Health and Fitness Club Industry News: IHRSA
Friday, March 24th, 2023
IHRSA Applauds Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Americans’ Health and Fitness
Posted: March 14, 2023 in IHRSA
WASHINGTON, D.C. - IHRSA, the Global Health & Fitness Association, applaudes newly introduced bipartisan legislation that will improve Americans’ health and fitness by allowing flexible spending and health savings accounts to be used for physical activity products and services as well as youth sports. The Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act is led by Representatives Kelly, Panetta, Fitzpatrick, Sewell, LaHood, and Boyle, and by Senators Murphy, Thune, Cramer, Tillis, Marshall, Capitol, Wicker, Tim Scott, Baldwin, Sinema, and King. The bill is designed to encourage healthier lifestyles, provide financial incentives to ease burdens for healthy behavior, and increase the ability of persons of all ages to engage in more active behaviors. Read More...
IHRSA 2023 is Around the Corner!
Posted: March 14, 2023 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - With less than one week left until the health and fitness industry’s leading Convention & Trade Show begins, it’s time to make plans to ensure you get the most out of IHRSA 2023. The event brings together a who’s who roster of supplier partners, owners, and employees, operators, franchisors, global brands and industry experts led by IHRSA, the Global Health & Fitness Association. Read More...
Special Olympics and IHRSA Partner to Improve Fitness Industry Inclusivity
Posted: March 6, 2023 in IHRSA
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Special Olympics and IHRSA, the Global Health & Fitness Association, have partnered to build awareness and capacity within the fitness industry to support the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities (ID). IHRSA and Special Olympics will focus on increasing inclusive fitness opportunities within communities globally to support people with ID in leading an active and healthy life. Read More...
Supporting and Expanding Fitness Industry DEI
Posted: February 23, 2023 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - Of the 66.5 million health club members in the U.S., one third of members belong to a racial minority group and half are females, according to the 2022 IHRSA Health Club Consumer Report. Although we have a long way to go in terms of creating a beautifully diverse, equitable and inclusive health and fitness industry, there are encouraging movements happening.
In 2023, health clubs, gyms, and studios should make it a priority to create, support or expand diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and encourage underserved communities to join. Read More...
IHRSA Board of Directors Adds Two Industry Veterans
Posted: February 21, 2023 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - IHRSA, the Global Health & Fitness Association, announces that its Board of Directors has elected two new members. Ori Gorfine, President of US Fitness Holdings, and Richard Beddie, CEO of ExerciseNZ and chief of staff to the International Confederation of Registers for Exercise Professionals (ICREPs). Each assume positions on the Association’s Board of Directors. Ori fills a vacant seat and Richard will represent IHRSA’s Global Health & Fitness Alliance, a group of international senior industry leaders and stakeholders. Read More...
IHRSA Sends Letter to Congress to Strengthen Political Influence
Posted: February 7, 2023 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - IHRSA is starting the year with bold advocacy moves to ensure our voice grows louder and our influence strengthens. A large part of the Association’s plan is building an advocacy powerhouse in Washington, D.C. To kick off the 118th United States Congress, IHRSA sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging them to promote common-sense policies that encourage higher physical activity levels. Sending this letter laid the groundwork for IHRSA's policy direction and goals for 2023. Read More...
Two Fitness Industry Veterans Join IHRSA Board of Directors
Posted: December 22, 2022 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - IHRSA, the Global Health & Fitness Association, announces that its leadership elected two new members of its Board of Directors at its November meeting: Bill Davis and Erik Lindseth. The new IHRSA Board of Directors seats represent one member each from the Industry Partner Advisory Council and the National Health & Fitness Alliance Advisory Council respectively. Representatives from these groups will serve two-year terms but will not hold officer positions. Read More...
Seasoned Consumer and Health Policy Advocate Joins IHRSA
Posted: December 5, 2022 in IHRSA
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Liz Clark, President & CEO of IHRSA, the Global Health & Fitness Association, announces that Mike Goscinski has joined the organization as Vice President of Government Affairs. He is the organization’s first full-time, in-house Washington, D.C.-based lobbyist, part of an effort begun when Liz was recruited in 2021, which includes a renewed focus on advocacy and stakeholder outreach among other key priorities. Read More...
IHRSA Encourages Members to Sign CEO Pledge for Physical Activity
Posted: November 21, 2022 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - Every organization leader in America should sign the CEO Pledge for Physical Activity, says IHRSA President & CEO Liz Clark, and she hopes IHRSA members will lead by example. The Pledge, launched in late October, is a signature initiative of the Physical Activity Alliance, which counts IHRSA, ACE, ACSM, California Fitness Alliance, Move to Live More, Myzone and NASM among its board members. The goal of the Pledge is to impact at least 10 million American workers and fundamentally transform the workplace culture of the nation, from a culture that exacerbates the inactivity crisis to a culture that embraces physical activity and healthy movement. Read More...
IHRSA Releases 2022 Health Club Consumer Report
Posted: November 17, 2022 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - IHRSA, the Global Health & Fitness Association, has released its latest industry analysis report outlining the state of the industry. While still not fully recovered from the dramatic decline triggered by pandemic restrictions and closures, the report reflects positive progress across key metrics. The 2022 IHRSA Health Club Consumer Report was sponsored by Optum, a division of UnitedHealth Group, supporting the fitness industry, and was assembled from detailed responses from 18,000 online consumer interviews and proprietary online panels representative of the U.S. population. Data analysis was conducted by L.E.K., a global strategy consulting firm. Read More...
