By Gerolamo Cavalli and Dr. Rovatti Manuela
Only a few months after enrollment, the percentage of people leaving the gyms is very high, why? A question that we, the experts, instructors, personal trainers, gym owners, are now setting for a long time.
Training in the gym, I often talk to people from client to client; so, over the years, I have been able to gather many opinions, but the most frequent are always reduced to four or five.
Failure to achieve the objectives
The main motivation is surely the failure to achieve the goals that the customer had set for himself, often made too ambitious even by handsome young ladies at the gym reception, or by the instructor / trainer himself.
We are inspired by models seen on TV, in magazines in the sector or promised in the gym, but as soon as we realize that effort and effort (if there are any) do not lead quickly to what is desired, we are discouraged altogether and we often return to bad combination "sofa and junk food". Among other things, many of the reference models have reached such high levels, not only thanks to their genetics and hard training, but with the use of substances that normally the law does not allow the use of, if not behind the recipe specialized doctor.
Being prepared at a technical - scientific level and creating the right awareness in the customer, is part of our job, or to be more exact, should be part of it. Surely, with the right indications on training, nutrition and lifestyle, you can achieve important results for anyone, but always based on personal commitment and genetic heritage that gave us mom and dad. So, to understand which health benefits a good training program brings and to propose real goals, remains, in my opinion, one of the most important aspects to avoid escape from gyms. It is good then that the client knows that he must expect qualified personnel, and above all that this personnel really exists: then, if you have found yourself badly, try to inform yourself and change; don't think that all the gyms are the same!
Uncomfortable environment and excessive narcissism on the part of customers
Another recurrent complaint concerns the type of environment that is created in some centers, linked to the visitors but in some cases even to the instructors themselves. The complaints are caused by the narcissism of these people who, by putting their physical appearance at the center of the universe, create an image of the gym and of those who attend it not exactly idyllic, adding the serious suspicion (sometimes, unfortunately, founded) that make use of doping substances. Their behavior towards others is often questionable, if not incorrect, and therefore causes great discomfort, especially in those who enter the gym for the first few times. All this may seem trivial, but it pushes many to leave. Some, for the same reason, do not even try to enter it, considering the environment frequented only by foolish and superficial people, who spend hours training, looking in the mirror and performing in front of others.
In Italy, then, we carry with us a cultural prejudice that associates the athletic and healthy body with stupidity and intellectual ignorance. The man of culture should be indifferent, if not even despise the body, because "it is the head that counts". So much for these well-educated people, as for all those who only think about "getting big", I would like to remember that Descartes has been dead for a long time and that the body is not an object, but our essential "being in the world"; we must therefore take care of ourselves in the totality that we represent. But the political class should also remember this, because, regardless of the party to which it belongs, it has never really invested in the culture of health and sport, even at school level.
Differentiate the service by giving it added value
For all the instructors and PTs who actually want to do their work with seriousness and preparation, it may be useful, then, to look for a new way to go to different areas of use: people who don't care about going to the gym to have a body to be shown this summer at the beach, but who are attentive in terms of health. Therefore, it is not enough to provide a subscription package that includes "the wellness area" with sauna, Turkish bath, beautician and so on: it is necessary to create environments where there is a holistic interest for each different subject. The client must be able to follow a path and learn important notions about his own well-being, followed by qualified personnel who work in teams, where doctors, personal trainers and psychologists know how to interact constructively for the well-being of the person. This is the best way to go, especially for small gyms that certainly do not have the charm of mega fitness centers. The latter, having all the innovations on the market and beautiful environments, succeed in obtaining - despite the onerous subscription - a good commercial success, probably also due to the "in" environment that is created, certainly not accessible to all from an economic point of view. The result is that the small gyms are "out", if they do not aim for a truly quality service.
Cost and lack of time are often just excuses
Finally, there remain reasons such as the lack of money and time. On money everyone has to make a personal reflection: is not your own well-being and health worth? 50.00 per month? But these days, unfortunately, there are also those who can't really afford it; I believe then that even the State should reflect and facilitate the practice of physical activity in economic terms, if it really wants to reduce the healthcare costs that weigh so much on the budget.
As for the lack of time, another examination of conscience is often necessary: how many hours do we dedicate every week to aperitifs, walks in shopping centers, on television or chat on the internet?
Ultimately, there needs to be a change of mentality both on the part of the experts and on the part of the customers. We need to promote a healthy image of the fitness environment, which today can also be very serious and prepared from a technical and scientific point of view, but which is still little known to the general public from this point of view. Making correct information is fundamental, and it would be interesting to try maybe even using the television medium to create a space that concretely associates medicine and sport, rather than limiting itself to the banal advice of at least 30 'walk a day! Even the internet can be a valuable tool in this direction, despite having the disadvantage of reaching only those who are already interested in the subject.
Users, for their part, should understand that in the game there is not only aesthetics (or at least not only that), but, above all, their own psycho-physical well-being.
"Health above all" ... but it is not enough to say it, we must really believe in it and also accept the fact that to conquer it we need a bit of perseverance and hard work!
You don't want what's easy to get. (Ovid)
