Jim Thomas' Fitness Management & Consulting
Collectively, Americans need to lose 4.5 billion pounds, the surgeon general warns. But just 16 percent of Americans over the age of 6 belong to fitness centers, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA).
Fitness has been a growth industry during the past decade, regardless of high unemployment, stock-market crashes and mortgage messes. Since 2005, membership in health clubs has grown from 41.3 million to 50.2 million people, with membership dropping in just one year, 2007, according to the IHRSA. With figures like that, it shouldn’t be surprising that the number of health clubs has also grown, from 26,830 to 29,890 during the same time period. Same-store revenue increased by 1.5 percent in 2010, with total industry revenue increasing by 5.9 percent.
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