. Michael began his MSS network as "Fitness Focus" in 1991. This morphed into Fitness Business Council in 2002 which eventually became MSS Network in 2012. His Network Donating Memberships presently represent more than 1,600 North American independent health and fitness businesses.  Some of Michael's Accolades: One of only 19 persons in "Who's Who in International Fitness." Named by "Club Industry" magazine as "an industry leader you ought to pay attention to." Consulted to/advised/mentored: 600+ health clubs of all sizes 50+ studios 60+ not-for-profits 100+ top industry leaders 8 states and 12 foreign countries  About Bryan O'Rourke Bryan O’Rourke is a CEO, board member, advisor, keynote speaker, author and investor, who has successfully expanded global brands for over 30 years. He guides and works with many fitness and health club brands and serves on the IHRSA board of directors. He launched Vedere Ventures, a boutique private equity firm in 2016 and is President of the Fitness Industry Technology Councilwhich supports the Fitness + Technology Podcast . Check it out today. Get his recent book the 9 Partnership Principles written with his partner Robert Dyer and other top fitness industry leaders. Bryan also released with Europe Active the book Customer Engagement and Experience In The Fitness Sector. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com or follow him @bryankorourke . Sign Up To Receive The Fitness Facility Technology Adoption Survey   The Fitness Industry Technology Council in concert with the late Michael Scott Scudder conducted a survey on fitness facility technology Adoption with nearly 1,600 facilities represented in the late Spring of 2017. The report will be released via the fittechcouncil.org monthly newsletter. Here are two findings: Only 30% of respondents think they have enough information to make educated decisions about technologies while 42% are not really concerned about falling behind to more technologically savvy competitors. Sign up for the FIT-C Newsletter & Survey Quotes From Michael & Bryan  "Michael would stand on tables and scream at the various industry events where he was presenting at times because he cared so much. A few people thought he was crazy but he was also well connected and quite knowledgable. He could put things in context and always asked great questions. Our calls and talks sometimes were the stuff of William F. Buckley Jr.’s Firing Line; intellectual, rhetorical and quite stimulating if you like that sort of thing; I certainly did. He was also funny and we laughed often together. - Bryan O'Rourke, written in his LinkedIn post honoring Michael.  "There's something that many the veterans of this industry have known for a long time that works, and that is the 20/80 rule. Twenty percent of you customer-base is going to provide you with eighty percent or more of your ancillary revenue." - Michael Scott Scudder Media & Articles About Michael Scott Scudder  Fitness Business Canada: Fitness Industry Icon, and dear friend, gone too soon Bryan O'Rourke: Michael Scott Scudder Health Club Consultant and Maverick Passes Away Michael Scott Scudder: Health Club Operators Are Not Prepared to Serve the Growing Senior Market Michael Scott Scudder Had a Passion for the Fitness Industry and Its Future Michael Scott Scudder: Facility, Find Thy Niche! Michael Scott Scudder: Mastering Management Club Insider Online: Michael Scott Scudder Acquires Fitness Industry Group Michael Scott Scudder's LinkedIn Page Michael Scott Scudder's website YouTube Video: Where Is The US Health Club Industry Headed - August 2011 YouTube Video: Technology & The Health Club Industry - August 2011 Michael Scott Scudder: Faltering Independent Clubs a Sign of the Times Michael Scott Scudder Scholarship Purpose: To honor the life and professional career of Michael Scott Scudder by offering a MANIA® Convention FREE attendance to a worthy budding studio owner needing business advice and industry education. This scholarship is open to those who reflect the passion, high-standards and desire to succeed in the fitness industry set forth by Michael Scott Scudder. The applicant must have a strong commitment to continuing education in the fitness/wellness market. Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com Become A Sponsor of The Fitness + Technology Podcast

On episode 35 were spotlighting two industry leaders, whom together along with the newly founded Women In Fitness Association, are creating a vibrant space for female leadership in the fitness world. We're talking to Lindsey Rainwater, an experienced advisor and consultant to the fitness and wellness industry, and Debra Siena, President of Midtown Health. This is a timely subject as the habits, needs, considerations and consumer behaviors of women are so important in the digital age for club owners and operators to understand. With over 80% of purchase decisions being made by women, we're uncovering in this show how the different segments of technology relate to and how they plug into the way operators and clubs will interact with women inside and outside the club, both today and in the future. What are women really asking for at the crossroads of fitness and technology? What will the Women In Fitness Association do to support professional women in the fitness industry? The answers to those questions and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness professionals with Lindsey Rainwater & Debra Siena in this podcast.  About Lindsey Rainwater Lindsey, also known as Lindsey Rainh2o is a sought after Business Advisor and Consultant, Writer and Presenter. Lindsey loves helping people and organizations enjoy transformational change. Her enthusiasm for leadership, conscious living, and wellness amplified by technology drives the majority of her writing. Lindsey’s intuitive and intentional form of communication facilitates unimaginable shifts in the unconscious mind resulting in powerful written, verbal and presentation skills. As a well thought of advisor to the professionals supporting the fitness industry, she is known for her work in business development, business strategy, digital marketing, content creation and change management. Lindsey is also the Founder of The Women in Fitness Association, an association focused on supporting the professional Women in the Fitness Industry. She flows gracefully within a continually changing environment offering consistent effectiveness while delivering creative results. Her entrepreneurial spirit and drive has created a track record of consistent over-achievements throughout her career. About Debra Siena Debra Siena joined the Midtown Athletic Clubs and Midtown Health, in 1986. She is currently President of Midtown Health, a leader in customized fitness center management and employee health and wellbeing solutions nationwide. During her career with Midtown, Ms. Siena has been involved in health club development, acquisition and management of multiple clubs, ranging from 1,200 to 200,000 sq. ft. Debra has been a featured speaker at wellness industry conventions since 1989, including the International Health Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), Club Industry, the Medical Fitness Association, and the World Fitness IDEA convention, having presented in North America, Europe, South America and Asia. Ms. Siena served on the IHRSA board of Directors from 2003 through 2007, and Co-Chaired the Worksite Wellness Committee for Building a Healthier Chicago from 2006 through 2012. Debra received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree “with Honors” from the University of Illinois in Champaign and taught Kinesiology at Columbia College. Listen To Episode 035 As Lindsey & Debra Uncover What is the WIFA doing for the women in our space The Women In Fitness Association: Why now more than ever it is important to create female mentorship How the attention spans of women and men differ when we look at the the application of technology  Uncovering the nuances of pregnancy apps and a woman's needs Multitasking: Men vs. Women in the modern world Connection and socialization: What virtual apps and ecosystems appeal to women  Relationship and community considerations when using technology in the fitness industry Exploring the mindset and roles of managers using new technology in and out of the club  How in club technology solutions can equip owners and operators with better decision-making power based on real-time data of consumer behavior Understanding the national presence of technology segmentation for virtual fitness Understanding the differences between wellness and fitness tech responsiveness across the globe The acceptance of artificial intelligence combined with smart virtual coaching Why we are seeing additional mindfulness and restorative programs in health facilities  Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Debra believes that in Europe we are seeing a lot more virtual classes having sweeping popularity, which is slowly making its way as a larger trend in the United States. We are reminded by her wisdom that technology always has its place but as we get more high-tech then we have to stay high-touch, It's the combination of those that is going to make us most successful. We are reminded both by Debra and Lindsey that when it comes to wearable technology integrating deeper into the lifestyle of women in the fitness industry and the consumers that we all serve, to keep the visual aspect top of mind. The way that women interact and engage with technology is fundamentally different than men, and we must respect this difference when looking at the user experience and the look and feel of our devices and software. Lindsey believes that with 80% of buying decisions being made by women from a consumer standpoint, having a well-rounded representation of women in fitness, and really all types of organizations is just good business practice. Her aim with WIFA is to see more women in the board room, championing each other to achieve, and sharing success through collaboration. WIFA is creating a place where young women entering our space can find mentorship and for every seasoned veteran to have an impact on her peers that ripples out to affect the masses. Power Quotes From Lindsey & Debra "There's no question that women like a virtual fitness community. This has been built off of the group exercise phenomenon and how the majority of women are in classes taking advantage of that community in person, and they've extrapolated that connection into a virtual community where we have more women that check in in the clubs than men, we have more women that follow us under social media than men, I think that there is no question that women like the idea of being connected to a group whether it's competitively or just socially."  - Debra Siena on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "There's things that only women track, whether it's body temperature or the relationship to a female specific needs, or even heart rate relative to being nine months pregnant like myself. Whatever it is that we want to track, I don't think that the wearable market or sensor market has totally honed in on how to support us. We've come a ways forward, but I think there's still a big opportunity here." - Lindsey Rainwater on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Lindsey & Debra Women In Fitness Association Why The Wearable Device Market Isn't Giving Women What They Want Women Are Better Than Men At Multi-Tasking, Study Says The Women in Fitness Association (WIFA) WIFA on facebook WIFA Blog Lindsey Rainwater's website Lindsey Rainwater on LinkedIn Lindsey Rainwater on Twitter Lindsey Rainwater on Slide Share  Lindsey Rainwater on Instagram Debra Siena on LinkedIn Debra Siena on Twitter Debra Siena on Slide Share Debra Siena - Midtown Health Women in Technology International IHRSA  Fitbit Alta HR To-Do List App Headspace App Hearables Vs. Wearables 016 Lindsey Rainwater: Using Group Fitness Technology To Increase Revenue The Most Important Fact Every Organization Must Realize Group X: Boost Your Group Fitness in 2017 With These Tips How To Win Friends And Influence People Never Eat Alone Good To Great Apple News Tech Crunch App 2017 Forbes Top Technology Trends Lindsey's Contribution In the 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Turbo-STRAPP is a wearable platform that harnesses the power of wearable fitness devices and seamlessly shares the data with fitness professionals. The platform allows you to connect with users throughout the day and provide professional guidance, workout suggestions, and even nutritional tracking. The potential to grow your business globally through digital content has arrived. Visit their website at www.turbo-strapp.com and enter your email for a FREE GUIDE on how to grow your online business. Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

On episode 34 we're taking a 360° look with the VP of Sales for Power Plate, Craig Bradley, at how technology is impacting new training methods in the fitness industry. If you've been curious about whole body vibration training and how this technology along with many others is now changing both the group and one-on-one training experience, you're in the right place. But were not just talking about the Power Plate on today's show, we're also learning about the impact of new technology in the primary vertical markets, including real direct to consumer, blue-chip clubs, medical, and active aging segments, where Craig explains what he believes the next 24 months hold in both opportunities and growth potential for all fitness professionals. Craig also presents a handful of controversial ideas around exercise adherence and turns the personal training model upside down, as he shares about a pilot test in one of his former clubs where they gave away personal training, and how it actually earned more revenue for the club than when they charged.  What are the various training methods we're seeing rise up in our space, fueled by new technologies? The answers to those questions and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness professionals right here, right now with Craig Bradley. About Craig Bradley Craig Bradley is the VP of Sales for Power Plate and Performance Health Systems. As a global business professional capable of blending sales and marketing skills with operational expertise to grow profits, Craig has a reputation for reducing costs and improving customer satisfaction in the fitness industry. With a vast understanding of the global market, Craig has deep expertise in the relationships between fiduciary responsibility and the value of diversity across multiple verticals. Listen To Episode 034 As Craig Uncovers What is whole body vibrational training Understanding the new training methods using technology Craig's vantage on the primary vertical markets in fitness: Real direct to consumer Commercial fitness space: elite professional, NFL, NBA, S&C Blue Chip Clubs: Equinox, Lifetime Active aging space Medical space Understanding the Power Plate: vibrational platform that essentially helps the consumer prepare faster, perform better, and recover quicker for exercise by stimulating the natural reflexes, increasing muscle activation, and improving circulation Why more and more options exist now for the home user like Peloton, Daily Burn, and Power Plate Why fitness consumers and members of gyms are supplementing what they do in the club with activities at work or home How will the role of trainers will shift as new training methods rise up The role of empathy for personal trainers combined with technology Why Craig believes that being in a management position actually is a popularity contest, regardless of conventional thinking around the role of this position What Craig believes that the next 12-24 months (trends) will create in our space Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Craig reminds us about the important of fitness professionals to practicing emotional intelligence, combined with technology will be in the digital world ahead. The reality is that many fitness pros are gym rats, and they love being in the gym to work out. But the clients they work with don't always share that same mindset. The long-term behavior change strategies from trainers (that want to serve their clients where they actually are) must include smarter touch points through cloud-based accountability and proven behavior change models. Vibrational training is currently proving to be a revenue booster for small group training where novelty and individualized programming are valued most. We're also seeing the medical and active aging space rapidly adopt vibrational training due to its benefits and low impact for people who suffer with chronic conditions. Smart clubs and small group training facilities are taking a bigger look at vibrational training in 2017. Craig believes that combining member club usage data with the data sets outside the four walls is the future of fitness and represents a major opportunity in both revenue and customer service. Imagine what omni-channel and omnipresence experience could be delivered to our members if we could contextualize their data in and out of the facility; tailored to give them the right message at the right time based on how they actually live. Power Quotes From Craig "Make it fun. I think the more you can engage and coach folks in a fun environment, the more adherence you'll see. There is a reason why most of the fitness brands that are more 'party, playful, and fun' in their orientation do extremely well, and that's the area that I would try and encourage operators to explore."  -  Craig Bradley on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "I think diet is the big opportunity for fitness operators out there. What people put in their body is obviously more important than what they do with their body, and I see that as a huge opportunity. Obviously there are diet subscriptions and apps now, but if fitness companies can find a solution whereby they offer a diet solution to their subscriber base, this is a massive opportunity." - Craig Bradley on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Craig Power Plate website Power Plate on LinkedIn Craig Bradley on LinkedIn Contact Craig Bradley Personal Power Plate Power Plate on facebook Power Plate on Twitter Power Plate on Instagram Simon Sinek: Start With WHY Power Plate in the news Private studios using vibrational training New Equinox Facility in Chicago: Crossing the bridge into fitness, wellness and into hospitality  Apple Watch in Fitness Pokemon GO Small Group Training Using Power Plate ASFS Webinar: Vibrational training FTP Episode #030 JR Burgess: Medical Fitness The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Turbo-STRAPP is a wearable platform that harnesses the power of wearable fitness devices and seamlessly shares the data with fitness professionals. The platform allows you to connect with users throughout the day and provide professional guidance, workout suggestions, and even nutritional tracking. The potential to grow your business globally through digital content has arrived. Visit thier website at www.turbo-strapp.com and enter your email for a FREE GUIDE on how to grow your online business.   Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

For episode 33 we’re learning from the CEO of FitCloudConnect, Brad Weber, and exploring the rapid changes of how all size clubs are reaching consumers through "lifestyle fitness" including delivery of programming 24/7 365, through any mobile device.  Looking back on some of our previous interviews with brands like Wexer, MYZONE, and Under Armour, we know that our space is shifting quickly towards meeting millennial’s and other demographics at their deepest needs which include tablets, mobile phones, and live streaming fitness experiences. But the larger question that we're taking an honest look at today is around breakage.  How do some big-box clubs that sell essentially more memberships than they can support, knowing full well that members will drop off after EFT payments have been collected for months, continue to operate in this paradigm? New technology can help to change this paradigm by adding revenue streams built for the club and so that members can begin to see the facility as the hub, the place where they feel at home, and so does their all their activity data.  In this episode, Brad is sharing with us his expertise around using smart cameras and content strategy, similar to the successful model of Peloton, that many clubs are starting to take a serious look at as the attention spans of members shorten, and the need for digital connection increases. Brad also gives us some great tips on interoperability, how platforms must come together now more than ever, and why he believes that lifestyle fitness and the devices that support it across all verticals within the industry is now a driving force behind the future of sustainable fitness business operations. How can technology-focused health clubs use lifestyle fitness to engage members inside and outside the club? Answers to those questions and much more in this episode with Brad Weber. About Brad Weber Brad Weber is the Co-Founder & CEO of FitCloudConnect. He has spent over 15 years in numerous software and SaaS organizations, and has extensive experience in working with all sizes of companies across numerous industries in the U.S. and Canada in researching, designing and deploying enterprise-wide software solutions. He has been a sought after consultant for many of the world's Fortune 500 companies in areas of enterprise software, and has spent much of his time as a key contributor to building startups in the enterprise and SaaS software industry. Listen To Episode 033 As Brad Uncovers What is Lifestyle Fitness" and how does this relate to the growth in our space Understanding connected devices across iOS and Android  The value of live-streaming content delivered to gym members across all devices Creating separate revenue streams for fitness facilities through smart cameras Understanding the future of connected fitness: "the gym taken home with the member" How to measure what members are "at risk" for cancelling memberships Impact: Direct to consumer offerings in the fitness space  Exploring the interoperability between systems, and the closed systems that stay walled Understanding "smart cameras" that will serve the gym members of the future outside the 4 walls The paradigm shift: less about competition, more about collaboration in fitness technology   Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Brad believes that the “fitness lifestyle” experience that has been offered for so many years in our industry is now going through a massive change. To meet the needs of members who travel, who might be intimidated by coming into the club multiple times per week, or who might be a member solely based on class attendance, the delivery of a gym experience to wherever the consumer is 24/7, represents the next level of lifestyle fitness. Smart cameras and connected fitness are now allowing facilities to truly think "outside the box." By using quantifiable measurements of revenue generation that can be implemented and used across the organization (without having to manage that technology) operators are recognizing that a great fitness tech platform is one that does all the heavy lifting for club. The reality is that are some people who will never come into a club. With only 16% of the national population having memberships, 84% don’t. Brad reminds us that many people who use the excuses of being too busy, embarrassed, or living too far away simply don’t have to remain true. With lifestyle fitness being delivered to members 24/7, 365, this new technology is about extending the fitness experience to people who need it most, and is helping to address the breakage aspect of big-box clubs who sell more memberships than they can actually support.  Power Quotes From Brad "When we looked at the market over two years ago for our strategy, we noticed there was many established players already delivering "celebrity fitness content" into the club. We knew that delivering an in-club experience outside the gym would be an exceptional away for a facility to establish and help build their brand beyond the four walls. We also knew that giving a virtual experience of instructors at the gym through a combination of prerecorded and live streaming experiences would be what members would want."  -  Brad Weber on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "The great thing about technology is it gives you deep insights on who your users actually are.  Now we can start to understand user behaviors where previously a user would walk in and out of the club. Now we can use smart data to understand all the movements of a person on a virtual system and determine where best to put our resources and invest our time." - Brad Weber on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Brad FitCloudConnect on facebook FitCloudConnect on Twitter FitCloudConnect on Instagram FitCloudConnect on LinkedIn FitCloudConnect on the web FitCloudLite Active Aging Population Peloton Raises 325 Million Dollars for the live cycling experience Millennials + Attention Span Geotagging in the fitness industry 004 Daniel Waide: (Wexer) Omnipresence With Digital & Virtual Fitness 011 CES 2017: Virtual Cycling, Peloton, & Connected Fitness - Tom Cortese 015 Dave Wright: (MYZONE) The Current State of Wearables 024 Connected Fitness & Beyond - Dan McDonogh, Under Armour IHRSA Consumer Reports IHRSA The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

