Source: To improve health and exercise more, get a gym membership, study suggests — ScienceDaily
Here is good news for health club owners and managers. Of course, you already knew this, but here is scientific evidence that what you offer makes a difference in people’s lives. Share it with your members and prospective members.
“Duck-chul (DC) Lee, an assistant professor of kinesiology and corresponding author of the paper, says the study found people who belonged to a health club not only exercised more — for both aerobic activity and strength training — they also had better cardiovascular health outcomes. Those health benefits were even greater for people who had a gym membership for more than a year, Lee said. The research is published in the journal PLUS ONE.
“It’s not surprising that people with a gym membership work out more, but the difference in our results is pretty dramatic,” Lee said. “Gym members were 14 times more aerobically active than non-members and 10 times more likely to meet muscle-strengthening guidelines, regardless of their age and weight.” The results were similar in both men and women.
Iowa State researchers found 75 percent of study participants with gym memberships, compared to 18 percent of non-members, met the guidelines for both types of activity. In fact,”By joining a quality fitness facility, a new exerciser will be around like-minded people and have access to professionals who can help them be successful,” Franke said. “Access to quality exercise equipment, social support and even the financial commitment may help spur someone to continue exercising. Not all facilities are the same, so it’s important to find the ‘right’ fit.”
