You’ve Found It!

Here’s something I never get tired of repeating: Fitness Incentive has won the Best Member Experience in a Private Independent Gym award from the MEA (Membership Experience Awards) for the 6th straight year. To put that in context, the award has only existed for six years, so we’ve run the table. If you’re unfamiliar with the MEA, they base their awards on member responses to a simple survey. You’ve almost certainly received one or more of these surveys, which ask how likely you are to recommend a friend or family member to join Fitness Incentive. Nearly 1000 gyms worldwide send similar surveys, and the MEA tabulates the results to determine whose members express the highest degree of satisfaction with their club experience. Well, apparently, it’s our members – yes, you! And let’s be honest, it’s a two-way street; you can’t have the best experience without the best people, both members and staff. So, thank you once again for your long-term support and commitment. We do it all for you, and it’s tremendously satisfying to see that you recognize and appreciate our efforts.

What’s On Deck?

But we’re not done. Are we ever? We’re busy planning ways to make your experience even better. How, you ask? Well…

Reconfiguring the Gym Floor

Over the past few years, the gym population has slowly gravitated from a cardio focus, sometimes strictly so, to one that emphasizes strength training. This makes sense, as numerous studies and pundits espouse the benefits of strength training and the importance of lean muscle mass for health, weight maintenance, fitness, and longevity. As always, our members are front-running this trend, putting greater demand on our strength training facilities. We see and hear you! As a result, we’re deep in the weeds rethinking the gym floor to consolidate our cardio equipment and provide more space for strength and functional training. We’ll share more with you as our plans firm up. We’re targeting summer 2024 to roll out these changes, so stay tuned! There’s more to come.

Advanced Training for Our Personal Trainers

We’ve spent the last four post-COVID years rebuilding our Personal Training Department, and we’re very pleased with the progress we’ve made. Our team of trainers has diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, and there is absolutely one or more of them who can help you find your “perfect fit.” We recently introduced a new internal certification program to help our trainers advance their knowledge and skills to an elite level. We are incredibly fortunate to have Giuseppe Ciccolella, who, apart from his numerous certifications, had invaluable experience implementing the trainer certification program at Equinox Fitness Clubs, here to help us roll out our own. Our entire PT staff has been working their way through the first semester of the training program, and I’m confident that every one of them has benefitted from the training. Even Cor has joined in and is amazed at how much she has learned in the classes. Our mantra: always be learning, always be improving!

Our Investment is in You!

We are making these investments in our physical space and professional knowledge to ensure that Fitness Incentive remains your trusted partner in achieving your most important health and fitness goals. Way back in 1984, we were founded on a simple but visionary goal: to build bodies that last. We’re relentlessly pursuing that goal 40+ years later, with no end in sight. Thank you for taking the journey with us!

New Faces All Around

Not only do we have a bunch of new members in the gym – welcome one and all! – we have a sizable group of new trainers and instructors, along with the return of a deeply missed star from years past:

Dina Voigt is Back!

She needs no introduction! After a too-long hiatus, Dina is back at FI for a regularly scheduled Sunday Pilates Mat class and is available for Pilates Reformer sessions.

Introducing…

Diana Teichert – Yoga

Diana is a certified yoga instructor and personal trainer. She’s also certified in sound healing and is an Acutonics practitioner with tuning forks. She firmly believes in facilitating all aspects of wellness to give the body its healthiest outcome. She also believes a smile goes a long way! (see her article in this issue)

Katarina Hendrickson – Yoga

Katarina’s yoga practice in restorative arts has completely recentered her life and allowed her to live with more ease and devotion. She strives to create a space that grants others the safety and freedom to feel into their bodies and befriend themselves.

Paige Bachety – Pilates

Paige fell in love with Pilates when she saw how low-impact exercise improved her performance in the rest of the gym while dramatically improving her stress levels. She’s excited to help you meet your health goals on the Pilates Reformer or the mat!

Megan LaFata – Personal Trainer, Cycling Instructor

Megan is an experienced lSSA Certified Personal Trainer specializing in strength and conditioning and a Certified Cycling Instructor. She was a collegiate track and field athlete and loves training for and running half marathons.

On the Cover – Making It Magical in the Nursery

Vin LaFererra, resident shake-maker and artist extraordinaire, has been slowly but surely remaking the mural in the nursery. It’s a large undertaking, and Vin is bringing his talent and perfectionism to bear on the project. Take a look, and learn more about Vin in this issue of FTP.

See You in This Summer!

We’ll be back in June to update you on the results of the annual Spring Fitness Challenge, affectionately dubbed “The Contest,” progress on the gym floor project, and our advanced training program.

Have a beautiful Spring!

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