Spotlight

Volume 1, Issue 10
November 2006

www.LifeSpanfitness.com

Award Spotlight... Treadmill Doctor Rates LifeSpan High!

The LifeSpan TR3000 was awarded a "Best Buy" from Treadmill Doctor in their recently posted 2006-07 reviews:

  • TR3000-HRC: "A great looking treadmill. Good quality when you compare what you are paying for it. It is a great looking design with great fit-and-finish quality. One of the better deals we have seen on a full-HRC model."

Other LifeSpan treadmills were also highly praised by Treadmill Doctor:

  • TR1000-HRC: "For the overall quality, you would have a hard time doing better for less than $1000."
  • TR2000-HRC: "One of the best values we have seen this year. A great looking design with great fit-and-finish quality. For someone who is looking to save space and still have a decent quality unit to use, this is a good choice."
  • PRO1: "New model from LifeSpan holds up well in our tests... this was a surprising test model that held up very well."
  • PRO5: "The PRO5 is one of the best built $3000 treadmills on the market. This is a very well built model."

Here's what Treadmill Doctor said about LifeSpan fitness equipment manufacturing:

  • "LifeSpan is primarily concerned with putting decent quality parts into an attractive package and they do that very well... their products seem to be a better value than alternatives that are comparably spec'd."

Product Spotlight... Introducing the Interactive Health Partner!

Our newest fitness solution, the Interactive Health Partner, extends our healthy living philosophy beyond quality fitness equipment. This highly advanced online system is designed to help Medical Fitness Centers, Insurance Companies and Occupational Health Programs manage exercise and activity programs for their members and employees.

There are currently over 850 Medical Fitness Centers affiliated with hospitals across the US, with an additional 400 projected to open in the next two years. Many of these centers are non-profit and range from small cardiac rehab programs to large, full-service health clubs. A select group of Medical Fitness Centers are currently piloting the Interactive Health Partner with expanded rollout set to begin February 2007. Response has been incredible, making it possible for us to offer this unique program to a select group of our Specialty Fitness Retailers.

Pilot Program Responses:

"There is a definite market that is in need of a more medically sound fitness program. The Interactive Health Partner will fill that void and revolutionize the home exercise industry."
-- Bob Forman, Director, Fitness and Cardiopulmonary Rehab, High Point Regional Health System, High Point, NC

"PCE Fitness took the initiative to thoroughly research and develop a comprehensive program that easily adapts to the varied needs of both the facility and the participants. PCE brought together a variety of nationally recognized resources to bring credibility to the program."
-- Kay Van Der Vaart, Director, Holy Family Memorial Wellness Center, Holy Family Memorial Hospital, Manitowoc, WI

"The Interactive Health Partner is the first program of its kind with intuitive design, making it very user-friendly for our staff and members. The program will be beneficial for those who are unable to leave their homes to workout in a fitness center or who prefer to exercise at home, allowing us to expand the reach of our center."
-- Chaya Boone, Fitness Director, and Shannon Wells-Berg, Marketing Director, Galter Life Center, Swedish Covenant Hospital, Chicago, IL

"The Interactive Health Partner is a great asset to those in need of a medically-based exercise program in the convenience of their own home. This is a chance for our center to reach a greater population, keep them in a comfortable surrounding, and still provide a high level of care and attention to those in need."
-- Steve Golinski, Fitness Program Coordinator, Fitness and Cardiopulmonary Rehab, High Point Regional Health System, High Point, NC

Features and Functions:

Using the Interactive Health Partner, health and fitness professionals prescribe customized, medically-appropriate exercise programs following American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines, manage behavioral change, monitor members' progress, provide support and motivation, and conduct studies with measurable outcomes. The Interactive Health Partner streamlines the exercise prescription process providing a more medically-appropriate exercise program to the member. In addition, the Interactive Health Partner provides numerous new functions and benefits due to its web-based automation and extensive data collection and reporting capabilities.

Individual users of the Interactive Health Partner benefit from exercise programs that have been specifically designed to meet their health and fitness needs in addition to ongoing support and encouragement from experienced medically-based exercise professionals. Members set their own goals, log their exercise, keep a journal if desired, and monitor their progress using personal scorecards. And because access is via the internet, the Interactive Health Partner allows members to live and exercise anywhere in the world and stay connected with their Medical Fitness Center with no interruption to their exercise program!