With the results now being calculated for the recent Fitness Industry Technology Council's technology usage survey, for episode 032, we're exploring the real answers for club owners around the adoption of new technologies and when to recognize true disruption vs. just a loud media buzz. If you missed the technology survey, be sure to sign up for the FIT-C mailing list over at www.fitechcouncil.org. Today's show will help our industry address some important information about health club usage of technology, including how fitness facilities are using AI in retail, what is the real bridge between technology adoption and ROI, and how specific technology can enhance your business to rise above competition. We're learning from the Chief Information Officer of Gold's Gym, Adam Zeitsiff, to get more clarity around what Adam believes are the 4 most powerful questions to ask when adopting any new piece of tech. These questions and the information from Adam's interview are a great template for all size clubs, and powerful guide when making decisions that club owners can use to separate their facility from those that frenetically adopt what "seem" to be disruptive technology.  How do smart club owners and operators make the best decisions when experiencing adoption and disruption in our space?  Listen to this insightful conversation with Adam Zeitsiff for the answers. About Adam Zeitsiff Adam Zeitsiff is the Chief Information Officer at Gold's Gym. He is a dynamic, entrepreneurial and visionary leader with an expertise in providing a game-changing edge to manage and grow company infrastructure, technology and product development in highly competitive landscapes. A champion at executing & operating enterprise technology, Adam specializes in leading software and infrastructure solutions within companies for scale, sustainable growth & has years of performance excellence across the US, Canada & European markets. With an out-of-the-box approach, Adam has a proven entrepreneurial spirit & battle-hardened tenacity through consistently achieving results through the application of both technology and business strategies. Listen To Episode 032 As Adam Uncovers The bridge between adoption and disruption: Will improve your operational agility? Will it make a positive impact on your staff? Does it enhance the member experience? Will it create new revenue streams? As we look at the fast growing technology in our industry, how do we identify when disruption is actually taking place vs. just a media buzz? Understanding Adam's quote: "You either disrupt or you get disrupted” (Blockbuster, Kodak, ect.) When we hear the term “technology adoption” and in looking at the sociology behind the technology adoption lifecycle, what data driven actions should clubs be aware of and why? Why not to adopt technology just to adopt, and only to adopt with a true purpose How has Gold’s Gym been an early adopter with technology? What is a BI Engine? How does a BI Engine learn and serve its customers? How is AI being used with retail and how might this be used in the fitness industry? Why do we as an industry need to figure out how iBeacon, near field technology, and the affordability of AI and geotagging blend together? What are the technology needs of corporate wellness in the next 12-24 months? Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Adam believes there's a lot of fear, uncertainty, and doubt out there, and a lot of media press around technology disruption, but buzz alone doesn't mean something is truly being disrupted. That means somebody got a press release out there and people picked it up. Operators must take the time to really look at these things, always be talking, and learning to stay in touch with colleagues to see the real difference between adoption and disruption in our space. For the operators that choose to have a mindset of learning, who look at all the technology changes with a step-by-step process, Adam believes there is a tremendous possibility to have more engaged members than ever before. The big opportunity with disruption is that operators in our industry hold years of experience that some of the technology providers that are trying to disrupt, just don't have. By leveraging new tech and the deep experience of long time clubs, revenue and member satisfaction will rise.  One of the most pivotal questions to ask when adopting new technology is around its positive effect of the member experience. Fitness technology has now created a world without borders; it's not only passed the curve of innovators and early adopters, but also is it now something that will dramatically affect the member experience inside of the club. At the end of the day, you want people to come into your facility and have a great experience, so the technology must disrupt the industry with the sole purpose of improving the member experience within the four walls. Power Quotes From Adam "I don't think a day goes by where I don't hear the term "millennial," and I don't think we as a fitness industry can look at millennials and underestimate how technology will disrupt our industry. Millennials think technology first and brick-and-mortar second. The disruption of millennials, in shifting from using their phones to communicate to now using to purchase goods and services, we must pay attention to these early adopters on the bell curve."  -  Adam Zeitsiff on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "There's a lot of fear, uncertainty, and doubt out there, and there's a lot of media press around technology disruption, but that alone doesn't mean something is being disrupted. That means somebody got a press release out there and people picked up. We as operators need to take the time to really look at these things, always be talking, and learning to stay in touch with our colleagues to see the real difference between adoption and disruption." - Adam Zeitsiff on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Adam Adam Zeitsiff on LinkedIn IHRSA Technology Council Chat Bots & Engagement Roger's Bell Curve Robert Dyer: The One Thing That Hasn't Changed About Fitness Wearables In Corporate Wellness: More of a holistic approach Innovation & Technology Advisory Council Convenes at IHRSA 2017 GOLDS Gym: Corporate Wellness AI and retail: VentureBeat The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors AFTERSHOKZ has created cutting edge headphones, using bone conduction sound technology perfect for cyclists, fitness professionals, and fitness enthusiasts alike. With an open ear design focused on safety and comfort, AFTERSHOKZ is offering an exclusive bundle with a free gift for the Fitness + Technology audience. Pickup your free gift with purchase by heading over to FITC.AFTERSHOKZ.COM today.  Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

In episode 31 we take a deeper look at the churn rate and attrition of fitness professionals in the industry. Whether you are a studio, small or big box club, increasing the lifetime value of a fitness professional is more important now than ever as we move quickly in our digital world where touchpoints from fitness professionals are so important to a club. Understanding that human connection from fitness pros to both clients and members is ultimately the fuel that drives the engine of fitness technology, with these new tech tools entering our world every quarter, what are the platforms that understand the trainer's most important data points and business workflows? In a landscape of sometimes confusing technology applications, how can the right client, club, and trainer ecosystem support both the streamlining of a workday and a proactive approach towards running a successful and sustainable long term training business? Today on the show we're answering those questions, and much more with the CEO of One Fit Stop, Jarron Aizen.  About Jarron Aizen Jarron Aizen is an entrepreneur with extensive experience in the computer software and technology industries. Jarron is the founder and CEO of OneFitStop, a SaaS software that streamlines business management and fitness tracking tools into one complete platform for the fitness industry.  Listen To Episode 031 As Jarron Uncovers How to increase the lifetime value of a fitness professional The ethos of One Fit Stop; what is it doing for the fitness industry Why giving fitness professionals effective growth tools in order to generate successful businesses is paramount in the digital age What is the common thread among wellness, health and other industries outside of the fitness space in regards to technology meeting the digital needs of consumers Understanding single technology tools vs. machine learning with intuitive guidance and teaching  Why the personal trainer turnover rates remain high even with increased available knowledge:  Lack of persistence Lack of clients Lack of business skill Why Jarron believes trainers must define their business models and payment structures first before ever working with a client How do we use technology to make the trainer's time smarter for dual ROI of clubs/fitpros Exploring the natural "churn" and constant recruitment problem in our space How will AI and intuitive learning affect CRM and SasS platforms in gyms Exploring how technology bridges the gap of trust between the club and the trainer What gaps exist currently in the fitness technology space that will be filled in the next 12+ months Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Intuitive algorithms sourced from machine learning and AI are beginning to make the next level of both client service and sustainable personal training business thrive. Jarron believes that having the right tech platform to manage a fitness business is important, but what separates the good platforms from the great is not just having the right tool, it's making educated decisions based on a sharpened intuition that is honed from technology that understands what a business needs almost before they do.   Jarron believes that the top CPT certification organizations around the world must start to align how they deploy their teaching courses to simulate real-life scenarios dealing with business acumen, rather than just textbook examples of physiology. To lower industry churn, these CPT certification trainings in physiology must also incorporate simulations of how to manage a technology-focused fitness business. For trainers to be successful, Jarron believes that defining a business model and payment structures first (before ever working with a client) is just as important as the technology they'll use. Understand that a trainer's business model will adapt over time, but they first need to sit down and actually design it. For long term success, trainers who match up clients with their business model, and ask themselves "is this client right for me?" will support better systems for enjoying their career and less trainer burnout.  Power Quotes From Jarron "We want to measure ultimately how many fitness professionals in the businesses that use One Fit Stop end up staying longer in the industry. The only real way to really measure that is if we are working with the certification companies and getting them at a grassroots level."  - Jarron Aizen on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "The technology is merely a facilitator of the trust between the trainer and the health club. It's a powerful tool that let's a trainer know that a health club truly cares about them by providing a solution to help them build and manage a successful training business." - Jarron Aizen on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Jarron One Fit Stop facebook One Fit Stop Twitter One Fit Stop Website One Fit Stop Blog One Fit Stop Instagram Fitness In The Age of Technology Jarron Aizen on LinkedIn Trainer Churn - LIVESTRONG The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors AFTERSHOKZ has created cutting edge headphones, using bone conduction sound technology perfect for cyclists, fitness professionals, and fitness enthusiasts alike. With an open ear design focused on safety and comfort, AFTERSHOKZ is offering an exclusive bundle with a free gift for the Fitness + Technology audience. Pickup your free gift with purchase by heading over to FITC.AFTERSHOKZ.COM today.  Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

For episode 30 were learning about taking inspired, data-driven action based on market trends, to understand and serve the new fitness club member lifecycle. Of course, from the pulse of the industry and from many of our previous shows on the podcast, we know that the 30 to 90 day window of how we engage with both new leads and new members make all the difference in converting these customers to lifelong advocates of a brand or a club.  But with all the metrics and key performance indicators out there, what are the smart goals around monitoring, analyzing, and deciding where to spend your marketing dollars and how to best follow-up with these valuable potential new members? We explore those questions and more today with the President and CEO of InTouch Technology, Dana Milkie, to discuss optimizing club growth through technology that will provide the needed clarity in our fast-paced digital world. If you’ve been curious about understanding a new club member lifecycle and the roadmap for turning new leads and members into higher lifetime value to serve both their health and your bottom line, you’re going to want to listen all the way till the end of the show. In our Fit Six Round, Dana shares how InTouch Technology and smart club management systems are helping our industry space answer the call of the most savvy consumers we’ve ever seen in our space.  About Dana Milkie As President and CEO of InTouch Technology, Dana Milkie is responsible for driving company growth through the successful implementation of InTouch’s short and long term business strategies. Passionate about the health and fitness industry, Dana’s move to InTouch was a natural fit. Since joining the company in 2016, Dana has been committed to addressing the changing needs of the industry by expanding InTouch’s software solution including member acquisition, engagement, and retention tools.   Dana is a recognized, seasoned veteran of the fitness industry with 30 years of professional experience.  He has successfully helped both small and large businesses optimize their growth, resources and profitability strategies. As a respected and insightful representative of the industry, Dana has been interviewed and spoken extensively in industry focused publications including CBI, IHRSA, Club Solutions, Fitness Business Canada, Club Industry and many others. Prior to joining InTouch, Dana was Senior Vice President of Client Management with ABC Financial, responsible for the management of ABC’s industry leading customer portfolio. Additionally, he served as Senior Vice President of a multi-location franchise group. Outside of InTouch, Dana sits on the Board of Directors of several companies. He currently serves as the President of The Foundation for Community Betterment, a national non-profit organization, dedicated to helping individuals and organizations with immediate and critical needs. Listen To Episode 030 As Dana Uncovers What is InTouch Technology and what solution is it providing for the fitness industry How can clubs effectively analyze the lead capture data for a sound decisions via facebook, web, & others  Understanding a new club member lifecycle: a roadmap for turning a new member into a long term one Lead management: what are the best practices to be successful SMART Goals: How can clubs use their own data to tailor smart goals Understanding the core KPI pathway for revenue: text, emails, phone calls, leads, appointment, tours and sales  Understanding the MAD Process: monitor, analyze, decide   Why fear of asking to communicate with the customer on their terms exists from fitness sales staff  Why club communications must shift into consumer chosen models rather than club preferred What actions savvy clubs can take using data and best practices around new club members  Top 3 Takeaways From The Show It should come as no surprise that the days of managing appointments and lead acquisition with pen and paper are old news. Dana believes that with smart algorithms and the right central hub of data to monitor a customer’s journey (from a facebook click all the way to them taking a tour and signing up in your club) is what every club must have as we look at this ever-demanding wish list from customers.  Communicating with the members via text, email, or phone does not happen anymore in the industry space like it used to. With smart technology and the majority of members and consumers making decisions and engaging with clubs primarily through their mobile device, what separates the great clubs from the good will be learning to use technology to engage with how the member wants to talk to the club, and not how the club wants to talk to the member. Dana believes that we’ve never been in a more exciting time to work in the fitness industry. Especially when we take that 30,000 foot view to see both how technology is supporting our industry to address the rising obesity epidemic, and how smart, data-driven, technology focused clubs will inspire and motivate new potential members at their deepest needs by using the language they understand.  Power Quotes From Dana "What we see is that potential members want to be able to try the facility to see if it matches them, and they want to do it in a non-pressured way. Referral offers are very powerful via text, but we've got a ways to go in this industry to be more creative, but referrals from friends that involve passes are proving to be a great pathway."  - Dana Milkie on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "The health club business has changed to a retail consumer driven business. It never felt that way before, at least to me. It always felt like we were separate. We weren't like Target or Nordstrom, or any other retail; we didn't have to deal with consumers in the same way. Now, it seems like consumers want and expect the same thing from health clubs in the communication, the engagement, and the flexibility they get from all retailers. Consumers now want the same thing, whether they're dealing with a large retailer, or a health club, and I think that really has come on strong in the last couple years." - Dana Milkie on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Dana InTouch Technology website InTouch Technology facebook InTouch Technology Twitter InTouch Technology YouTube Using technology for millennials MAD Process: Monitor, Analyze, Decide  Email follow up best practices: InTouch Technology Drive Mid-Month & Month End offers Through Text Messaging Improving online sales conversions with a CRM Evolution of technology About InTouch Technology FTP Episode 028 Bobby Cappuccio: Company Culture In A Digital World The new retail environment in the fitness industry "Data Is The New Oil" The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors AFTERSHOKZ has created cutting edge headphones, using bone conduction sound technology perfect for cyclists, fitness professionals, and fitness enthusiasts alike. With an open ear design focused on safety and comfort, AFTERSHOKZ is offering an exclusive bundle with a free gift for the Fitness + Technology audience. Pickup your free gift with purchase by heading over to FITC.AFTERSHOKZ.COM today.  Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

For episode 29, we're talking about medical fitness and its impact on our industry. This is an advanced model of personal training that is yielding an massive opportunity that fitness clubs will be able to capitalize on, and get people more healthy than ever before through referral networks for physicians. We're learning from the CEO of Rejuv Medical, JR Burgess, about how the entrepreneurial minded fitness facility or studio, that can understand how to partner with doctors, will thrive in this new medical and fitness landscape.  Listen as we explore both the advantages and challenges of trainers becoming medical fitness specialists, and what the next couple of years will mean to our space with the passage of a 2018 Diabetes Prevention Program that will partner with insurance companies to subsidize preventative wellness services through medically supervised fitness and wellness programs. Whether you're a club owner operator or fitness professional working in a small medium or large facility, this episode will deliver the practical and actionable resources and inspiration to begin thinking outside the box and serving more customers towards better health through technology and specialized training. Be sure to listen until the end of the show to hear from JR in our "Fit Six Round" about the action steps that leaders in the fitness industry are now taking, as well as what's coming next for the growth of medical fitness. J.R. Burgess is the CEO of Rejuv Medical and MedFit. 7 years ago, he partnered with Dr. Joel Baumgartner (bam-greener) MD with the purpose to change the direction of the current healthcare crisis. Together they developed a successful medical practice that utilizes medical fitness as medicine to restore health and vitality to their patients. J.R. Burgess joined the Rejuv Medical Team in September of 2009 to assist with the development of the Weight Loss and Performance Center. Born and raised in Keewatin, Minnesota, J.R. started his career in the medical fitness industry after his successful career as an athlete led him to a passion for personal training. I help get people started on their journey of a healthier lifestyle. Listen To Episode 029 As JR Uncovers What is Medical fitness How does medical fitness address our currently broken sick care system Exercise as medicine and the future of healthcare: How does this relate to the future of sustainable business models in gyms Why almost all disease is a lifestyle problem: What role wellness and fitness technology can play in supporting healthy lifestyles Exploring the PHIT Act: What would the PHIT Act passage mean for Rejuv and Medical Fitness Understanding the Medical Fitness Network and the impact on the fitness industry  Bridging the gap between medical and fitness: what roadblocks and opportunities exist in the fitness industry when we look at combining patient or client data with actionable coaching MedFit and its core mission: Expanding the field of medical fitness and regenerative medicine What holds fitness professionals and club operators back from being early adopters and succeeding in change management Understanding the CFAN model: Cell Health, Functionality, Articulation, Neuro-kinetic Training  Top 3 Takeaways From The Show JR believes that the best is yet to come when we look at how medical fitness will create new income streams and greater health applications. With healthcare costs going up, the only answer is fitness and exercise. Industry professionals must begin to take a serious look at learning how medical fitness will yield better opportunities for revenues in clubs and service to customers. JR believes that changes in healthcare policy from a governmental level do not have to negatively impact specialized trainers or medical fitness. Because at the end of the day, it's having the right mindset around using wearable devices and the integration of tracking through club software that aggregates fitness and health data, to be combined with electronic health records, that will really provide the right solutions to a rising obesity and health epidemic. The major opportunities to fix our broken sick care system are looming on the horizon. With an open mind and a tech-focused approach, using smart data along with integrating medicine and fitness, we now can provide a new era of impact that our industry space will create for humanity. Power Quotes From JR "We must create the standards for trainers to begin integrating their services into medical facilities. What does a medical fitness specialist or certification really entail? What are the qualifications they need to work with people that have chronic disease? In personal training, there is no standard across the board, and anybody can get a weekend certification. There is no governance, so when were dealing with having to really be the best and try to take care of people with progressive injuries, there must be a training or certification the trainers will have to go through."  - JR Burgess on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "MEDFIT's goal and aim is to help doctors and preventative lifestyle medicine to reverse chronic disease and degeneration while building their bottom line. Most doctors don't know how to make this business model work, and a lot of the hospitals don't know how to do what we've created. Our model is profitable, and grows our clinic while having amazing community impact." - JR Burgess on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From JR Rejuv Medical HSA - Flex Dollars Medical Fitness Specialist ACE Fitness: The Power of A Referral Network 2018 Diabetes Prevention Program MyMedFit.com Receive a free copy of JR's book: The Medical Fitness Impact Plan: How To Reverse Chronic Disease & Degeneration While Building Your Bottom Line The Biggest Loser Maxwell Maltz -  psycho cybernetics Functional Medicine HRV Testing MYZONE JR Burgess LinkedIn Medical Fitness Association Medical Fitness Network The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors AFTERSHOKZ has created cutting edge headphones, using bone conduction sound technology perfect for cyclists, fitness professionals, and fitness enthusiasts alike. With an open ear design focused on safety and comfort, AFTERSHOKZ is offering an exclusive bundle with a free gift for the Fitness + Technology audience. Pickup your free gift with purchase by heading over to FITC.AFTERSHOKZ.COM today.  Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com  