Welcome Back to San Diego: IHRSA 2023 Registration is Now Open
Posted: October 28, 2022 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - This March, join 300+ exhibitors, 6,000+ health and fitness industry professionals and 100+ wellness and business expert presenters at IHRSA’s International Convention and Trade Show (IHRSA 2023)! This year’s event returns to sunny San Diego, California, a fan favorite, March 20 - 22, 2023. Read More...
IHRSA Board Approves Sweeping Changes to Unify Fitness Industry
Posted: October 17, 2022 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - In a recent meeting, the IHRSA Board of Directors approved several new proposals that will change the organizational structure. First and foremost, the group, led by Board Chair Chris Craytor, voted to add three new seats to the Board. The new seats will represent one member each from the National Health & Fitness Alliance Advisory Council, the Global Health & Fitness Alliance (GHFA) Advisory Council and the Industry Partner Advisory Council (IPAC). The representatives from these three groups will serve two-year terms but will not hold officer positions. Additionally, the IHRSA Board approved changes to specific bylaws and created two new committees: Membership and Events. Read More...
Capitol Hill and Association Veteran, Jeffrey Solsby, Joins IHRSA
Posted: October 4, 2022 in IHRSA
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Liz Clark, President and CEO of IHRSA, The Global Health & Fitness Association, announces that Jeffrey Solsby will join the group October 12 as Senior Vice President of Communications. Solsby brings experience as a veteran staff member on Capitol Hill and in prominent trade associations. Read More...
IHRSA Fitness Brasil 2022 Achieves ‘Indisputable’ Success
Posted: September 7, 2022 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - After a three-year absence due to the pandemic, IHRSA Fitness Brasil returned ready to revive the Latin American health and fitness industry. The Transamerica Expo Center in São Paulo was vibrant with energy and optimism during the four-day event. The highly anticipated Trade Show was jam-packed throughout all three days with a notable emphasis on attendees participating in workout classes and testing out the pieces of equipment available from the 90+ brands on site. All in all, 8,000 Trade Show visitors made sure to make the most of the event by networking and closing deals. Read More...
2022 IHRSA Global Report Recognizes Fitness Industry Resilience
Posted: August 9, 2022 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - More than two years after the landscape of the health and fitness industry was forever altered, we see reassuring signs of recovery. The 2022 IHRSA Global Report focuses on how various regions are renormalizing through ongoing disruptions, highlights several landmark achievements, including increasing influence of the Global Health and Fitness Alliance (GHFA), and notes numerous mergers and acquisitions that shook up the industry. Read More...
GHFA Advisory Council Adds McCall Gosselin of Planet Fitness
Posted: July 20, 2022 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - The Global Health & Fitness Alliance (GHFA), under the leadership of Chair, Andrea Bell, and Vice Chair, Richard Beddie, announces the appointment of McCall Gosselin, Senior Vice President of Communications & Corporate Responsibility at Planet Fitness, to its Advisory Council. McCall replaces Anna Henwood, former Chief Marketing Officer of Les Mills International (LMI). Read More...
IHRSA 2022 Reconnects Global Fitness Industry
Posted: July 7, 2022 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - For the first time, fitness industry professionals gathered in Miami Beach, Florida to attend IHRSA’s 41st International Convention & Trade Show. The theme of this year’s event rallied around moving forward, together. At IHRSA 2022, attendees networked --some for the first time since 2019-- tried out a myriad of equipment and products at the Trade Show, and learned invaluable lessons and information during education sessions. Read More...
Genesis Health Clubs Owner Rodney Steven II Receives Prestigious IHRSA Advocate of the Year Award, Rallies Industry to Pass the PHIT Act
Posted: July 7, 2022 in Chains, IHRSA
WICHITA, KS - Genesis Health Clubs Owner and President Rodney Steven II has been awarded the Advocate of the Year award by the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA). The award reflected Steven’s relentless efforts to organize and motivate the fitness industry to advocate for itself on the national stage as it recovered from the severe shock of the pandemic and associated consumer demand and government-mandated shutdowns. Read More...
New Report Details Global Fitness Industry’s Profound Economic Impact
Posted: June 23, 2022 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - In a first-of-its-kind advocacy report, the health and fitness industry targets governments to assist policymakers in making preferable decisions related to health and wellbeing and to improve population health and productivity worldwide. Commissioned by IHRSA and the Global Health & Fitness Alliance (GHFA) and produced by Deloitte, the Economic Health & Societal Well-being: Quantifying the Impact of the Global Health & Fitness Sector Global Report analyzes the economic and socioeconomic impact of the global health and fitness industry. Read More...
U.S. Health Club Membership Reaches Over 66 Million Americans
Posted: June 20, 2022 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - More than one out of five Americans belonged to a health club or studio in 2021, totaling 66.5 million consumers ages 6 years and older. The latest data shows a 3.8% growth over the last two years, a validation of the importance of the industry despite COVID’s challenges. Read More...