We will start testing the Interactive Health Partner in combination with Medical Fitness Centers and select specialty fitness retailers. The program will allow specialty fitness retailers to offer in-home exercise memberships at select Medical Fitness Centers to their customers as a way of differentiating themselves from "big box" retailers.

The Interactive Health Partner is ideal for helping transition first-time fitness equipment customers into long-term, dedicated users of exercise equipment.

Specialty Fitness Retailer

  • Value-added service not available at "big box" retailers
  • Customer referral to Medical Fitness Centers
  • On-going partnership relationship with Medical Fitness Centers and their members
  • Increased exposure and recognition of specialty fitness retailer
  • Community involvement to improve health

Member

  • Personalized assessment
  • Customized, medically-appropriate exercise program
  • Goal setting
  • Exercise logging and journaling
  • Progress monitoring with personalized scorecards
  • Ongoing support and communication with center
  • Connection to center anywhere in the world via continuous online access

Medical Fitness Center

  • Online enrollment
  • Member assessment tools (i.e., physical condition and exercise readiness)
  • Goal setting
  • Vital statistics maintenance (i.e., blood pressure, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio)
  • Exercise program development
  • Ongoing member support, communication and motivation
  • Long-term continuity with members regardless of where they exercise
  • Data analysis using a variety of queries and reports
  • Outcomes studies
  • Benchmarking analysis

The Interactive Health Partner is the first automated system to provide complete functionality to manage medically-appropriate exercise programs. To learn more about how you can be part of this exciting new program contact Janet Brady, Director of Medical Programs, at (530) 906-4516 or e-mail Janet@LifeSpanFitness.com.

Health Spotlight... Home Exercise

Home exercise is becoming increasingly popular. A Cooper Institute study found that 62% of older adults prefer to exercise in the privacy and comfort of their own homes. Other research indicates many people would rather exercise at home than arrange for childcare and spend valuable time traveling to and from a gym.

Today's homes are much more accommodating for comfortable, enjoyable home exercise than they were 30 years ago. The following statistics were published by the National Association of Home Builders in 2005:

  • The average home size has grown by about 50% since the 1970s, while the average family size has fallen from more than three people to about 2.5 residents per home.
  • The share of newly-built homes with four or more bedrooms has risen steadily from 21% three decades ago to just shy of 40% last year. These rooms are no longer used just as bedrooms -- some are converted to dedicated exercise rooms.
  • Not only are single-family home sizes growing, the percentage of units in multi-family buildings with 1,200 square feet or more increased from 20% in 1990 to 38% in 2004.
  • More than half of just-built houses have two or more floors. In 1973, almost 70% of new homes were single-level. Nine-foot ceilings are now standard in most of today's houses.
  • Demographics of home buyers are also changing. Home ownership has grown in all age categories, including the youngest (under 25) and the oldest (75 and older), from 67.4% in 2000 to 69% in 2004. Aging buyers and a diversity of ethnic groups account for a larger piece of the market.

All of these factors support the study's reporting of an increase in the popularity of home exercise. By knowing who's buying homes and what they're buying, we're better equipped to produce and sell fitness products that work well with the lifestyle and within the homes of customers.

Marketing Spotlight... New Product Brochures

The new HOME Series brochure and PRO Series treadmills brochure are now available. These brochures are loaded with LifeSpan product specs and will entice buyers with a look and feel sure to please. Click here to order yours today: Bobby@LifeSpanFitness.com.

Trade Show Spotlight... Athletic Business Conference

The Athletic Business Conference and Expo is a premier educational event for athletic, fitness and recreation professionals seeking the latest information on managing, operating and marketing sports, recreation and fitness facilities and programs.

At the LifeSpan booth we showcased our latest fitness equipment and demonstrated the Interactive Health Partner to Medical Fitness Association members. The Interactive Health Partner is a unique, medically-based online tool designed to manage and enhance personal health and fitness through exercise at home or in a center, while ensuring proper exercise consultation and education by experienced health professionals.