For part two of our special two part episode we're exploring building a company culture in a digital world with sought after speaker, influencer, and fitness industry icon Bobby Cappuccio. A lot of what we've been uncovering in our podcast is around the technology, wearables, and virtual platforms that are helping facilities and fitness professionals deliver exceptional service and value, but what has been a hot topic recently among trade magazines, industry shows, and in round tables is a looming question: How can teams come together to form a culture that adopts new technology to deliver phenomenal client and customer experiences, and what is the mindset and best approach that really works from leadership? If you've been curious about connecting the dots between data and customer engagement, our first half of this two part episode is teeing up Bobby's story of learning to use psychology and social media to deliver on culture, and in our second half, he'll bring it all together to provide more clarity on what leadership and culture means to the club in this digital world.  Robert Cappuccio, aka Bobby Cappuccio, stands at the forefront of a life altering and ever evolving industry: wellness. He has spent the last two decades of his life pushing for not only an industry-wide but an individual to individual shift in perspective, from a solely outward focused goal oriented approach to health and fitness to a more holistic approach centered on behavioral change. A phenomenon that has helped position PTA Global (a company he co-founded) as a leader in professional fitness development.  A best-selling author, sales, leadership, and cultural development consultant for various companies including Hilton Hotels, Virgin Active, Equinox, David Lloyd Leisure and multiple businesses nationally and abroad, Bobby travels the world impacting lives, inspiring positive change and growth in individuals and companies alike. Listen To Episode 028 As Bobby Uncovers Why "business as usual' won’t cut it in the new digital world Why you can't be a people person in today’s world without technology Uncovering the deeper meaning for culture: What do you want to contribute, what problem do you want to solve? Creating culture: What Bobby means by "Distinction or Extinction" Why you can't afford not to embrace technology Mark Smith: "If we can change the culture, we can change everything."  How did IBM change company culture and how does that relate to the fitness industry?  How do mid-tier clubs thrive in the new digital world? Knowing what to do is the the answer: 20% is knowing what to do, 80% is communicating with yourself is taking action on what you know  Practical tips that make fitness leaders and Fit Pros perform better on the fitness floor and in teams Emerging trends: community based wearable technology  Why "micro-missions" are essential to galvanizing company culture What opportunities and roadblocks does Bobby see in our industry around the intersection of technology and fitness in the next 2 years Bobby on Leadership: "You have to be able to imagine a future that would not exist otherwise." Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Bobby believes that the technologies to create a robust company culture and generate real conversations with new members are already out there. It's now up to the clubs and staff to adopt it and bake it into the way they operate. What will make the difference is when a new member comes in to try the facility and we give them a program with an app downloaded from the club, where for every single day for 30 days (knowing that 30 to 90 days is our most precarious timeframe for losing members) we walk them virtually, step-by-step through a discovery in a real conversation. This is where we can use technology to truly help them identify what they really want. When creating a thriving company culture in the digital and brick and mortar worlds, Bobby believes you can't afford not to engage in technology. Accept that sometimes you will create social media messages that will hit, and other times they won't. It is important to not take it personal. Don't get emotional because it's not about you, it's about what you want to contribute for other people. For technology and people to work in harmony, we must have cultural transformation, not just execution.  Real culture is a galvanized when a group of people share set of beliefs and rules that create ensuing behavior patterns. 20% is knowing what to do, 80% is communicating with yourself in a way that gets you to take action on what it is that you know. That's why wellness and behavioral practices, rather than nonspecific isolated modalities, are now becoming a mega-trend. Power Quotes From Bobby "As a coach, presenter, and consultant of both sales management and training across our industry, I know the technology we need is out there. What will make the difference is when a new member comes in to try the facility and we give them a program with an app downloaded from your club where every single day for 30 days (knowing that 30 to 90 days is our most precarious timeframe for losing members) we walk them virtually, step-by-step through a discovery of a real conversation. This is where we can use technology to truly help them identify what they really want."  - Bobby Cappuccio on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Technology has changed the way we have to sell, for the better, forever. You cannot get away with some of the complete and utter rubbish we got away with 20 years ago." - Bobby Cappuccio on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Bobby Bobby Cappuccio website Bobby Cappuccio twitter Bobby Cappuccio facebook Bobby Cappuccio LinkedIn Bobby Cappuccio Instagram Bobby Cappuccio University: IDEA FIT Courses IBM Turnaround: "Culture Not Execution" Scranton University: 92% of NYE goals fails, why?  Mega-trend: Wellness & Behavior Change Transtheoretical Model of Change The neuroscience of play How do we implement neuroscience into fitness - Roy Sugarman Peter Drucker: "The purpose of a business is to create and keep a customer"  Fight Club: A Novel   The Life & Times of The Wicked Witch of The West Eric Hoffer: Philosopher Man's Search for Meaning The Psychology of Winning: Ten Qualities of a Total Winner The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors AFTERSHOKZ has created cutting edge headphones, using bone conduction sound technology perfect for cyclists, fitness professionals, and fitness enthusiasts alike. With an open ear design focused on safety and comfort, AFTERSHOKZ is offering an exclusive bundle with a free gift for the Fitness + Technology audience. Pickup your free gift with purchase by heading over to FITC.AFTERSHOKZ.COM today.  Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

For part one of our special two part episode we're exploring building a company culture in a digital world with sought after speaker, influencer, and fitness industry icon Bobby Cappuccio. A lot of what we've been uncovering in our podcast is around the technology, wearables, and virtual platforms that are helping facilities and fitness professionals deliver exceptional service and value, but what has been a hot topic recently among trade magazines, industry shows, and in round tables is a looming question: How can teams come together to form a culture that adopts new technology to deliver phenomenal client and customer experiences, and what is the mindset and best approach that really works from leadership? If you've been curious about connecting the dots between data and customer engagement, our first half of this two part episode is teeing up Bobby's story of learning to use psychology and social media to deliver on culture, and in our second half, he'll bring it all together to provide more clarity on what leadership and culture means to the club in this digital world.  **Be sure to listen to episode 028 right after this show to hear our Fit Six round where Bobby shares his perspective on what our space needs most right now and how to make the most out of new opportunities created by technology and neuroscience.  Robert Cappuccio, aka Bobby Cappuccio, stands at the forefront of a life altering and ever evolving industry: wellness. He has spent the last two decades of his life pushing for not only an industry-wide but an individual to individual shift in perspective, from a solely outward focused goal oriented approach to health and fitness to a more holistic approach centered on behavioral change. A phenomenon that has helped position PTA Global (a company he co-founded) as a leader in professional fitness development.  A best-selling author, sales, leadership, and cultural development consultant for various companies including Hilton Hotels, Virgin Active, Equinox, David Lloyd Leisure and multiple businesses nationally and abroad, Bobby travels the world impacting lives, inspiring positive change and growth in individuals and companies alike. Listen To Episode 027 As Bobby Uncovers Why "business as usual' won’t cut it in the new digital world Why you can't be a people person in today’s world without technology Uncovering the deeper meaning for culture: What do you want to contribute, what problem do you want to solve? Creating culture: What Bobby means by "Distinction or Extinction" Why you can't afford not to embrace technology Mark Smith: "If we can change the culture, we can change everything."  How did IBM change company culture and how does that relate to the fitness industry?  How do mid-tier clubs thrive in the new digital world? Knowing what to do is the the answer: 20% is knowing what to do, 80% is communicating with yourself is taking action on what you know  Practical tips that make fitness leaders and Fit Pros perform better on the fitness floor and in teams Emerging trends: community based wearable technology  Why "micro-missions" are essential to galvanizing company culture What opportunities and roadblocks does Bobby see in our industry around the intersection of technology and fitness in the next 2 years Bobby on Leadership: "You have to be able to imagine a future that would not exist otherwise." Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Bobby believes that the technologies to create a robust company culture and generate real conversations with new members are already out there. It's now up to the clubs and staff to adopt it and bake it into the way they operate. What will make the difference is when a new member comes in to try the facility and we give them a program with an app downloaded from the club, where for every single day for 30 days (knowing that 30 to 90 days is our most precarious timeframe for losing members) we walk them virtually, step-by-step through a discovery in a real conversation. This is where we can use technology to truly help them identify what they really want. When creating a thriving company culture in the digital and brick and mortar worlds, Bobby believes you can't afford not to engage in technology. Accept that sometimes you will create social media messages that will hit, and other times they won't. It is important to not take it personal. Don't get emotional because it's not about you, it's about what you want to contribute for other people. For technology and people to work in harmony, we must have cultural transformation, not just execution.  Real culture is a galvanized when a group of people share set of beliefs and rules that create ensuing behavior patterns. 20% is knowing what to do, 80% is communicating with yourself in a way that gets you to take action on what it is that you know. That's why wellness and behavioral practices, rather than nonspecific isolated modalities, are now becoming a mega-trend. Power Quotes From Bobby "As a coach, presenter, and consultant of both sales management and training across our industry, I know the technology we need is out there. What will make the difference is when a new member comes in to try the facility and we give them a program with an app downloaded from your club where every single day for 30 days (knowing that 30 to 90 days is our most precarious timeframe for losing members) we walk them virtually, step-by-step through a discovery of a real conversation. This is where we can use technology to truly help them identify what they really want."  - Bobby Cappuccio on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Technology has changed the way we have to sell, for the better, forever. You cannot get away with some of the complete and utter rubbish we got away with 20 years ago." - Bobby Cappuccio on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Bobby Bobby Cappuccio website Bobby Cappuccio twitter Bobby Cappuccio facebook Bobby Cappuccio LinkedIn Bobby Cappuccio Instagram Bobby Cappuccio University: IDEA FIT Courses IBM Turnaround: "Culture Not Execution" Scranton University: 92% of NYE goals fails, why?  Mega-trend: Wellness & Behavior Change Transtheoretical Model of Change The neuroscience of play How do we implement neuroscience into fitness - Ray Sugarman Peter Drucker: "The purpose of a business is to create and keep a customer"  Fight Club: A Novel   The Life & Times of The Wicked Witch of The West Eric Hoffer: Philosopher Man's Search for Meaning The Psychology of Winning: Ten Qualities of a Total Winner The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report

Marty Regan is Vice President of Sales for Club OS, the leading sales and retention tool in the fitness industry. He has been in the fitness industry for nearly 10 years, working with clients to bring them best in class software solutions to best serve their business. Prior to fitness Marty's diverse past included Stand Up Comedy and even a stint as a tow truck driver.  Club OS is an all-in-one health club platform. It's built to be fully customizable and allows all types of business models to be configured within. We leverage the best partners in the health club industry to create a seamless workflow between your billing system, and the Club OS sales CRM and PT management system. The software provides real time reporting and analysis for our customers so they can make informed decisions. We also automate many business processes that are typically done manually, allowing our customers to focus on running their business. In this episode, we're exploring the nuances of technology and member attrition, what club owners and operators can do to let go of outdated systems and harness the power of detailed and actionable strategies for keeping more members happy, and what makes them tell their friends about your club.  Marty Regan, Vice President of Sales for Club OS, is taking us through what's really working when it comes to text, email, and phone correspondence that is making a difference as we ride this wave of technology adoption in our industry and how it relates to your fitness business. Listen To Episode 026 As Marty Uncovers What is Club OS and what solution does if offer for the fitness industry? Understand dynamic lead nurturing: what is the commonality between what all clubs need to do The relationship with the member: a core plain point for clubs nationally  Understanding the granular follow up process for new lead and especially new members within 90 days Integrating additional amenities through the consistent message delivered by scripting  Exploring the tools for lowering attrition with a club CRM system and consistent script: Call, text, email, and why texting wins with the right compliancy  With new technology, how can club owners meet the demands of fighting attrition Reward Programs Vs. "Win Back Offers" and creating referral programs using your happiest members  Seeing the viability of email marketing versus texting with A/B testing for efficacy with attrition The golden order of operations for lowering attrition via phone, email, automated text Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Understanding the emotional and motivational factors of new club members in the first few months of the customer journey is paramount for lowering attrition. By using personalized touch-points pulled from a customized CRM, clubs have the ability to communicate effectively with gym-goers now more than ever before. Win back offers are not as effective as creating a digital ecosystem that guides a club member to get the full experience of using the club. Through combining predictive analytics and smart texting, email, and phone correspondence, customer relationship management software is now more about knowing the member decisions and marketing to what inspires them. As more and more CRM systems rise in our industry, what separates the great clubs from the good will be integrating staff, technology, and effective brand promise scripting into all communications. For small boutique studios, it's always been easier to know the member-base intimately when compared to big box gyms. However, with the use of comprehensive tracking via digital solutions, those granular details about each and every member are now becoming more commonplace. As members want more unique experiences in clubs, technology is delivering a way to have real conversations when they matter most. Power Quotes From Marty "The more ingrained you can get that member into your club, the much more likely they are to stay. You can also use win-back offers, but those are fairly difficult to do once that person has decided to leave. What we're focused on this year from a retention standpoint is predictive behaviors. We're now understanding when to reach out from key behavioral data found in the club's CRM."  - Marty Regan on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Those that go to the gym are inherently competitive. Members earning points and seeing where they stack up against other members while in the club or studio really drives retention. We see this a lot with the combination of fitness trackers and broadcasting fitness data on the walls during classes." - Marty Regan on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Marty Club OS Website Club OS LinkedIn Club OS Twitter Club OS facebook Club OS blog TCPA Texting Law Bryan O'Rourke on LinkedIn: Is "Following Your Passion" An Idea Doing More Harm Than Good? Nurturing the lead process of making the sale  How to get your gym or fitness business on Google maps The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors AFTERSHOKZ has created cutting edge headphones, using bone conduction sound technology perfect for cyclists, fitness professionals, and fitness enthusiasts alike. With an open ear design focused on safety and comfort, AFTERSHOKZ is offering an exclusive bundle with a free gift for the Fitness + Technology audience. Pickup your free gift with purchase by heading over to FITC.AFTERSHOKZ.COM today.  Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

What can location and activity tracking do to improve the lives of millions of health club members and deliver to the bottom line of fitness facilities in our industry? Today on the podcast, were diving into depth on this topic, and how new technology can truly meet the increasing demands of our members at their deepest needs. When we look at location and member activity, a deeper question arises: Just exactly what technology can deliver value to the club and the member without being cumbersome or too expensive? That question is answered today and so much more, by our guest Jamie Cole of FitConnect. For episode 025, we're learning from Jamie about how we can provide more value for the gym member without asking them to make any extra steps outside of what they're already doing while inside the health club. If you've been looking for more clarity around what it looks like to use outside club fitness app data combined with in-club location tracking of the members activity to help deliver contextualized and personal health recommendations, you're going to enjoy this episode, as we talk about real the answers to these questions and how new technologies can give you better decision making capabilities for your fitness business. FitConnect has helped 72 gyms and have sealed a partnership with Life Fitness UK to help their customers. FitConnect connects members, their health data and the gym.  Through one platform, the gym can access the fitness data of their members from all the top apps & devices. Jamie has recently joined FIT-C to connect with operators in the industry who are ‘digital-ready’. Jamie loves sharing his experience from other industries on how to solve problems with digital and making the lives of exercisers better.  Listen To Episode 025 As Jamie Uncovers What is FitConnect? FitConnect automatically collects member app data & creates powerful reports to retain members, make sales & build brand loyalty. What is the gap that FitConnect is filling in our industry? What is the origin story of FitConnect? Learn how Jamie did a "PREZI" for the head of LifeFitness UK, and how this relationship lead his team to build a number of solutions for health data How does FitConnect tie in other data sources? Integration with Cisco for geotagging and more importantly when connected to WiFI in the gym, the use of the Meraki system allows 100% member location and behavioral patterns while inside the club. Meraki: Can you explain the Meraki system to our audience? This is very cutting edge. Trends: What is the importance of member location trends in the gym, what does that mean to the club owner’s bottom line? Taking an honest look at the member journey: How do you work with clubs to integrate technology that establishes a solid and robust member journey? Meaningful Data: We’re swimming in data, what would you say are the handful of data points about the customer that matter most to a club? Using data with machine leaning: How do you use machine learning to blend automation with personalization when messaging health club members? 360 degree view: What is the advantage of a technology focused health club of combining data sets of member activity inside and outside the club? Why do people can cancel their membership? Setting massively high goals, vs. realistic goals Attrition: How does FitConnect address member attrition? Deeper Insights on attrition: Can you tell us about your work with Paul Bedford, retention and attrition management specialist and how that has shaped your platform? The deeper question of technology and member service: How can we create an experience that requires the member to do nothing yet add more value to what they already have? Top 3 Takeaways From The Show How can we provide more value for the gym member without asking them to make any extra steps outside of what they're already doing while inside the health club? One of the biggest answers to this powerful question is by combining fitness app data sets with in club location data while the member is in the club. Using iBeacon and strategic location technology, clubs now have the ability to send members truly personalized and contextualized advice on how they can improve while supporting them towards their wellness goals via a mobile device. When we're looking at meeting the member's deepest needs (which are changing faster than ever) savvy operators, owners, and trainers must take the honest inventory of if they've actually considered what their members really want. At the end of the day, the ultimate question is "is the member journey you're creating right now truly going to help them to achieve their goals?" Jamie believes that success for gyms is found through creating a digital strategy that will aid staff and members to get the most out of their relationship. Jamie believes that with location and activity data lead health programs, we can begin to really address some of the major health issues in our world. There is a emerging space (when it comes to increasing revenues in the gym) that is crying out for someone to lead it. With new technologies, gyms are now positioned to be just the right thing to lead the charge when it comes to improving global health by working with key referral programs from doctors. Power Quotes From Jamie "There's a number of jobs the gym must do to be successful including get more sales, retain more members, and create secondary sales channels. When you focus on those tasks first, then you can understand how you can better use whatever software you currently have, or what new software you may need to acquire."  - Jamie Cole on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "A lot of clubs are now becoming interested in a 360° view of what the members are doing in and outside of the four walls. When we look at the advantage of a running a technology focused health club who wants to combine both the inside and outside data sets of customers, it is now more essential than ever before. If you look at other industries, it's already been done for years. What we're looking at is a case of people needing to catch up now, because if they don't, they're going to be rapidly beaten by their competitors ." - Jamie Cole on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Jamie FitConnect on facebook FitConnect on Twitter Jamie Cole on LinkedIn  Fitbit: FTP Episode 011: LIVE From CES 2017 Predictive Analytics Indoor Location + iBeacon Technology Nearfield Technology Curves Fitness LIFE Fitness UK London fitness clubs Amazon Growth Strategy Domino's Pizza Digital Strategy The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors AFTERSHOKZ has created cutting edge headphones, using bone conduction sound technology perfect for cyclists, fitness professionals, and fitness enthusiasts alike. With an open ear design focused on safety and comfort, AFTERSHOKZ is offering an exclusive bundle with a free gift for the Fitness + Technology audience. Pickup your free gift with purchase by heading over to FITC.AFTERSHOKZ.COM today. 

