Why Your Group Exercise Class Might Not Be Right for You

Unless you live under a rock you are certainly aware that exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Despite that only 30% of the US population is currently achieving the daily recommended amount of physical activity. You may not be aware though that most fitness centers report losing approximately 50% of their members each year. Elite gyms will attempt to mitigate the loss of their members by offering programs that encourage attendance and a sense of community at their facility, such as group exercise classes. These elite gyms will still see losses of approximately 30% of their members yearly.

So why is it so hard to retain members? Surveys suggest that exercise is difficult for many people. A new customers perspective is that a high level of knowledge, technique and experience is often required to setup an effective exercise program for themselves. Gyms often offer classes as a way to gently pave the way. Unfortunately, a lot of fitness classes are often taught to the average participant in the exercise class, not to their actual ability level.

We’re all built differently with different fitness goals.  This requires vastly different doses of exercise intensity and time to elicit a desirable response. Fitness classes taught to the average person alienates people at both the low and high ends of the proficiency spectrum. The inexperienced exerciser on the low end of the spectrum will not be able to keep up with the class - often feeling lost and incompetent. These feelings can become overwhelming and discourage future participation. The opposite is true for the experienced or high proficiency exerciser, who may feel like they are not being adequately challenged, and therefore may see very little results from the time they invested in the class. Both of these situations discourage participation in group exercise, despite the social reinforcement one may get from attending a class.

What’s the solution? Look for classes that suit your ability level. When classes are categorized according to specific abilities they drastically reduce a persons risk of injury. You will feel more confident and energized by your fellow exercisers, and that will decrease your likelihood of discontinuing the program. This also greatly increases positive results from exercise. Results are best achieved when you can increase your workout intensity or time incrementally every few weeks by no more than 5-10%. This is far easier to accomplish in a group setting where the members of your group are matched to your ability level.

Technology is making it easier for people to exercise at their appropriate fitness levels. Many apps now take into account your height, weight, age, limitations and current fitness level to curate workouts that are specific to your ability level. Ability Fix is one such application that categorizes its users into 5 distinct fitness levels and offers specific water-based exercises designed to increase your results by challenging you appropriately. Users of Ability Fix can choose exercises that have been deemed appropriate for their level of fitness based on a special assessment conducted in the application. They can then build workouts in the app based on the recommendations from the assessment. Products like this are a great leap forward in workout personalization, without having to pay for cost prohibitive personal training.

So remember, here in Carson City, you can choose a water exercise program or group exercise class at Paradise that is appropriate for your fitness level and ability. Water exercise at Paradise is fun, gentle on the joints, and as challenging as you need it to be.

Regardless of your current physical ability level, Paradise offers customized water aerobics classes to help you reach your goals. 

For more information about Paradise, www.paradisesalonspawellness.com.