Across our industry space, we're well aware that new technologies including wearables, SaaS platforms, and connected fitness devices found across the world are collecting billions of data points. But the real question that is top of mind for operators, owners, and the industry as a whole, is what we do with all this data? Specifically, how do we plug-in actionable coaching, marketing, and touch points to millions of health club members across the globe that will actually elicit sustainable behavior change? This is one of my favorite episodes we've had on the podcast, and I know you're going to love the insight and expertise of today's guest Jan Middelkamp from Europe Active. If you've been curious or hungry for the information that's going to impact your fitness business from a virtual or face-to-face coaching standpoint, this is going to be a powerful episode for you because were diving into the topics and coaching models that will impact both your ROI and club operations. Jan Middelkamp is Development Director at HDD Group and the CEO of BlackBoxPublishers. With over 35 years of high level experience in the fitness industry, Jan is now working on a PhD in exercise behavior of members in fitness clubs at the Behavioral Science Institute of the Radboud University in the Netherlands. He also is a board member of EuropeActive in Brussels and the author of over 10 books, including The state of research in the global fitness industry (2012); Member retention in fitness clubs (2013); EuropeActive retention reports (2013, 2014, and 2015); Essentials of motivation and behavior change (2015). Listen To Episode 023 As Jan Uncovers Understanding "The Essentials of Motivation and Behavior Change" which Bryan O'Rourke was a key contributor to and why Jan spearhead this book to impact behavior change integrations in our space Understanding how behavior change can positively impact attrition rates in health clubs and boutiques Why Jan believes we are just in the "beginning stages" of how behavior change will apply to our fitness industry The landscape and the integration of behavior change models in the fitness industry in regards to clubs Understanding the transtheoretical behavior change model in fitness Uncovering the commonalities and pitfalls to why behavior change models do not come to completion for well-intentioned members in health clubs Why behavior change does not occur in a single stage; the 5 key stages within a successful program Why we need a "cocktail" of behavior change factors to really help people in a sustainable way Unpacking Jan's vantage point on the 3 types of behavior change in regards to habits: Big habit: Working with a trainer 2-3 times per week  Medium habit: Easy to implement, walking at lunch, take the stairs, ect. Light habit: Tiny habits, 10 squats, take the stairs, stand up every 30 minutes  Reductionism thinking and how it does not apply to the current member in our modern industrialized society How to make the health club technology a key ecosystem for the club member's fitness journey  Why Jan believes that smart technology can be a window into the "missing piece" that will give our industry the insights and behaviors that are most pivotal for clients What are the major disruptions when we look at the crossroads of technology and behavior change Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Jan believes that as we move forward, the health club must be the "fitness technology hub" that pulls all the lifestyle information of the member together in one place. If you look at your member only through the attendance behavior lens, you may have some information but you're missing a lot of other important items you'll need if your clients will have long-term and sustainable results.   For lifelong behavior change, you have to oversee the consumer's habits in total and that's where technology is important. If technology will be used to pull the right information together, we have to include customized solutions to see what members do in other settings outside the club. In the coaching base from the fitness center via personal trainers, we must make the right informational choices based on the data at hand. The current reality is that the researched and validated behavior change models are currently disconnected from the majority of health clubs in the industry. In other words, the application of identifying the specific needs, motives, and goals of the client simply aren't always there. Jan believes if we truly want to motivate someone, we have to understand their intrinsic and extrinsic motivation factors and plug those into their journey. With the demands of our current society and deleterious health factors on the rise, sustainable behavior change models are the "secret sauce" that owners and operators must pay attention to when we look at this crossroad of technology and fitness. Power Quotes From Jan "Technology is great for measuring the base situation and in measuring a client's current status. However, I see a huge advantage of measuring something that is out of your sight as a coach. If you're a trainer working with the client a couple times a week and you also want to positively impact their other lifestyle factors, there are now many wearable technologies to monitor them which I strongly believe in."  - Jan Middelkamp on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "People are not only going to a gym, so if you are a health club owner or operator, we believe at Europe Active that the health club should be the hub of fitness technology. From there, you can coach people in different settings which becomes pivotal. If you only want to pull members into the club you are missing a big part of the health and fitness picture." - Jan Middelkamp on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Jan Black Box Fitness Jan Middelkamp Website Jan Middelkamp on LinkedIn HDD Group Transtheoretical Behavior Change Model Decisional balance Self-efficacy & goal setting SMART goals Self-Determination Theory Dishman research: 66 factors that contribute to exercise adherence The Journal of Sport Science and Medicine Social support: the bigger picture of multiple support arms for behavior change Jan Middelkamp, Bryan O'Rourke: "The Essentials of Motivation and Behavior Change" YouTube Video: "Stop It" with Bob Newhart Reductionism thinking Pebble wearable technology Nudge Coach IHRSA - Behavior Change Europe Active Can Fit Pro Steven Covey: "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" Tiny habits: BJ Fogg at Stanford Nir Eyal on Wellness Force Radio YMCA behavior change integrations The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact FIT-C for podcast sponsorship and partnership opportunities  Download the 2017 Tech Trends report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

For the second half of our featured series "LIVE from IHRSA 2017," we're learning from two fitness technology professionals in different parts of our industry spectrum. In this doubleheader episode recorded live after the FIT-C roundtable session, we explore two important topics that make a direct impact to your fitness business.   First up is Geoffrey Little, President of GSL Consulting, to learn about the fast growing segments in both group and boutique fitness operations; specifically the opportunities for monetization and service in the youth market and sports performance.   Geoffrey worked at MINDBODY for 11 years, from early days through the 2015 IPO and is now a consultant to both vendors and operators in the fitness, wellness and education sectors and works with clients such as Virtuagym, who are exhibiting here at IHRSA.  Prior to MINDBODY, he worked in television documentary and media, covering naGo eight sorting out 50ture, science and technology, working with Time magazine, National Geographic, IMAX, and public TV. Listen To Episode 022 As Geoffrey Uncovers What’s next for the boutique or studio business What are the financial and service gaps to be found in the youth and sport performance markets The history of mind-body software from the beginning and what club operators can learn from their success What does the VirtuaGym technology do for the bottom line of the clubs and member experience How to identify new flourishing segments of the boutique and studio space changing over the next two years Why on the studio side, 20 to 30% year-over-year growth is continuing and what are the factors of how it may stall Exploring the youth sports market and sports performance markets for children and adolescents, and how the spending habits of parents correlate How Goeffrey used years of media experience to be a valued consultant to the fitness industry What needs to be top of mind in regards to technology for club owners Top 3 Takeaways From The Show  Geoffrey reminds us that golden opportunities are still out there with many more to come when looking at the growing space of boutiques, studios, and specifically sports performance and youth market styled facilities.   With the millions of parents across the country and even more globally, the opportunities that exist for new delivery models in fitness are reflected by the data from the spending habits of health minded and caring parents who are seeking both youth sports and athletic training  experiences for their children and adolescents.   Beyond yoga, cycling, and group fitness classes where the parents can get a dynamic experience enhanced through technology, that same construct can and will apply to the facilities in the future that serve both families as well as individuals.  Power Quotes From Geoffrey  "In the FIT-C Roundtable, I shared how I've been waiting for over a decade to see this growth. I've been anticipating some of the giants to come into the business, which is going to continue to grow in both the studio and boutique, and this has now picked up the attention of Google and other big players. They are going to make the ground shake."  - Geoffrey Little on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "The youth market is almost completely separate from the health club market, however, health clubs could benefit with younger children as members. When we look across the data, a youth market that's really booming and getting the investment money right now is sports performance."  - Geoffrey Little on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Geoffrey VirtuaGym IHRSA 2017 Geoffrey on LinkedIn Sebastian Thrun: Inventor of the Driverless Car  Orange Theory Fitness Redline Youth Sports Gymboree Parisi Speed School Soccer Shots I9 Sports Zapier iClass Pro  Todd Durkin Body Evolver Data Hub Parents spending habits for youth sports The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Tune in at 16:05 to hear from our featured guest, Kalen Pino of VirtuaGym. With the mass of technology solutions now available for clubs, what customized software solutions will really help fitness facilities maximize the use of applications and mobile in both new member integration and in providing unforgettable member experiences?   In supporting and servicing over 4000 facilities, Kalen Pino, the US Sales Manager of VirtuaGym, unpacks the common approaches, best practices, and experience from thousands of conversations with club owners about what’s really working from a technology perspective. He also shares how to create the right ecosystem that incorporates both a real benefit for the club while taking into account the functionality that the member actually wants.   Listen To Episode 022 As Kalen Uncovers What’s the deeper impact of the IoT for clients, members and virtual fitness technology How to properly listen to your members to elicit better service with the use of technology Why VirtuaGym provides a truly different approach to club owners than other software solutions  How to build the bridge between new technology implementation for a club owner from a mindset standpoint  How to map out the customer journey and differentiate your club to establish "speciality" in your neighborhood How to address technology and change management with your staff The proper way to implement new technology systems into a busy health club What are the common roadblocks for new technology implementation Why there is "no sale without the story and no knockout without the set up" - Gary Vaynerchuck IHRSA keynote What a successful new member journey would look like when sourced digitally Using virtual coaching to establish greater client success rates when tied into a central hub system What to consider when looking at branded solutions: use a third party or deciphering when to build your own Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Kalen believes that to find balance between what the gym wants from a business and operational standpoint and what the member really wants in function and service essentially starts with smart surveys, not immediate technology.   Part of a new member orientation that most clubs are used to is walking around the member to show off the equipment and services on the fitness floor, but Kalen reminds us to also "show off the technology" and demonstrate how from the minute a member walks in the club they will notice the club's progressive use of mobile technology. No matter what software solution you’re tying in to club operations, having mobile technology for customers to pay membership dues and purchasing services like personal training and childcare are just the start. What separates the  great clubs from the good are software systems that truly work with one another. As referenced from Gary Vaynerchuk’s keynote at the 2014 IHRSA we need to create a story and an experience to draw the members in build trust and then make the sale because there is no sale without the story and no knockout without the set up.  Implementing the jab-jab-jab right hook model with the use of technology is sure to benefit the club and the customer for the long-term. Power Quotes From Kalen "Business within the fitness space is and always has been all about the people. The secret sauce of an organization and what they've done in order to be successful must now understand what new technology can amplify where they have already done an incredible job."  - Kalen Pino on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "It all comes down to creating the right ecosystem. Whatever it is that you choose as your technology strategy, you must make sure that it's part of who you are as an organization and part of your DNA." - Kalen Pino on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Kalen VirtuaGym VirtuaGym on facebook VirtuaGym on Twitter VirtuaGym on LinkedIn Gary Vaynerchuck Gary Vaynerchuk’s keynote at the 2014 IHRSA FIT-C Roundtable Virtual Coaching VirtuaGym The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report   Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact FIT-C for podcast sponsorship and partnership opportunities  Download the 2017 Tech Trends report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

On episode 21 we're spotlighting a few exceptional conversations with some of the top influencers at the crossroads of fitness and technology, live after the FIT-C roundtable meeting during IHRSA 2017 in Los Angeles. With the options and choices of club software systems on the rise, how do APIs and the ability for cross communication between platforms benefit the health club? Be sure to stick around for our second half of the show with Josh Donovan from GIVE Fitness --> In this first segment, were talking with fitness technology expert, Karl Etzel, about APIs (application program interfaces) and how they can help in both monetization and in serving the customer. For health club executives and owners, API functionality is an important topic to consider when purchasing technology systems.  Karl Etzel is a Transformation Catalyst, Strategic Decision-Maker, and Technical Expert in fitness technology known for his entrepreneurial drive in developing vision and setting strategic direction in the face of fast-changing technology and market dynamics through effectively aligning products/channels/end-users. With a deep background in health and fitness, cloud services / PaaS, online marketing, and SMB enablement, Karl brings a strong professional expertise to the industry space around program management and product management roles.  Karl is talking with us on the show about API's, or application program interfaces. Simply put, an application programming interface allows software systems to talk to one another. When you as a human being sit down to use a piece of software you use a user interface (UI), and when one piece of software wants to use another piece of software, they use an (API).  Listen To Episode 021 As Karl Uncovers How the open API can increase revenue for clubs through smart data sharing   Why have APIs become so important in app and web service development Who should know about APIs in the club and how does that relate to their fitness business What are some common mistakes when planning APIs The growing segments of APIs being used to create further developments of niche markets  Why "Agile Development" and live beta testing are now standard practices How API’s enable better business model innovation, which is one of the most powerful and sustainable competitive advantages Why “owning the customer” looses in business vs. "serving the customer"  Security threats and issues to watch for with APIs  Using tethered CRM, POS, and ERP systems with APIs  Understanding the best types of data sets that are commonly used with an API in clubs  Karl's interest in the future of Cognitive Performance  Top 3 Takeaways From The Show  In the world of fitness tracking, we see many APIs, and there's now many different models emerging that will deliver even more value to the customer. The continued fracturing of the market and development of more niche models are exciting as the type of contextualized data that is being shared helps to monetize and serve customers in a progressive and powerful way. As the market grows and as customers and consumers expect faster innovation that APIs will enable, one of the reasons people are resistant to opening APIs is because they don't want to "lose the customer they own" but the reality is that you don't own the customer, you serve the customer. The people who resist this idea of opening up is born out of a mentality of scarcity. What most people don't realize is how much revenue they can drive with an open API and a new mindset. API’s enable better business model innovation, which is one of the most powerful and sustainable competitive advantages in all industries. APIs make it really easy to innovate and build things quickly. The old-school engineering model of software development is gone and agile development, two week release cycles, live beta testing and rapid iteration are now the norm. For the club owner, karl believes that you don't necessarily want to share your data outward, but you do want to share it among your own systems until you get to a certain scale where population data could make things interesting. The real key with API integrations is to understand your segment in entirety and have a clear picture of what problem you're trying to solve. Power Quotes From Karl "For the club operator, the question you want to ask is, does your solution vendor have an API that makes it easier for me to integrate my system with other solutions? If you are a technology company executive, you should be thinking about how APIs plug into your business at the strategy level. APIs are not just a technical detail that you can leave to engineering." - Karl Etzel on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "APIs make it really easy to innovate and build things quickly. The old-school engineering model of software development is gone and agile development, two week release cycles, live beta testing and rapid iteration are now the norm. For the club owner, you don't necessarily want to share your data outward, but you do want to share it among your own systems until you get to a certain scale where population data could make things interesting. The real key with API integrations is to understand your segment in entirety and have a clear picture of what problem you're trying to solve." - Karl Etzel on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Karl Soul Cycle Fitbit Nudge Coach O-Auth Protocol Strava Validic Human API Exist.io Garmin Suunto Moves Oura Ring Inside Tracker uBiome Programmableweb.com - Directory of all API’s Jeff Bezos “We will build everything as an API” Karl Etzel on LinkedIn The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Josh Donovan: Using Fitness Technology To Give  In this featured segment we're talking with the Owner of GIVE Fitness in Atascadero, CA Josh Donovan about technology focused member sales and engagement approaches that are changing the way for-profit and nonprofit businesses interact in health and fitness.  Josh is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and 13-year fitness industry professional who years ago was looking for a way to use his experience and understanding of the fitness industry to “create a different type of fitness product” with a focus on using technology. After meeting Matt Holguin, the founder of Working to Give (WTG), a for-profit company with a singular purpose-driven business model, together, Donovan and Holguin created WTG’s Fitness Division and in 2013, launched GIVE Fitness. With Working To Give, 50% of its profits are reinvested in the firm to sustain growth, and the other 50% is contributed to the local community. Since its opening, the GIVE Fitness club has acquired over 3,000 members and donated more than $50,000 to Atascadero-area initiatives. A member of the Fitness Industry Technology Council, Josh Donovan believes it’s important for the industry to integrate technology into the prospect and member experience to truly connect with consumers to understand them at their deepest needs and desires. Listen To Episode 021 As Josh Uncovers What Josh has learned over the past three years when it comes to understanding what technologies help club operations the absolute most. Why GIVE Fitness is a "cashless environment" with no membership staff or sales team and why all sales are integrated through the website. How to use technology to change the way for-profit businesses and nonprofit businesses interact How to sustain nonprofit efforts combined with profitable health clubs in the fitness industry Why being fluid and flexible when creating a culture in your health club is paramount Why using social media in real time is a powerful tool for transparency and trust ability Understanding the GIVE Fitness mission: “To exceed member expectations at every opportunity with fitness facilities that are maintained, affordable, accessible and safe.” Why giving members something they truly can belong to will increase revenue and lower attrition With the obesity epidemic in our country, why the GIVE Fitness ownership deemed it imperative to open up the market in order to make fitness more accessible and affordable to the community of Atascadero. On a larger scale, why GIVE Fitness has established a vision to “Transform the fitness industry by becoming pillars in the communities in which we conduct business. We will do this by generously donating 50% of our profits to programs that strengthen personal character, create value in people and provide opportunities for personal growth.” Top 3 Takeaways From The Show  Josh believes that you don't use people to get things, you use the things to help people. It's important to understand what your members want and what your members need. The first step when selecting and in using any piece of technology is to have a grasp on who you're serving and why they want you to serve them.  Josh and his business partner Matt are demonstrating that it is possible and profitable to have both a non-profit and for-profit business model using technology to thrive in our ever-changing fitness space. By providing an accessible fitness center for real people to come in, and driving sales through a cashless environment, this outside the box thinking has produced great results for GIVE Fitness. With transparency in business for both nonprofits and for profit companies, in working together they must have a focus on communicating to staff that with all the technology devices out there, how do they use them to really help members? Because this entire process, in the end, is all about the member experience. Power Quotes From Josh "The heart of our business at GIVE Fitness is giving. We give 50% of our profits back to the community where we do business, so in order for that to happen we have to be a profitable fitness center first. Hitting member expectations and exceeding them becomes paramount because that has to happen before we have any funds to give. The obesity epidemic is real and it's something that I'm really passionate about. This is why I want to provide an accessible fitness center for people to better their lives, add years to their lives, and truly participate." - Josh Donovan on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "In using new technologies, we had the unique opportunity in starting from the ground up to be intentional around creating our culture and to have it be something very specific. We all live in a world that's real time, so if I post something on Facebook about the gym and then post something about my personal life, our members don't see any differentiation around that." - Josh Donovan on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Josh Josh Donovan "Rising Star" selection by IHRSA Working To Give Company - Matt Holguin GIVE Fitness -  Atascadero, CA GIVE Fitness Three Year Anniversary -  Atascadero, CA Fitness + Technology Podcast With Robert Dyer Fitness + Technology Podcast With Lindsey Rainwater ABC Financial The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact FIT-C for podcast sponsorship and partnership opportunities  Download the 2017 Tech Trends report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com 021 #IHRSA2017 LIVE: The Importance of APIs, Using Fitness Technology To Give     

This legislation has the potential to transform our space and help put prevention in our healthcare system, because as you learn from Bryan, with as much as were doing in the fitness and wellness worlds to reach as many people we can, the reality is that our current healthcare model is broken.  On episode 20 we're learning from the President of FIT-C, Bryan O’Rourke, about one of the most pivotal legislations pending in Congress that has a direct impact on the success and longevity of your fitness business. We're talking about the PHIT Act. What we have now isn’t healthcare, it's sick care. Make sure to take action after listening to the show by clicking on this link and view the resources below where you can have your voice heard by writing your member of Congress to ensure that activity expenses are covered under pretax medical accounts.  We'll also hear from Bryan about his recent webinar with Club Industry:   "The Five Simple Ways To Use Technology To Increase Revenue" and why he believes that consumers have quickly shifted into becoming more digitally attuned now than ever before, and how smart club owners and operators that focus on omnipresence and various technologies can reach current and future members at their deepest needs.  Bryan O’Rourke serves as president of the Fitness Industry Technology Council, a consortium of leading companies working on technology standards for health and wellness. These organizations collectively serve more than 1,000 fitness facilities, dozens of organizations and more than 5,000 instructor professionals. Bryan is an entrepreneur, investor and former club owner who has worked in the health club and fitness industry with his partners for 18 years. He has presented as a keynote speaker at industry and corporate conferences on four continents. He is widely published and quoted in periodicals such as Inc. Magazine, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, and was recently recognized as one of the top 17 most influential entrepreneurs on Twitter. IHRSA named him one of 13 to watch in 2013. Bryan has recently contributed to a newly released book with other European thought leaders titled "Essentials of Motivation and Behavior Change."   Listen To Episode 020 As Bryan Uncovers The Personal Health Initiative Today Act: What the passage of the #PHITAct will mean for the fitness industry How this legislation incentives people to spend money on exercise and self care by making those expenses tax deductible When the legislation has been re-introduced and what we need to push it through congress Bryan's view on the major discussions in the USA about healthcare reform Why 3/4 of chronic illness comes about though lifestyle choices How you can make your voice heard by asking your congressional representative to pass #PHITAct How industry leaders like Meredith Poppler are championing this incredible legislation   How this legislation will cost only one-one thousandths of 1% of the annual federal budget over 10 years What this means to families who need more fitness in their lives: Saving 20-30% on annual physical activity costs What are simple ways to use technology to increase revenue in your fitness business  Top 3 Takeaways From The Show  Right now in the United States, the "sick care" system is broken. Our current paradigm is focused on responding to disease and not preventing disease in the first place. Three quarters or more of chronic illness comes about through lifestyle choices, so when we look at how exercise can positively impact human health, getting people to participate in primary prevention for their own health strategy is smart. If we spend our efforts doing that, we can avoid spending billions of dollars on an unsustainable system. Currently, pre-tax medical accounts are primarily used for reimbursement of medical expenses once you become sick. With the #PHITAct, this will allow taxpayers to place up to $2,000 a year in existing pre-tax medical accounts for reimbursement of physical activity expenses. Lower costs will promote active lifestyles and improve the health of Americans. The #PHITAct will put prevention in our healthcare system.  Bryan believes there are four key drivers that are impacting reinventions in our industry: changing consumers, advancing technologies, new economics, and globalism. The bottom line is moving more transactions for the health club online to make it both easy for more people to join clubs, and provide a seamless experience for marketing, selling, and servicing members in a truly personalized way, based on who they are.   Power Quote From Bryan "As the technology goes to the trough of disillusionment and climbs the slope of enlightenment, we will see the market rush to adopt. All business models need to look at a strategic view of what they can do for the near-term around existing business models, and how they can apply technology in a way that can really help with their midterm and long-term strategies." - Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Right now in the United States, the "sick care" system is broken. Our current paradigm is focused on responding to disease and not preventing disease in the first place. Three quarters or more of chronic illness comes about through lifestyle choices, so when we look at how exercise can positively impact human health, getting people to participate in primary prevention for their own health strategy is smart. If we spend our efforts doing that, we can avoid spending billions of dollars on an unsustainable system." - Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Bryan Ask Congress To Pass #PHITAct PHITAmerica : Make Your Vote Count Bryan's Website Bryan on Twitter Bryan on facebook Meredith Poppler at IHRSA Ted Vickey & Graham Melstrand: ACE Webinar  For IHRSA & Health Clubs The Opportunity Of An ERA Is Here With Passage of #PASSPHIT Bryan's SlideShare: The 5 Simple Ways To Use Technology To Increase Revenue The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact FIT-C for podcast sponsorship and partnership opportunities  Download the 2017 Tech Trends report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

Brian Hayden is the Cofounder and CEO at fitness technology startup, ShapeLog. ShapeLog is your new personal trainer - their patented data collection platform helps gyms and trainers make more money by delivering better client experiences. Brian previously founded and ran the education technology company, HeatSpring. He also teaches B2B sales at the University of Michigan's Center for Entrepreneurship. For episode 19 were growing stronger, and tracking while we do it. Discover how ShapeLog relates to your fitness business in the age of exponential technologies that are now affecting the new member orientation experience and strength tracking alike.  Brian delivers a fresh perspective as a new business in our space, as well as the challenges and incredible opportunities that can exist when companies drop the walls and start sharing data and ideas for collaboration.  If you are a club owner, operator or trainer interested in the next generation of strength tracking, or have been curious about how to use seamless technology to create a captivating first 30 days for a new club member, this is the show for you. Brian is sharing with us how forming a team of specialists from the Internet of things combined with an ethos to help transform the health of millions of lives through machine learning and artificial intelligence is now paving the way for what strength training will be in our industry.   As we cycle down from IHRSA 2017 this month, a lot of club leaders are filled with new information. From this show, you’ll gain a few key tactical steps to take inspired action from.  Listen To Episode 019 As Brian Uncovers Why the IoT solution for strength tracking is changing our fitness space How approaching group strength training is inevitably different than normal group classes  Understanding "The Death of The Leaderboard"  Why strength tracking is more "vulnerable" data for clients and new members  How machine learning and AI use data points collected from stand alone equipment sensors Why Brian chooses to teach B2B at the university to maintain his vantage point in our space  What smart club owners, operators, and trainers can do with the IoT sensors like ShapeLog  What the future of strength training, combined with wearables and IoT sensors like ShapeLog, will do to help maximize trainer time and reduce attrition in clubs.  How to radically upgrade the new member experience using tailored programming with the IoT Top 3 Takeaways From The Show  The way our industry strength trains and how we track it is changing. Personalized workout plans, automated tracking, accountability and motivation are all things that great trainers and coaches already do, but with these retrofitted sensors that use the IoT to automatically track strength training workouts, the trainers and coaches of today and in the future will have technology on their side. Strength training is the second most popular form of exercise with health benefits that surpass many other modalities. With the Internet of things and sensors like ShapeLog guiding new members into a dynamic and engaged initial 30 day experience will help club a operators  bottom line. Not only reducing attrition, but through increasing the likelihood of member's results - which is why they came into the club in the first place. The personal training model in our space does not scale, and that’s a problem for trainers, clients, and fitness clubs. However, group training that’s data-driven is a perfect marriage with personal training when contextualizing the data and making complicated numbers easy for everyone to wrap their heads around and take inspired action from. This must be one of the missions for the greatest coaches and clubs in our space. Most people who start working out just want to know what to do Whether you’re data-driven or you just want the right direction based on the data your body is creating,  the Internet of things is showing us with companies like ShapeLog that we can provide a trusted On-Ramp solutions that will benefit the user and member for the long-term. Power Quotes From Brian "Strength training is the second most popular form of exercise - right behind walking. Strong is beautiful, measurable, and the best way to stay healthy at every stage of life. Understanding a few key metrics about yourself has the potential to change your life forever." -  Brian Hayden on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Trainers don’t ‘scale’, and that’s a problem for trainers, clients, and fitness clubs alike. People in the U.S. spend more than $10B on personal trainers in the US. every year. Those 6.5 million people will use this information to have better conversations with their trainers. Good trainers have told us that they welcome those conversations – visibility of client data is a ‘magical bridge’ that keeps clients engaged and less likely to drop out of the program." - Brian Hayden on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Brian ShapeLog Report: How evidence based strength training builds communities ShapeLog on Twitter ShapeLog on facebook ShapeLog on LinkedIn ShapeLog and Inspire Fitness Deliver “Connected Strength” Experience at IHRSA 2017 IHRSA 2017 FIT-C Roundtable  The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report  Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact FIT-C for podcast sponsorship and partnership opportunities  Download the 2017 Tech Trends report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

Mac Gambill is the co-founder and CEO of Nudge, LLC. As the CEO, Mac wears many hats, but his primary roles consist of business development, fundraising, and sales. In his time with Nudge, the company has been recognized as finalists in programs such as RVA Companies to Watch and the Chattanooga Technology Council's Early Innovator Award. Mac was recognized by CIT as being a GAP 50 Finalist, which identified Virginia entrepreneurs most likely to build the next generation of tech companies in the state. In Q1, 2015 Nudge launched a complementary platform for health coaches, called Nudge Coach, that leverages the Nudge technology to streamline the coaching process and help coaches better manage larger client populations. Nudge has also launched Nudge+Coach, introducing an on-demand coaching network to complement the mobile health ecosystem, allowing consumers to combine the benefits of their wearables data with a real-life health coach. Listen To Episode 018 As Mac Uncovers Why we are seeing that specific apps and devices are becoming critical tools in both client and patient healthcare management care models How to take these great devices out there and tie them into client care models so that we can increase revenue and also the health outcomes of individuals How Nudge Coach is supporting the disruption and transformation of the role of personal training into coaching for the fitness industry   How digital health coaching and virtual health coaching models can help give trainers and club owners their time back while also serving more clients towards better health Understanding the 3 core issues for using wearables in the fitness industry: Data access Data intelligence Seamless virtual coaching Uncovering "collaborative care" and the convergence of fitness and health care, both in the private side of healthcare, whether it’s concierge medical groups with membership models or fitness pros collaborating with healthcare professionals How wearables and virtual wellness services for healthcare and wellness providers complement the consumer UI/UX and deliver a better healthcare experience across the board How to use wearables, email marketing, and virtual coaching together in lead capture strategies Top 3 Takeaways From The Show  What we can now do with digital offerings and digital models that a lot of businesses are interested in is tap into audiences that are outside driving distance from the club. With mobile health, clubs can not only extended their business reach outside the four walls, but also dramatically increase their target audience - which yields greater financial success while helping more people in their health and wellness.  Mac believes that the data is showing the collaborative care model is growing, with the convergence of fitness and health care, both in the private side with concierge medical groups with membership models and also by fitness pros collaborating with healthcare professionals to create a new environment around the consumer and the client. Mobile health technology in and out of the fitness industry is already changing lives and poised for growth. Mac believes that mobile health is a large piece of the puzzle, but what needs to occur to use this technology for a healthier world is the rise of the tech enabled fitness professional who uses strategic communication with their clients. The data is great, but data without contextualized feedback is just not effective.  Power Quotes From Mac "We are approaching the day and age where fitness pros realize it does not have to be either them or the device. I think in the past that professionals might’ve been skittish about digital health and seen it as competition, but what were seeing now is this marriage is coming together." -  Mac Gambill on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Collaborative care is growing and were starting to see the convergence of fitness and health care, both in the private side of healthcare with concierge medical groups with membership models and also fitness professionals collaborating with healthcare professionals to create a new environment around the consumer and the client." - Mac Gambill on the Fitness + Technology Podcast “Being the founder of a technology company, I know we build some really great things, but at the end of the day the value is really provided by the professional. In as much as I want to say our technology is going to change lives, I know we are just a part of the puzzle. What we now know needs to occur is the tech enabled professional who uses strategic communication. Data is great, but data without contextualized feedback is just not effective. - Mac Gambill on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Mac Mac Gambill on LinkedIn Nudge University Nudge Website Nudge on Twitter Nudge on facebook Nudge on Linkedin Delta Life Fitness Wellness Force Radio - Mac Gambill  ScaleWell Podcast Rock Health Reports Mailchimp Nudge + Coach App Connects Health Data to a Real-Life Coach The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact FIT-C for podcast sponsorship and partnership opportunities  Download the 2017 Tech Trends report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

Bryan O’Rourke serves as president of the Fitness Industry Technology Council, a consortium of leading companies working on technology standards for health and wellness. These organizations collectively serve more than 1,000 fitness facilities, dozens of organizations and more than 5,000 instructor professionals. Bryan is an entrepreneur, investor and former club owner who has worked in the health club and fitness industry with his partners for 18 years. He has presented as a keynote speaker at industry and corporate conferences on four continents. He is widely published and quoted in periodicals such as Inc. Magazine, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, and was recently recognized as one of the top 17 most influential entrepreneurs on Twitter. IHRSA named him one of 13 to watch in 2013. Bryan has recently contributed to a newly released book with other European thought leaders titled "Essentials of Motivation and Behavior Change." He is a cancer survivor and underwrites a variety of causes pertaining to cancer prevention and those impacted by the disease. Listen To Episode 017 As Bryan Uncovers Attend Bryan's speaking events at IHRSA 2017: *Thursday 3/9, 11:30am PST - Technology Networking Roundtable *Thursday 3/9, 3:30pm PST - Multimedia Presentation: "Poised For Expansion" How the industry will grow 300% in the next decade *Friday 3/10, 7:40am PST20 Minute Presentation: Disruptive Innovation, Capitalizing on Wearables With so much change in our industry space, what is the optimal mindset for club owners and operators to best capitalize with new technologies? What smart club operators and owners can look forward to at the FIT-C roundtable at IHRSA Why it takes a lot of discipline for club owners and operators to step outside where they are  and think strategically while keeping in mind what is possible in the near term and today What Bryan believes to be the best way to plan an effective and meaningful schedule at IHRSA  Why the top brands will begin to morph into a dynamic of measuring receptors of data and cognition and intelligence Why 96% of the world's fortune 500 companies lost market share in 2016 and why this disruption is happening  Top 3 Takeaways From The Show  The term wearables is really just a misnomer as we move into the space of hearables, ingestables, seeables, injectables and more. Yet the value is not really about the sensor, which is just the receptor, the real value is how we use the platforms that take that data and create user experiences in new ways. The reinvention of the customer is proving that the greatest business models in the fitness and health club industry over the next 10 years haven't been invented yet.  One way that many businesses and industries have traditionally measured success was by the number of users, members, and revenue per transaction. Bryan believes we are now going to see that space shift increasingly to the drivers of the most successful and fastest growing brands morphing into a dynamic of measuring both the receptors of data, and cognition and intelligence. Power Quotes From Bryan "Everyone has a voice for how they best connect with their communities. What’s most important for all of us in the age of exponential technology is asking the right questions and understanding that we're all perpetual newbies in this world of interconnection." -  Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "One way we used to measure success in our businesses and industries was around the number of users, members, and revenue per transaction. We are now going to see the space shift increasingly to the drivers of the most successful and fastest growing brands morphing into a dynamic of measuring both the receptors of data, and cognition and intelligence." - Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Bryan Bryan's Website Bryan on Twitter Bryan on facebook IHRSA trade show 2017 Los Angeles  Use Twitter and Instagram #IHRSA2017 for event updates FIT-C Roundtable at IHRSA Kevin Kelly's Book "The Inevitable" For IHRSA & Health Clubs The Opportunity Of An ERA Is Here With Passage of #PASSPHIT 2017 Forbes Top Technology Trends The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact FIT-C for podcast sponsorship and partnership opportunities  Download the 2017 Tech Trends report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

Lindsey Rainwater is a sought after Business Consultant & Leadership Coach, Writer, and Presenter. Lindsey helps people and organizations enjoy transformational change with an enthusiasm for leadership, conscious living, and wellness amplified by technology.   As a consultant and coach to the professionals supporting the fitness industry, she is well known for her work in business development, strategy, digital marketing, content creation and change management. Lindsey’s entrepreneurial spirit and drive has produced a track record of consistent over-achievements throughout her career which has created her unique signature of being a conscious professional who leverages technology, to build deep, meaningful relationships while helping her colleagues do the same. Listen To Episode 016 As Lindsey Uncovers How to use simple yet effective techniques to enhance the Group X member experience How gamification and wearables can create return and new members  Why over 90% of recurring members are group fitness members and what savvy club operators can to do help change this statistic  How making simple changes in lighting and music can dramatically change the Group X member experience  Understanding how technology can support filling classes in peak and off peak times How to lighten up the space of the Group X room and make it more fun for members  Dialing up the live class experience: what works best for all sizes of clubs  Why launch parties for Group X fitness can drive new memberships if strategically placed in a sales approach  What virtual Group X means to supporting members who use the gym in twilight hours Exploring the impact of what virtual reality will bring to the Group X space in the next 3-5 years  What Lindsey believes is the future of group fitness technology  Top 3 Takeaways From The Show  With so many moving pieces to manage in a successful Group X program, Lindsey urges club owners to focus on the cost of losing a loyal member who participates in Group X buffed up against the cost of a new member acquisition. A loyal Group X member stays for a number of reasons, but above all else, its the connection to a community and the personal relationships that are made inside the room. New advances in virtual and live streaming classes can help serve all club members at their deepest needs, and beyond the use of technology, Lindsey reminds club owners to not overlook the simple yet effective changes of class music and lighting which can prove a tremendous impact on the member experience and support retention. With the pace of change and technology options rising for Group X, Lindsey believes the most important thing is to slow down and begin evaluating what’s currently working by surveying members on how you might improve. In club operations on and off the group X and fitness floor, Lindsey reminds us that there is power in the pause.  Power Quotes From Lindsey "With so many moving pieces to manage in a successful Group X program, I urge club owners to focus on the cost of losing a loyal member who participates in Group X buffed up against the cost of a new member acquisition. A loyal Group X member stays for a number of reasons, but above all else, its the connection to a community and the personal relationships that are made inside the room." -  Lindsey Rainwater on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Technology's ability to impact the Group X space happens with social media as instructors take the lead by posting pictures of classes and tagging happy members. Whether gamification was integrated inside the class or not, members can both compete and compare, which creates the base for them to return." - Lindsey Rainwater on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Lindsey Lindsey Rainwater's website Lindsey Rainwater on LinkedIn Lindsey Rainwater on Twitter Lindsey Rainwater on Slide Share  Lindsey Rainwater on Instagram The Most Important Fact Every Organization Must Realize Group X: Boost Your Group Fitness in 2017 With These Tips How To Win Friends And Influence People Never Eat Alone Good To Great Apple News Tech Crunch App 2017 Forbes Top Technology Trends Lindsey's Contribution In the 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact FIT-C for podcast sponsorship and partnership opportunities  Download the 2017 Tech Trends report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

Dave Wright is the CEO & owner of Creative Fitness Marketing, a global company with offices in the UK, Australia and North America that has served the international fitness community since 1990, specifically helping people be more and stay more physically active.  He is also the CEO and creator of MYZONE® - a cloud based and wearable technology "Physical Activity Heart Rate Monitor & Fitness Tracker," used to monitor and increase exercise adherence.  As a health club operator with 10 health clubs, and a board director of the UK’s Fitness Industry Association, an international presenter, Dave is featured regularly in international trade magazines. Listen To Episode 015 As Dave Uncovers What is MYZONE and what problem(s) does it solve in our industry? Why Dave believes consumer marketing campaigns are inundating club owners  The data behind why 50% of people that start their fitness program in January quit the same year How MYZONE technology guides the fitness pro (effort levels and MEP's)  How MYZONE effort points (MEP's) are used in the group fitness setting How Midtown Athletic Club is using the MYZONE system to attract new members not on EFT to engage in club activities The recent partnership of Club Connect and MYZONE for educating fitness professionals in technology  How health fitness professionals and coaches can use MYZONE and wearable technology in future settings to maximize profit and efficacy on the club floor Understanding machine learning in virtual coaching for automatic messaging systems The landscape of wearables: wrist worn, chest, clothing and activity reminders vs. activity trackers  Incidental activity trackers and concerted activity trackers: accelerometers and phones  How consumers are in pre-contemplation stages of behavior change using wearables   Why heart rate recovery is the true measure of fitness for clients across the industry Why the chest  strap will always be the king in heart rate monitoring because it's not a question of technology, it's a question of physiology The one thing Dave believes the club owners should be looking for around wearable technology in 2017 Top 3 Takeaways From The Show  As the multitudes of technology platforms and wearable devices increase, smart club owners must partition dedicated time to research their best options. What's most important in the age of AI, machine learning, and the internet of things, is that whatever technology solution a club decides to offer to their members, it must work with devices both old and new to deliver a seamless experience that meets the member at their deepest needs. The intimidation factor of new technologies for group instructors and club owners of both small and big-box clubs are being alleviated by forward thinking companies like MYZONE and others in partnerships to proactively educate fitness pros on how wearable technology can enhance their relationships with clients.  Dave believes that education around wearables is the glue that  will hold everything together between the consumer, the device, and the trainer being able to get the most out of these new opportunities. The successful clubs of the future will implement foundational and progressive educational programs that both empower and inspire fitness industry professionals as a whole to adopt new wearable technologies as we move forward. Power Quotes From Dave "The struggles that club owners have is the intimidation factor of any new form of technology. It's one thing to have someone with wearable device, but it's another to be able to analyze the data. That's both the real key and opportunity. Doing nothing is no longer a solution for operators; they don't want to be another blockbuster or Kodak while sitting back to watch." - Dave Wright on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "What are the limitations and why is it, as an industry, that for the best part of 50 years that 50% of all the people that join clubs now in January actually leave by November, or even stop exercising for April and May? It fascinates me as a business that it costs seven times more money to get a new member to your club then to keep an existing one, yet so much of the membership campaigns in health clubs around the world are just focused on filling the top end of the bucket, rather than asking how can we stop the  flow of members out the back door." - Dave Wright on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Dave MYZONE website  Press about MYZONE Dave in Global Sports Jobs Technology Video Stuff Magazine features MYZONE At Midtown Athletic Clubs, MYZONE Engages Members MYZONE Signs on as ClubConnect Education Partner ROCK health digital health funding in Q1 2016 Fitbit accuracy questioned in May 2016 (lawsuit)  How wearable tech will be the heartbeat of the modern gym  Wearable Technology Awards MYZONE 2016  Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact FIT-C for podcast sponsorship and partnership opportunities  Download the 2017 Tech Trends report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

With the swell of technology growth in or industry, what does the IOT mean for fitness in 2017? Listen to Michael Piermont and Dave Johnson from ECOFIT Networks uncover the details in this featured episode. Michael Piermont has been starting businesses since he was 7 years old and is a consummate “connector.” Prior to starting amSTATZ, an app for personal trainers and their clients, Michael was the VP of Business Development for GoHealth, an internet marketplace for buying and selling health insurance. Since amSTATZ, Michael has co-founded FANCHEST, a subscription gift box company for sports fans. Currently, he is the CEO of ECOFIT Inc, one of Vedere Venture's portfolio companies. As the CEO of ECOFIT, the industry leader in networking cardio fitness equipment, Michael supports a technology solution for club operators to help maximize their club floor space. The foundation of their ECOFIT system is a specialized wireless technology enabling extreme equipment densities with cross brand compatibility. Building on this foundation, Micheal and the team have used ECOFIT technology to respond to the industry need for an enterprise level cross brand cardio management solution. This closed system allows viewing the health of all your cardio equipment from anywhere which gives club operators deep analytics to help better manage purchasing decisions that are based on real and relevant data through one platform that works with all of your cardio brands, old and new.  Listen To Episode 014 As Michael Uncovers What does the IOT mean for the fitness industry in 2017 When big data is useful and when it's not for operators  How Michael took his skills in data analytics from working in the NBA to the insurance industry, and then to fitness Why always on connected devices are changing the digital landscape for fitness and our collective society Why the IOT will never replace a personal trainer What happens when trainers and club owners start using big data and the IOT for better client results on the gym floor and around al club amenities  What is the benefit of geo-targeting and using real time data from the IOT for clubs How some clubs in Chicago are using the IOT to run 100% automated health clubs right now Saving floor space, cycling gym equipment, and adding to the bottom line using the IOT How technology can be used got automate the boring tasks that big down health club staff  Understanding predictive analytics: the branch of data mining concerned with the prediction of future probabilities and trends. Essentially, it is the predictor of variables that can be measured for an individual or other entity to predict future behavior.  Resources Mentioned From Michael ECOFIT on the web  ECOFIT on facebook ECOFIT on twitter Top 5 Metrics for Analyzing Your Gym’s Success & Profitability eBook: Maximize Profit of Your Health Club Space  LogMeIn.com Nest Thermostat Drop Cam  Pet Net Tracking  17 'Internet Of Things' Facts Everyone Should Read The majority of people (87%) have not heard of the term ‘Internet of Things’ The internet of things (IoT) is the internetworking of physical devices, vehicles (also referred to as "connected devices" and "smart devices"), buildings and other items—embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity that enable these objects to collect and exchange data. Tune In @ 31:53 For Our Second Featured Guest: Dave Johnson    During the last 4 years Dave Johnson have been operating in a development role at ECOFIT Networks. With a deep background in both fitness and technology, Dave brings a substantial knowledge of connected fitness to the industry both inside and outside club walls. During his time working with ECOFIT Dave has have helped build the industry's open network wireless platform and has come to understand this space and the requirements of delivering a successful networked strategy. Before ECOFIT, Dave was a representative for many leading equipment manufacturers developing strong commercial sales channels to military and government organizations across Canada. His time in the fitness industry has created very close senior-level relationships with major equipment manufacturers and fitness facilities alike. Dave is also the owner and operator of West Coast Recreation, which provides amateur and professional sporting events to thousands of fitness enthusiasts in the Pacific Northwest since 1994.  Listen To Episode 014 As Dave Uncovers What does cardio and fitness equipment intelligence mean for operators? How is ECOFIT helping club owners run a more profitable business by tracking commercial fitness equipment usage How sensor technology connected to a gateway can reach up to 600 feet even for busy big box clubs Why In order to help you identify which metrics to measure, we’ve highlighted the top 5 metrics that are most important in analyzing your gym’s success and profitability. How to use cardio and fitness equipment technology to maximize profit of your health club floor space Understanding how to use smart cardio tracking in a closed system to increase member satisfaction and retention Why the profitability of your health club will be made or lost in the details of you club operations How test pilots of ECOFIT with @4 Hour Fitness, Crunch, and other top brands are using smart cardio and fitness equipment intelligence in 2017 Dave's ethos for the co-founding ECOFIT after years of work in recreation and fitness and more  Resources Mentioned From Dave ECOFIT on the web  ECOFIT on facebook ECOFIT on twitter Top 5 Metrics for Analyzing Your Gym’s Success & Profitability eBook: Maximize Profit of Your Health Club Space  Understanding cardio and fitness equipment intelligence   IHRSA round table with FIT-C West Coast Recreation  Dave Johnson on LinkedIn  Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact FIT-C for podcast sponsorship and partnership opportunities  Download the 2017 Tech Trends report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

For episode 13 we’re coming to the end of our featured series, LIVE from #CES2017 at the #FitTechCES summit bringing the top speakers and brands from Las Vegas right to your audio player.  From heart rate to gamification, nutrition tracking and beyond, this episode is highlighting the cutting edge of innovation and product development for fitness in the new year.  Our first guest is Michael Herlihy, the Regional Account Manager at Polar Electro. A lot of athletes and coaches around the world know Polar for the heart rate sensors that made it famous since 1977, but over the past few years, we’ve seen some incredible products for lifestyle and health and wellness come out from Polar. On this podcast we're learning from one of the most famous companies in our industry about advanced training with wearable technology. With a recent partnership teaming up with Les Mills to create a fitter and healthier planet, you’ll learn about the virtual and cloud-based fitness tracking systems and devices that will bring meaning and relevancy to your club’s bottom line.   You’ll definitely want to stay tuned for our second feature guest Kevin McCoy from Lose It!  With early success from a 2008 partnership with Apple and over a million downloads in their first year, Kevin is sharing wth us why what started out as the most successful calorie tracker application became a comprehensive and gamified health program. we’’ll a;also discover the strategy behind how losit is making mindful eating accessible to all people- inside the fitness industry and globally.    Listen To Episode 013 As Michael Uncovers What lead to the rise of Polar's success from 1977 to 2017 What is Polar's ecosystem for remote and virtual coaching feature named “Polar Flow For Coach”  Why Polar and Les Mills have teamed up to create a fitter and healthier planet What devices are advanced training companions for professional and devoted athletes who want to reach their peak performance. Why Michael believes that anyone can make a watch in 2017, but what differentiates Polar in a crowded market What should trainers and club operators and owners be on the lookout for in the next 12 months from Polar for the blending of meaningful data and advanced fitness technology How virtual coaching with wearables are creating new opportunities in the fitness industry  With this new technology, what has Michael seen change and what are the key aspects of what hasn't What programs combined with wearables will add to the bottomline for a club  Power Quote From Michael "To be honest, anybody can build a watch. It's hard however to develop a system that actually allows you to analyze information that's beneficial to you. It's great that you walked those 10,000 steps today but what does that mean for you physically? That is really how we separate ourselves from the competition by delivering the precise analysis that we can provide to the user." - Michael Herlihy on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Michael Polar Website Polar Flow Polar A360 Les Mills Partnership for a fitter planet Polar Personal Trainer  Polar Electro on facebook Polar Electro on Twitter Tune in @ 17:51 to hear from our featured guest, Kevin McCoy  Kevin McCoy is the SVP of Business Development at Lose It! and is sharing with us how from early success in 2008 in partnership with Apple and over a million downloads in their first year, why what started out as the most successful calorie tracker application became a comprehensive and gamified health program. Kevin is also also discussing the strategy behind how Lose It! is making mindful eating accessible to all people, both inside the fitness industry and globally. Kevin joined Lose It! in 2009 and leads all strategic partnerships for the company including corporate sponsorships, technology partners, health professionals and coaches and affiliates. Kevin works with all of Lose It's partners and potential partners to ensure the brand is the right fit for Lose It! and the members. His key focus is working with well-aligned partners where the partnership brings value to their members and helps them along their journey of living a healthier life. From Josh Trent's discussion in 2016 with Charles Teague, CEO of Lose It! you'll learn the new changes over the past year for the award-winning application that now serves over 3 million people a month and which helped it's users lose over 45 million pounds on the platform. Listen To Episode 013 As Kevin Uncovers Why smart nutrition tracking is changing the landscape of fitness, diet, and health in the digital age What coaches and clients really wanted and needed for digital health coaching and virtual coaching to be a win-win Kevin's personal journey since 2009 with Lose It! and his ethos behind the company What health and wellness coaches be on the lookout for in the next 12 months from LoseIt! for the blending of meaningful data and advanced fitness technology What Kevin has learned as a member of the Consumer Technology Association - Health & Fitness Technology Board The framework behind the new feature Snap It uses the most advanced image recognition technology to deliver the best food tracking experience in the world Why Lose it! worked with data scientists to create a revolutionary tool called Snap It where the user can literally take a photo of their nutrition and it uploads to the cloud Understanding how machine learning can help log nutrients in an accurate and easy way for users globally Hurdles that Lose It! has overcome on the way to success in this market Power Quote From Kevin "We're always focused on making mindful eating accessible to people, and tracking your food we know is the best way to actually lose weight, but has difficulty. When we originally started Lose It!, we knew we could make it easier to make people figure out what healthy food they wanted to eat." - Kevin McCoy on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Kevin   Lose It Website Ascend for fitness professionals by Lose It! Lose It on facebook Lose It! on Twitter Lose It! on Instagram  #FitTechCES summit panel with Jenna Wolfe on Lose It! Snap It nutrition tracking  The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) & Lose It! Partner To Make CES the Healthiest Tradeshow on Earth Changing eating habits: Lifehack Review on Lose It!  Josh Trent's discussion in 2016 with Charles Teague, CEO of Lose It!    Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact FIT-C for podcast sponsorship and partnership opportunities  Download the 2017 Tech Trends report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com   

For episode 12 we’re continuing our featured series, LIVE from CES 2017 bringing the top speakers and brands from Las Vegas right to your audio player.  Our first guest is Dr. Steven Leboeuf from Valencell. You won’t want to miss our second featured guest, Joni Kettunen, CEO of Firstbeat, and pioneer in physiological analytics and their applications for fitness. His vision for incorporating heartbeat analytics and wearable technology has placed Firstbeat at the cutting edge of the industry. About Dr. Steven As co-founder and President of Valencell, Inc., Dr. LeBoeuf has developed ongoing strategic partnerships between Valencell and leaders in industry and academia. He has raised more than $10M in funding for Valencell and is the inventor/co-inventor of more than 50 granted patents, including dozens of foundational patents in the field of accurate wearable sensors. Prior to Valencell, LeBoeuf led the optoelectronic biosensor program at GE Global Research, where he managed the development and productization of biosensor systems and developed cutting-edge nanosensor technology. Before joining GE, LeBoeuf developed optoelectronic solid-state materials and devices while researching at North Carolina State University. Dr. LeBoeuf holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from N.C. State and a B.S. in Mathematics and Electrical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University.  With fitness wearables, apps, and devices of the rise, Dr. Steven is talking with us about a flourishing segment in our industry called, “hearables.” These are connected devices worn at the ear, typically functioning as an audio earbud, biometric monitor, and can also be used as an augmented hearing device. The hearables segment is projected to have a compound growth rate of over 170% in the next 4 years, and Dr. Steven’s insight and expertise on how this tech will impact the fitness industry will uncover the changes we’re seeing in the way fitness professionals will collect heart rate, blood pressure, perform health and fitness assessments and much more.  Listen To Episode 012 As Dr. Steven Uncovers What are hearables? Growth of hearables as a segment in wearables  Why there are over 330 million aftermarket headphones now in the marketplace  Why track biometrics at the ear? (effective due to arterioles and blood flow) The science of tracking blood pressure and other biometrics at the ear  Discover how in 2006 Valencell’s technology lead to the rise of the wearables market   Why one of the biggest hurdles with sensor technology is predicting the future (for investors) Making sensor tech seamless? Exploring augmented hearing and voice user input  The confluence of combining wearables biometrics with AI for Voice Plus  Why use case validation is not done well currently, and what needs to be done for the future Why everything Dr. Steven does is about making people's lives better Top 3 Takeaways From The Show The hearables segment is projected to have a compound growth rate of over 170% in the next 4 years. This technology will impact the future of how fitness professionals will collect heart rate, blood pressure, perform health and fitness assessments and much more.  Hearables are poised for tremendous growth, being driven by several orthogonal market forces, however, before mass-market adoption (10 M+ users) can be realized, a few technical challenges remain. The technical hurdles that stand between niche markets and mass consumer adoption are proving stable, seamless Bluetooth and wireless connectivity balanced with advanced features of size, comfort, and power management for long-term comfort and extended wear use cases. Power Quotes From Dr. Steven "At Valencell, we want you live your life well, with whatever wearable you like, and we'll help collect the data you generate to uniquely guide you in your lifestyle to better health." - Dr. Steven LeBoeuf on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "We're seeing that sensor use case validation is often not done well. What companies must do now is work together to test out these cutting edge technologies to meet the demands for seamless functionality and accuracy during real life situations." - Dr. Steven LeBoeuf on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Dr. Steven Valencell Website CES 2017: Optical Sensor Measures Blood Pressure Dr. Steven LaBouef on LinkedIn Catapult sports training Nick Hunn - Industry reviewer  Photoplethysmography: a volumetric measurement of an organ. A PPG is often obtained by using a pulse oximeter which illuminates the skin and measures changes in light absorption. Emerging SUUNTO watches powered by Valencell technology Firstbeat Technology   Tune In @ 20:25 For Featured Guest: Joni Kettunen, CEO - Firstbeat Mr. Joni Kettunen, PhD, is a pioneer in physiological analytics and its applications. He is leading Firstbeat at the cutting edge of heartbeat analytics for wearables, fitness devices, wellbeing services and professional sports. As of today, Firstbeat analytics is used by hundreds of elite sports teams, thousands of corporations, and millions of consumers to improve their performance and wellbeing. Before founding Firstbeat in 2002, Joni has done and published research in the areas of psychophysiology, behavioral medicine, autonomic nervous system function and stress quantification. Joni received his PhD from the Department of Psychology at the University of Helsinki in 1999. His vision for incorporating heartbeat analytics and wearable technology has placed Firstbeat at the cutting edge of the industry. On this show, you’ll learn about how coaches and trainers are using Firstbeat’s technology to train clients with precision heart rate variability, otherwise known as HRV. Joni is going to share with us how GARMIN is using this technology combined with virtual coaching for athletes and everyday fitness users to support wellbeing and superior performance by tracking much deeper than just steps and sweat.  Listen To Episode 012 As Joni Uncovers What is Firstbeat? How Firstbeat models HRV with 20+ phases of heart rate data for actionable use from coaches and trainers How to provide actionable and individual feedback for stress or fitness training or sleep recovery How to model heart rate variability and stress in real life Why using HRV gives a “direct view” into the parasympathetic vagal system,  which is strongly related to the recovery systems in the body HRV for coaches in person and virtually  GARMIN HRV devices using training Why Firstbeat has grown to 90 people on staff with 20 exercise physiologists alone Understanding the GARMIN Fenix 3  Understanding the Jabra Elite Sport Headphones The challenges for the sensor technology How HRV and 24/7 digital systems in corporate wellness systems are being used to optimize wellness Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Joni believes it's no longer enough to simply capture and measure data. Whatever you are doing, the wearable needs to provide accurate, consistent, and meaningful feedback that is actually useful. It is now understood by the technology sector that serves the fitness, wellness, and corporate wellness settings that collaborating together to do better is paramount. Firstbeat’s accurate heart rate variability (HRV) based measurement and personal diary provide a window to a client’s well-being. This real personalization via HRV and biometric data is allowing greater coaching and lifestyle modification along the wellness journey. Based on decades of research and work with professional athletes, Firstbeat has created a professional grade coaching tool that helps their clients manage stress, enhance recovery and exercise based off of data that matters. Power Quotes From Joni "At any given time there are 15 to 20 different processes in our body that influence our heart rate. We detect those, and out of that we can compose a model of the physiology itself. Once we know what's happening in the body, we can provide much more actionable and insightful feedback for stress, training, fitness level, or sleep recovery." - Joni Kettunen on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "It's no longer enough to simply capture and measure data. Whatever you are doing with the wearable needs to provide accurate, consistent, and meaningful feedback that is actually useful. It is now understood by our peers that in the fitness, wellness, and corporate wellness settings we must come together to do better." - Joni Kettunen on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Joni Firstbeat Technology Stress and recovery analysis method based on 24 hour HRV Whitepaper: Firstbeat method, subjective stress was directly associated with objective stress and inversely with objective recovery GARMIN Fenix 3 Jabra Elite Sport True-Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Earbuds  Wellness Professionals  one professionals that use 24/7 dashboards Firstbeat is powering over 70 consumer devices to produce meaningful insights for training + wellbeing Firstbeat on twitter Firstbeat on facebook Firstbeat on Youtube   Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact FIT-C for podcast sponsorship and partnership opportunities  Download the 2017 Tech Trends report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com 

We're excited to bring you some of the most cutting edge information in fitness technology right from the 2017 CES show floor that directly relates to your fitness business. First up on today's show is Amy McDonough from Fitbit.  Amy McDonough is the VP of Group Health at Fitbit. She works with employers, health plans and others in the corporate wellness space who are passionate about creating a culture of health within an organization or community. Amy oversees new and creative ways to bring consumer wearable technology into the corporate sphere with a goal of supporting as many individual’s as possible in their journey towards optimal health.  Since 2008 Amy has been an integral part of Fitbit’s growth alongside the founders, and her deep insights about using these devices will give both operators and trainers a valuable perspective on how this will impact the fitness business in the new year. Fitbit met with us LIVE at CES to discuss the new landscape of corporate and large group health programs, the data around wearables, and their ecosystems that drive social connection and much more.  Listen To Episode 010 As Amy Uncovers Exploring the benefits of wearables: increased productivity, decreased absenteeism, lower A1c levels and supporting medication free lifestyles for diabetics How Fitbit is impacting both the fitness and wellness industries in 2017 The growth of Fitbit: how Group Health is designed to meet the rising wellness needs of companies everywhere  How Target, SAP, Bank of America are incorporating Fitbit Group Health in their wellness solutions  How to approach the mindset of those resistant to using technology for behavior change as part of a team strategy  How wearable technology is positively impacting select Fortune 500 companies  Fitbit's new interactive features including a new community section of the website and specifically a feed where inspirational moments can be shared to increase physical activity among members Why Fitbit is combining large amounts of collected data create new, intuitive products, and more personalized devices to support the health consumers of today and the future What opportunities exist for large fitness clubs with Fitbit Group Health   Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Amy believes there is no "one size fits all" wearable device or even approach to supporting a fitness enthusiast or club member's journey towards using increased accountability through technology. Looking deeper, it is the intrinsic and/or extrinsic motivation that is unique to all that really moves the needle. The data is proving that increased accountability through wearable devices for select companies is yielding a 24% - 46% decrease in anticipated health care costs after a 3 year look back period. The combination of integrating workplace group health initiatives using social, self motivation, and financial rewards programs tied to wearable technology is proving to be successful for both employees and insurance companies.  Power Quotes From Amy "What keeps me motivated every day is that Fitbit is in a very unique position to really look at consumers as individuals and help them on a personalized and guided journey to their health." - Amy McDonough on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "While health can be serious business, we feel it doesn't have to be. We believe you’re more likely to reach your goals if you’re encouraged to have fun, smile, and feel empowered along the way." - Amy McDonough the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Amy Fitbit Group Health Amy McDonough on LinkedIn  Fitbit announced a partnership with UnitedHealthcare MotionTM wellness program, powered by Qualcomm Life using the Charge 2, This is Fitbit’s  first-ever custom feature for a Fitbit device, enabling Motion program members to earn up to $1,500 in annual rewards for achieving daily activity goals. Fitbit Now Integrates with Innovative Brands Habit, Peloton and VirZOOM Fitbit Launches Redesigned Fitstar Personal Trainer App to Help You Work Out Smarter with Recommended Workouts Based on Fitbit Activity FITSTAR - Fitbit's  personal trainer mobile application platform Wellness Force Radio - Gretchen Rubin   Next: Tom Cortese From Peloton We're excited to be bringing you some of the most cutting edge information in fitness technology right from the CES show floor,  that directly relates to your fitness business. Place your dial above at 22:33 to hear the feature with Tom. Tom Cortese is the COO and co-founder of Peloton - Tom has built a career managing effective, hard-working teams. and has deep roots in product development and user interface design and recently co-founded and sold the award winning PROUST. Listen To Episode 011 As Tom Uncovers How Tom went from triathlon and working for Revolution Health group to co-found Peloton  Why Peloton decided to enter the fitness space and their future plans  The mindset of larger fitness organizations towards Peloton in the early years How Peloton built an incredible community with unique personalities in your virtual and digital instructors Fast Company's feature of Peloton’s commercial-grade bike launch that will brings the cycling experience to hotels, office buildings, universities, and recently started manufacturing bikes for gyms across the country in 2017. What group exercise trainers and health clubs can expect in the next 12 months from Peloton for the blending of meaningful data and advanced fitness technology Major difference between Peloton and Soul Cycle, Zwift, WEXER virtual, and the others in our space Power Quote From Tom "We didn't set out to reshape a piece of fitness equipment. We set out to bring you a totally different experience. To bring that engaging, fun, exciting group fitness workout to the comfort and convenience of your home." - Tom Cortese on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Tom Peloton Cycling  Peloton on Facebook  "Changing The View" John Foley at CES  Peloton CEO John Foley at CES 2017  Tony Wang on the Recode podcast in 2016 discussing the swell of energy behind the indoor cycling world INC Magazine - The "Netflix of fitness"  Men's Health - The Best Cardio Machine On The Planet"   Support This Podcast  Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact FIT-C for podcast sponsorship and partnership opportunities  Download the 2017 Tech Trends report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, Moon Mission Mediaand many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

Robert Dyer is the principle at Integrus, LLC, and a global ambassador with more than 30 years of operating health clubs, consulting to and advising fitness facility owners, global suppliers, and developing organizations. Robert and his partners have advised brands around the world. His fitness career began in the early 80’s when he founded and served as CEO of the Fort Worth Fit For Life health club chain, and in 2006, he became CEO and founder of Fitmarc.  Sometimes you'll hear the phrase "people person" and think of someone you know who fits this description. You know the ones: those folks who just seem magnetic to everyone around them. Robert Dyer is most certainly a people person. It's reflected in his approach to business, whether he's working with someone in the fitness industry or from an outside field. Colleagues refer to him as "the genuine article," and "committed to improving the lives and circumstances of all those around him" without hesitation. People also observe that he seems to go out of his way to get to the heart of an interaction, bringing integrity, fun, and authenticity to large presentations and small collaborations alike. Robert's philanthropic efforts have focused on helping and coaching people who can benefit from his experience and forward-looking insights. Robert's reputation of building relationships that matter and humanizing the health and fitness industry are well known to the people he has worked with over the years. Listen To Episode 010 As Robert Uncovers Bridging the gap between "old school" traditional club operations vs. "new school" technology focused operations What best practices Robert put into place to support Les Mills in managing over 800 facilities with 5,000 fitness professionals Real life on the ground vs. the perception of what clubs “should be doing” online Robert's featured contribution in the 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Team training: how new technology and customer service trainings need to be taught as technology grows on the fitness floor and in the back office  The one thing that hasn’t changed in fitness: It's a "people" business The club operator is busy with day to day operations, how do they create the time and inspiration to shift culture towards new technology in the club? How to know who to trust for quality information in a busy digital world Why Robert believes that focusing on educating staff, management, and club leaders to get 360 degree "buy in" is the most important first step of any map for technology integration and operational change  What holds club operators back from using technology to create the time gaps for proactive team meetings that will foster productivity and connection. Does a specific road map for change with fundamentals for integrating new technology in clubs?  The mindset of club operators and fitness pros that will bring them all the success they desire What separates the real, trustable relationships in the fitness industry from all the rest Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Some of the best input a club operator can ever receive from trainers and staff comes from an environment of transparency that is demonstrated from the top down. For any and all successful new technology integrations to work in a club, the enrollment conversation must happen from a place of collective feedback, not strong arm tactics.  When it comes to new programs, operational policies, and technology systems to be effective and sustainable, all leadership must truly lead by their own example. Clear communication about the benefits to both staff and customers from any technology program initiatives must be demonstrated from all levels for success. In a sometimes noisy digital world, Robert believes it is important to take the time to create meaningful, personal, and authentic relationships beyond just digital. Technology is growing exponentially in our space, and with that, the opportunity to create those trusted connections are now more open than ever before.  Power Quotes From Robert  "I don't like to ask someone to do something I'm not willing to do myself. Obviously, as we grow we can't be everywhere at the same time, but keeping this in mind makes you think about whether something is really that important." - Robert Dyer on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "It's important to understand that it's not a competition between old and new or human vs. technology. It's seeing what the best answers are for our customers and their needs. There is no doubt in my mind that the fitness industry, either new or old school, are both going to have to adopt technology as we move forward." - Robert Dyer on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Robert  Connect with Robert on LinkedIn Connect with Robert on Twitter Robert’s Website Integerus Website Les Mills Group Fitness WEXER Virtual Fitness ECOFIT Fitness Equipment Intelligence  Emotional Intelligence in the fitness industry How to build leadership skill-set around getting staff to buy into new technology The 2017 Group Fitness Landscape Les Mills International Acquires South Central Territory from Fitmarc Robert's Slideshares Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact FIT-C for podcast sponsorship and partnership opportunities  Download the 2017 Tech Trends report Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, Moon Mission Mediaand many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com 

Graham Melstrand develops opportunities and relationships that advance ACE health policy positions and fitness industry standards. He assesses legislative positions at all levels of government that align with the ACE mission, and he monitors existing and emerging legislation and regulatory policy, informing ACE of the potential impact they have on the exercise professional, the public, and other stakeholders. He creates relationships with key policymakers and collaborative organizations and serves in an advisory capacity on a number of boards and committees including: president of the board for the Coalition for the Registration of Exercise Professionals, within the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs and other regulatory agencies. Melstrand holds a bachelor's degree in physical education/athletic training from California State University, Long Beach. As a competitive cyclist, he participated in the U.S. Olympic Trials (1984, 1988) and was a member of the U.S. National Team Development Program (1983 – 1990). Listen To Episode 009 As Graham Uncovers Why 72% of clients are asking for advice and feedback from activity trackers  Why the exercise professional is moving into health coaching space to manage large groups Group Exercise Programming: Growing diversity and opportunities in the space Program offerings around the health coaching space   Understanding the programmatic based delivery models for personal training vs. session-based delivery model What national programs are moving health progress forward by blending the activity data and prevention programs with and without government reimbursement Why programmatic based delivery service models reach more members than session based delivery models (3-5%) How the perception of the public health community about the fitness professional is now changing Community health: How new wearable activity technology is being used to geo-target for ROI in infrastructures for walkable communities Health literacy: Do average people know if they are or are not meeting activity guidelines? Correlations between physical activity and disease in affluent countries Life insurance: How will this industry give discounts for activity tracked through wearables? Understanding Intensive Behavioral Therapy: Received a grade B recommendation from the US preventative services task force now covered by medicare/medicaid (Behavioral physical activity nutritional intervention that targets individuals that are at risk for cardiovascular disease and have an additional risk factor - an estimated 90 million Americans would be open to receive this type of lifestyle counseling and would benefit, but only 8 million individuals have had access to it. How the YMCA’s are a core portion of the delivery for the CDC’s diabetes prevention program, which was just approved for reimbursement through medicare/medicaid (to the resistance of big pharma)  Graham's featured contribution in the 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Top 3 Takeaways From The Show The data is showing from ACE and other Industry reports that health coaching is emerging in our space where the non-member programs are becoming a lot more common. People are moving from early adopters and into the next group of facilities that want to build on the success that their peers have had. In 2017, technology and devices are not the competition for the fitness professional, they are a tool that can be leveraged to help manage a larger client base, stay in contact with clients, and to manage a group of individuals towards better health. The perception of the public health community about the role of fitness professionals is now changing via the use of accreditation and new technology that taps into the potential of aggregate data that can be used to increase population health. Power Quotes From Graham "Technology devices are not competition for the exercise professional, they are a tool that can be leveraged to help manage a larger client base, stay in contact with clients, and to manage a group of individuals towards better health." - Graham Melstrand on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "We believe that health coaching is rapidly emerging in the health and fitness space while the non-member programs are becoming a lot more common. People are moving from early adopters and into the next group of facilities that want to build on the success that their peers have had." - Graham Melstrand on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Graham Leveraging Tech to Help Create Active, Walking Communities (Recorded Webinar) Surgeon General’s Activity Guidelines  John Hancock Vitality Program  ACAC - P.R.E.P Program  ACE Fitness Professionals  GENEVIX, New England  CDC physical activity guidelines Coalition for the registration of exercise professionals: USREPS accredited organization for trainers  ACE: increased focus for the use of technology for the fitness professional  Workplace wellness programs Intensive behavioral therapy - Grade B (US preventative services task force) Carmichael Training Systems - Endurance coaching  Insurance companies providing incentives for wearable activity tracking  Enhance Fitness - Seattle Senior Services  Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact FIT-C for sponsorship and partnership opportunities  Download the 2017 Tech Trends report

For over 20 years, Ted Vickey has immersed himself in fitness technology. Starting as the Executive Director of the White House Athletic Center through his fitness consulting company, FitWell, and continuing with his latest project as a Ph.D. researcher on Social Networking and Exercise at the National University of Ireland, Galway. Ted has proven to be an early adopter and advocate in technical systems and their applicability to fitness.  Ted believes we can take advantage of technology to not only motivate individuals across the globe to get out the door and move, but to be in closer contact with healthcare providers.  He is an emeritus member of the Board of Directors for the American Council on Exercise and has consulted with key organizations such as the Department of Commerce, the Securities and Exchange Commission, Fruit of the Loom, TSA and more. By education he is an Exercise Scientist, by experience an Entrepreneur, and by passion a Connector.  Listen To Episode 008 As Ted Uncovers Why major wearable technology organizations are investing in and creating digital wellness programs for 2017   What inspired Ted's Tedx Talk "The Wireless Future of Wellness Is Now"  Identifying new roles in fitness for trainers on and off the exercise floor Why the current model of personal training is broken  Bridging the gap between wearables and digital coaching   Identifying how health and fitness technologies can impact low income populations  Why fitness consumers are now asking for training at the club with technology  Understanding Data Collection Phase 1: Create the wireless fitness/wellness devices and improve data accuracy Understanding Data Collection Phase 2: Analyze the fitness data from a health professional Understanding Data Collection Phase 3: Implementing the data, personalizing it, and making it actionable  Google AI Investments in 2016 The results of ACE's Fitness Technology Survey Fitness Technology Among Trainers in 2016  Ted's featured contribution in the 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Disruptive technology is happening right now in the fitness industry. With some of the largest brands in wellness technology and digital health aiming their sights on the fitness industry,  2017 will be the year for smart club owners, operators, and trainers to dedicate time and energy towards adoption. This is an exciting time for all involved in the health, fitness and wellness industry.  Big changes to the industry are fast approaching, and technology is leading the disruption.  Those that understand and embrace technology will continue to see success and grow, those that don't may struggle to survive.   The current healthcare model is broken. By being the bridge between doctor appointments, the certified health professional can play a critical role in the success of the overall wellness of each client.  And by using the proper disruptive health technologies as a tool, this success can be even greater.   Power Quotes From Ted "If you are a personal trainer and you're afraid that you're going to be replaced by a piece of technology, you should be. Because if the only thing you're doing for your client is the exact same thing that a piece of technology is doing, then you're not really a personal trainer." - Ted Vickey on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "The iPhone 6 is one million times more powerful than the computer used to put the man on the moon. What I suggest is that we as the fitness industry, the health industry, and the healthcare industry realize this is our moonshot. This is how we can make a difference, and that is by using technology to make a difference in the lives of those that we have the opportunity and the privilege to serve." - Ted Vickey on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Ted Ted's "The Wireless Future of Wellness Is Now" TEDx Talk Ted Vickey's Website Kevin Kelly: The Inevitable Gary Wolf Canyon Ranch Institute  Nudge Coach App  Wellness and fitness technology regulations for 2017  Nir Eyal Interview: Habit Forming Products Fitbit 82% market share in 2016  Smart phone usage rates in America  Tech disruption in the fitness industry 2016 by Amanda Vogel  Technology disrupted industries in Banking Point Loma University Ted Vickey, PhDc HealBe by GoBe  Ace Fitness Webinar w/ Graham Melstrand: Population & Outcomes Management  FitTechCES 2017   Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact Kelli Hatton for sponsorship and partnership opportunities  Download the 2017 Tech Trends report

Dr. Michael Mantell earned his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania and his Masters at Hahnnemann Medical College, where he wrote his thesis on the psychological aspects of obesity. His career includes serving as the Chief Psychologist for Children’s Hospital in San Diego, and as the founding Chief Psychologist for the San Diego Police Department. He served on the faculty of UCSD’s School of Medicine, Dept. of Psychiatry, and as an Senior Executive Organizational Leadership Consultant for many top-tier companies in the US and abroad. He is the Director of Transformational Coaching at the Premier Fitness Camp at Omni La Costa, and previously was the Senior Fitness Consultant for Behavioral Sciences at the American Council on Exercise. As a member of the Science Advisory Board of the International Council on Active Aging, Dr. Mantell is a 3x best-selling author, an international behavior science presenter and keynote speaker, and Advisor to numerous fitness-health related organizations.  After more than 40 years of diagnosing and treating individuals and couples with mental illness, he now provides advanced transformational leadership and behavior agility coaching/mentoring for sustainable strategic outcomes in mindful, values driven and positively adaptive ways to business leaders, entrepreneurs, athletes, couples, individuals, families and organizations to reach breakthrough levels of success and significance in their professional and personal lives. He is a regular contributor for many TV and radio programs and is a nationally sought after behavioral science coach for business leaders, athletes, individuals and families. He is listed in the greatest.com's 2013 “The 100 Most Influential People in Health and Fitness.”  Listen To Episode 006 As Dr. Mantell Uncovers How Behavior Change integrates with the fitness industry as part of Dr. Mantell's "Optimal Sphere of Wellness" How technology will help fitness trainers keep their clients more complaint when combined with behavior change How Dr. Mantell sees robots working along with trainers in health clubs Technology's role for the fitness consumer "inner-stance vs. outer circumstance" Why the data is showing a shift from the role of personal trainers evolving into health coaches and what this means to health clubs  The evolution of consumers paying for a gym membership, to a medical fitness center, to the new model of optimal health centers Why the fitness and health systems of the future will blend medical, health care, and fitness professionals to meet the onslaught of industrialized society.    Learn about the "10 Cognitive Distortions" and how that relates to health clubs  Understanding the drawbacks of "all of nothing" linear thinking How new advances in artificial intelligence will support both the wellness and fitness industry The role of robots in gyms, senior fitness, and active aging fitness groups How robots at Harvard are diagnosing emotional disorders How behavior change techniques will come from AI via planned social support  Dr. Mantell's featured contribution in the 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Top 3 Takeaways From The Show For sustainable and successful behavior change using wearables, connected devices, and mobile apps, it isn't the technology, it's what the individual thinks about the technology. It's the individual's inner-stance about their digital circumstance. It is the preference and the perceived value of the device to the client that will elicit sustainable change. For health coaches, yesterday the gym was it. Today, it's the medical fitness center, but tomorrow, when everyone wakes up, the new model is going to be the optimal health center. Robots and artificial intelligence are now capable of diagnosing emotions in clients and Dr. Mantell predicts it is only a matter of time before robotics and artificial intelligence will work their way into health clubs. This modality has already been seen in active aging groups, small health groups, and in studies at Harvard. Power Quotes From Dr. Mantell "For health coaches, yesterday the gym was it. Today, it's the medical fitness center, but tomorrow, when everyone wakes up, the new model is going to be the optimal health center." - Dr. Michael Mantell on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "For sustainable and successful behavior change using wearables, connected devices, and mobile apps, it isn't the technology, it's what the individual thinks about the technology. It's the individual's inner-stance about their digital circumstance." - Dr. Michael Mantell on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Dr. Mantell AI's and Psychiatrists: Dr. Ellie and DARPA Steven Kotler's work with AI and PTSD PFC Camp at La Costa Cognitive Behavioral Coaching The power of mindful leadership - Athletic Business Conference 2016  Google mindfulness programs for employee wellness  Steven Kotler -  Flow Genome Project ACE behavior change courses  The Link Is What You Think Dr. Mantell's book" "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff" Albert Ellis - A Guide To Rational Living  Aaron Beck - Cognitive Therapy  Marty Sellegmen - Learned Optimism  Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact Kelli Hatton for sponsorship and partnership opportunities  Download the 2017 Tech Trends report

Paul Lockington is a business development adviser to a select group of growing companies in the Sporting Goods and Fitness Industries. From over 35 years of experience, Paul has extensive hands-on technical knowledge of human locomotion and its effects on the human condition.  With an academic background in Exercise Physiology and coaching qualifications with the NSCA, Paul understands the complexity of connectivity as well as the business philosophies and customer needs in both the fitness and wellness worlds. His broad network of contacts provides him with a unique perspective into the problems of his clients and how to solve them. Listen To Episode 006 As Paul Uncovers How can operators, owners, and smart trainers capitalize on new technology with a new mindset How to use near field technology on member key fobs to save cost on heating and power in clubs How sensor technology can be used to manage retention and recruitment in clubs What is the impact of standardizing wireless devices on fitness and in clubs What do the interoperability standards mean for fitness devices in 2017 Why wireless was first adopted by the nordic skiers and cycling industry early on in history Why BLE (bluetooth) was invented to solve a connectivity issue in cell phones, fitness, and globally to remove wires from everyday devices The difference between ANT (radio protocol) and ANT+ (the alliance)  How crowded group fitness environments can benefit from the ANT technology What types of sensor technology are making the largest impact for the future of fitness Why being able to correlate heart rate with power output via accelerated technology is optimal How smart band-aids and skin sensor technology is being used to track hydration for athletes  Why heart rate accuracy measured at the wrist may or may not be optimal for coaching  What are the roadblocks and exciting opportunities for sensor technology in fitness  Paul's featured contribution in the 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report Top 3 Takeaways From The Show To the average consumer, the heart rate monitor is an innovative and exciting tool, especially when it's removed from the chest and now being used at the wrist due to technology advancement in optical sensors that has risen to be commercially viable. Successful club owners and operators in the next 2 years must be educated and informed to avoid being left behind the growth curve. The standardization and interoperability of wireless tech and wearables with sensors that are connected to the cloud will meet the needs for the health club members of today and the future by providing a truly seamless fitness experience. It comes down to a financial bottom line—if you don’t invest in technology, you have very little capability of communicating with your members, and you have very little capability of communicating with the equipment that you’re using in the clubs. Power Quotes From Paul "Many product suppliers for health clubs are waiting for technology to stabilize, but the truth is, it's not going to stabilize. The technology and innovation curve is growing steeply and it's not going to slow down." - Paul Lockington on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "New sensor technologies for group fitness mirrors the serious understanding that group fitness is a moneymaker for clubs. If you don't have group fitness, cycling, TRX, or Orange Theory typed programs, you're missing out on what's making people money." - Paul Lockington on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Paul The Apple Watch Is the Most Accurate Wrist Wearable  Strategic Technology Investment Can Yield Cost-savings for Health Clubs 245 million wearable devices will be sold in 2019 Bluetooth Low Energy ANT (Network) 2016 ANT+ Symposium What is ANT+? Nearfield Technology  Orange Theory Fitness: New Heart Rate Technology  HexoSkin wearable technology embedded in clothing  DEXCOM Glucose monitoring technology HealBe by GoBe app and device controversy  CALIT2 UCSD stick on sensor for glucose monitoring  Paul Lockington & Bryan O'Rourke ANT+ and Bluetooth Webinar Fossil's purchase of MisFit Wearables  BLE Forum LinkedIn ANT+ Forum LinkedIn TRX Classes Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact Kelli Hatton for sponsorship and partnership opportunities  Download the 2017 Tech Trends report

Josh Leve is responsible for the strategic development and growth of the Association of Fitness Studios. Josh brings more than 10 years of sales, consulting, advertising, marketing, operations, and retail experience to AFS. Josh has spent more than a decade in the fitness industry. Most recently managing large scale health clubs and successfully turning around the financial performance of three different facilities, while also providing consultative services for the boutique studio market. The idea of AFS stemmed from combining Josh’s health and fitness background, with his father Chuck's 40-year expertise in developing fitness associations. Time and time again, Josh had seen first hand, trainer after trainer leave the health club environment to start their own business, yet only to return due to the inability to find the proper resources focused on the business of owning and operating a fitness studio. In 2013, the Association of Fitness Studios (AFS) was born. You can say running an association and being in the fitness industry was inevitable for Josh. His grandfather Mort (a member of the Handball Hall of Fame) was founder of the National Court Clubs Association (NCCA) – one of the International, Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association’s (IHRSA) predecessors – and executive director of the US Handball Association (USHA). His father, Chuck Leve (a member of the Racquetball Hall of Fame) and 40-year industry veteran, was executive director of the US Racquetball Association, a founding employee of IHRSA, and developer and builder of four fitness start-ups including IHRSA. Prior to his health club experience Josh worked with Corbett Accel – the largest healthcare communications/advertising company in the US where he launched products for major pharmaceutical companies such as Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis. Josh holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Kansas. Listen To Episode 005 As Josh Uncovers Why many top trainers leave clubs and studios to open their own  The roadblocks and opportunities exist for fitness studios in the next 2-3 years  What is the AFS and how does it serve fitness and wellness studios? What separates successful studios from the pack? Josh's featured contribution in the 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report How to create strategy around word of mouth and referrals for new studio members What Crossfit means to the fitness and studio market landscape   What technology is moving the needle in fitness studios Why doing market research is pivotal for new studio owners Why leveraging human connection with technology will lead the way in fitness Understanding when to lean on technology and when to leverage personal connection in business operations. How to use new technology to ease the stress of running a business  Top 3 Takeaways From The Show The future of successful fitness studios will be the ones that do customization and personalization best. Taking all the collected customer data and making it meaningful will separate the savvy studios from the rest of the pack.  The consumer of today expects authenticity and high touch experiences from their studio. After all, a fitness studio by nature is deeply engrained in the local community.  Make sure your business education and skill set runs parallel of your fitness education. Attend conferences, workshops, masterminds and the like to see what else others are using from a technology stand-point to differentiate themselves and determine if it's right for you. Power Quotes From Josh "In top fitness studios, it's about taking a high-touch, results driven approach and creating an experience that could never be emulated in a traditional big box facility." - Josh Leve on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "As technology improves and more data is gathered from the human body, trainers (and thus studio owners) will need to be educated in how to make sense of this data." - Josh Leve on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Josh AFS Website  The 100,000 + Fitness Studio Landscape:  Martial Arts 10,000 Personal Training 60,000 Pilates/Yoga 30,000 Dance Studios 10,000  Cycle/Spin 12,000  ($22B in annual revenue) fastest growing segment in the fitness industry  IBIS World Public Data for Fitness Studios "Millennials Are Killing Gyms, Too." FitMama Orange Theory Fitness AFS Spotlight: Anthony Carey & Function First  CrossFit Games Infusionsoft Fitness email marketing IHRSA 2016 Fitness Studio Operating and Financial Benchmarking Report ASF on the web  ASF on Facebook ASF on Twitter SoulCycle ClassPass FitWall Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact Kelli Hatton for sponsorship and partnership opportunities  Download the 2017 Tech Trends report

Daniel Waide has been a Fitness Operator and entrepreneur for 15 years. His fitness career began as a mobile Personal Trainer while completing a Bachelors degree in Applied Science (Human Movement) in Melbourne, Australia.  He first worked technology into his fitness career when pre-apps, he created a web based text messaging tool to help his Personal Training clients train between sessions. His implementation of technology was key to the growth and success in his roles as National Fitness Manager with Genesis Fitness in Australia and as a Fitness Director for Town Sports International in Manhattan & Brooklyn. Now working with Wexer, Daniel is helping fitness chains in the Americas and across the globe execute successful digital strategies. With a deep understanding of fitness and technology, Daniel aims to help more people get active, one digital fitness experience at a time. Wexer Virtual started with installations in Denmark and Norway, and has now expanded to more than 40 countries.  Listen To Episode 003 As Daniel Uncovers How virtual and streaming fitness is being used in studios with top instructors to drive member engagement  Digital ecosystem: what is the seamless experience that makes a difference? The history of WEXER in the fitness industry What the new group fitness member really wants and how virtual creates member success stories Gamification: why should trainers and club operators care and how will technology support it?  Why most clubs are losing money without virtual and streaming when the GroupX room is empty  How to create a fitness experience outside the 4 walls of the club using technology  The evolution of virtual fitness: using collected data, what motivates a new member for the long term? Daniel's featured contribution in the 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report How virtual and digital fitness tools are serving the ever-expanding omnipresence gap How AI will integrate into virtual fitness in the next 2-3 years How clubs can balance both technology and people for smarter, more intuitive touch points   Top 3 Takeaways From The Show There is now an digital attack on the 4 walls of the club. Owners, trainers, and operators need to get clear on their digital strategy to compete with the reality of members being able to get both training and fitness anywhere.  As the consumer choices become more empowered through new technologies, successful clubs will need to use virtual and streaming as a key part of their digital ecosystem to provide convenience and flexibility in their memberships. For both reducing attrition and increasing member satisfaction in the age of non-committal members, trainers and operators must use the applicable digital tools and apps to shine for their membership base.   Power Quotes From Daniel  "More recently we are seeing an increasing amount of club groups combining virtual with live instruction. Either to make the live class even more engaging or to free up the instructor to enhance participant interaction." - Daniel Waide on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "People want personalized programs. It's something that the fitness industry went away from as we started to direct people more towards personal training. New technology can help build these personalized programs, at scale." - Daniel Waide on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Daniel Turn Your Data Into Actionable Insights The Evolution of Fitness, article by Daniel Waide How Google is going from mobile-first to AI-first while competition heats up Behind every fitness center, is a much more complex digital fitness solution that keeps your members motivated, right?  REI's omni-channel winning customer experience   WEXER's new "gym floor player" coming soon Youtube - WEXER Digital Channel  002 Bryan O'Rourke - The New Era of Exponential Technology Pt 2 001 Bryan O'Rourke - The New Era of Exponential Technology Pt 1 Samsung's purchase of VIV - a next-gen AI assistant built by the creators of Apple’s Siri Digital Transformation: How Chatbots, IoT, and Artificial Intelligence are Redefining How Retailers Reach Customers WEXER digital website Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact Kelli Hatton for sponsorship and partnership opportunities  Download the 2017 Tech Trends report

Greg Skloot is an entrepreneur building technology for the fitness industry. As VP of Growth at Netpulse, Greg leads sales, customer success, marketing and operations for the #1 provider of mobile apps for health clubs. He splits time between San Francisco and visiting club operators all over the world, helping them leverage mobile to grow their businesses. Prior to joining Netpulse, Greg was Co-founder and CEO of Attend.com, where he raised $3M in VC funding and led a team of 30 employees. Greg is a frequent author and speaker about marketing and digital strategy. He is the author of several ebooks, including StartupsHeartCustomers.com, a popular online guide to sales and marketing. He holds a B.S. from Northeastern University, where he sits on the Alumni Board.   Listen To Episode 003 As Greg Uncovers  The three categories of mobile value and strategy are needed for today's fitness club market What new technology is driving mobile usage inside and outside the 4 walls of the health club Why 1 out of every 4 pizzas that Domino's sells is via mobile How to use "reward" points to meet the new consumer at their deepest need inside and outside the club  Why Greg's passion for fitness and technology started when he was 14 How to get more "eyeballs" on your channel Consumer evolution and trends for the Generation Z in the fitness industry  Why most consumers look at their phone over 100 times per day How to meet the consumer of the next 2-3 years on their phones  A day in the life of a Generation Z club member Understanding the boomer generation and their digital literacy  Using mobile to increase club sales and lower attrition  How mobile technology is giving the health and fitness industry the ability to reach more members than ever before   Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Owners, operators, and trainers need to work together in satisfying the three categories of mobile and digital strategy: Operations: checkins, schedules, sign ups, maps and amenities   Engagement: interact and bring value to supporting the member's fitness journey via syncing wearables, loyalty programs, and rewards inside and outside the club  Marketing: driving member referral, up-sells, promotions and general communication  Apps and wearables are now the consumer norm: As clubs, the focus in 2017 needs to be on training staff to meet the technology demands of the new members.  Successful clubs stay open to change: looking for new ways to reach members and what tools they can use to deliver added value. Digital training is changing the landscape for the fitness floor and will give trainers the ability to scale their business beyond the traditional model while opening up the door to allowing more members to get the benefits.   Power Quotes From Greg  "We are in the midst of an incredible revolution in business models. Industries that have operated the same way for decades are being wildly disrupted by new startups that are thinking differently." - Greg Skloot on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "The savvy operator is going to understand how to use technology as a powerful accelerant to their marketing programs, to their referral strategy, and to their member retention and engagement." - Greg Skloot on the Fitness + Technology Podcast   Resources Mentioned From Greg "Millennial are killing gyms, too" article from New York Post  Millennials overtake Baby Boomers as America’s largest generation Understanding the "Generation Z" Gen Z: What they need to make purchase decisions  Free Download: Unlocking mobile feedback from Netpulse  Contact Greg directly "The Health Club of 2020" by Bryan O'Rourke & Greg Skloot  Top 10 Trends of Fitness Technology for 2016 Clients of NetPulse  NetPulse Company MyZONE Company  Support This Podcast   Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact Kelli Hatton for sponsorship and partnership opportunities   

Bryan O'Rourke is an experienced CEO, strategist, investor and advisor who helps organizations and professionals realize their full potential and solve their biggest challenges. With a track record of building teams and growing global brands, his network of associates and partners have served organizations large and small. His present focus is on fitness, wellness, health clubs, technology, innovation, finance, marketing and business development, but his expertise and consultancy extends to a number of disciplines and industries. As an executive and owner in multiple companies he is also President of the non-profit Fitness Industry Technology Council, driving innovation and collaboration the fitness space. He is considered a leading expert on technology, consumer and business trends and his views have been published in periodicals like the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Inc. Magazine, CBI and many others. IHRSA named him one of 13 to watch in 2013. Bryan has contributed to two significant books on Innovation in the fitness sector. He delivers engaging customized keynotes and strategic working sessions and is a highly sought after speaker and facilitator who has delivered his message at industry conferences and organizational events on four continents. Listen To Episode 002 As Bryan Uncovers  How the role of the personal trainers is changing through technology Pure digital solutions and well as hybrid and how the ubiquity of data is impacting behavior change science in the industry How new innovations are meeting the needs of the active aging and boomers segments The impact of new technologies for increasing global life expectancy and reducing poverty  “Linear thinking vs. exponential thinking”  The 2017 FIT-C Technology Trends Report Sick care vs. primary prevention  Globalization and sustainability in both education and food systems Structural changes needed in public policy to help facilitate growth in the industry  Urbanization and how health clubs are changing to meet global needs How technology will expand human connection How AI, and DARPA is working with armed forces veterans with PTSD How technology is an extension of humanity and what’s ahead for the future Virtual Reality and beyond  How technology is affecting the human condition The fitness growth market in China for 2017 What is the one thing that club operators, managers, and fitness professionals must do in 2017 Top 3 Takeaways From The Show The one thing that club operators, owners, and fitness professionals must do in 2017 is get clear on what type of business and delivery model they really want to execute on in order to successfully ride this wave of technology and change in the industry. The human mind is running on old software. To succeed in the new era, we all need to adopt exponential thinking and rise above the reptilian brain. The landscape of the personal trainer and the delivery models of training services are changing in both pure digital and hybrid. Successful trainers, club owners, and operators need to explore the impact today for the future of fitness. Power Quotes From Bryan  “Technology comes from humanity. It's an extension of our own biology and it is an enabler of the greatest app in the world, which is the human spirit. “ - Bryan O’Rourke, on the Fitness + Technology Podcast “We’re about to go through a huge surge in growth and we want everyone to benefit from that so that we can benefit the world as an industry.” - Bryan O’Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Bryan  Peter Diamandis - “Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think”  Bryan’s book, "Essentials of Motivation and Behavior Change" Bryan’s article, "Ok haters, its time to admit it the world is becoming a better place" The Amygdala and negative brain bias ACE Fitness UK Active IHRSA Fitness Australia Steve Case, “The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur’s Vision of the Future”  Urbanization Withings Scale Geo-fencing Flow State CHINAFIT 2017 VR, Oculus Rift The leapfrog affect Bryan’s Twitter Account 2017 FIT-C Technology Trends Report Join FIT-C as a valued member Google Results for Bryan O’Rourke Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact Kelli Hatton for sponsorship and partnership opportunities 

Bryan O'Rourke is an experienced CEO, strategist, investor and advisor who helps organizations and professionals realize their full potential and solve their biggest challenges. With a track record of building teams and growing global brands, his network of associates and partners have served organizations large and small. His present focus is on fitness, wellness, health clubs, technology, innovation, finance, marketing and business development, but his expertise and consultancy extends to a number of disciplines and industries. As an executive and owner in multiple companies he is also President of the non-profit Fitness Industry Technology Council, driving innovation and collaboration the fitness space. He is considered a leading expert on technology, consumer and business trends and his views have been published in periodicals like the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Inc. Magazine, CBI and many others. IHRSA named him one of 13 to watch in 2013. Bryan has contributed to two significant books on Innovation in the fitness sector. He delivers engaging customized keynotes and strategic working sessions and is a highly sought after speaker and facilitator who has delivered his message at industry conferences and organizational events on four continents. Listen To Episode 001 As Bryan Uncovers  1 Billion gym and health club members globally by 2025, what's next? Why Bryan is so passionate about the fitness industry and technology The "sick care system" is unsustainable - quality lives and quality of life is a sustainability issue for us and our planet How fitness is broadening its reach as part of an overall progression into life quality and longevity Understanding the "Fourth Industrial Revolution" Bryan's Presentation from London: "Poised For Growth"  The 2017 FIT-C Technology Trends Report Globalism: new markets and new innovations How the greatest products of the next 20 years have not been created yet Empowering the genius of the new millennial innovators  Steven Kotler's work in technology The rapidly changing consumers, millennials, and boomers  Top 3 Takeaways From The Show Club owners, operators, and fitness professionals must embrace the new era of technology in order to capitalize on the tremendous growth that is ahead in the next 3-5 years. Read Kevin Kelly's book "The Inevitable"  The consumer of today and the future must be met with omnipresence in the fitness industry. Power Quotes From Bryan  “Kevin Kelly has stated that at the rate AI technology is improving, a kid born today will rarely need to see a doctor to get a diagnosis by the time they are an adult." - Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "In the midst of disruption in a world where having better questions will lead to better answers and to a brighter further for us all." - Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast "Here is the bottom line - in a decade from now many will be envious of not having been involved in what will become a hugely impactful industry. It would be like seeing the first planet take off at Kitty Hawk. That is where we are now." - Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast Resources Mentioned From Bryan  Steven Kotler's "Six D's" of technology Kevin Kelly's "12 Inevitable Tech Forces That Will Shape Our Future" What are exponential technologies?  Bryan’s Twitter Account 2017 FIT-C Technology Trends Report Join FIT-C as a valued member Google Results for Bryan O’Rourke Support This Podcast Leave a 5 star review on iTunes Share this episode with someone you care about Contact Kelli Hatton for sponsorship and partnership opportunities