Technology and Fitness - Things are Changing and Fast

How many people utilize online trackers for health and fitness ? That was one of several questions posed to me by "Steve", an IHRSA member, as part of IHRSA's "Ask an industry leader program". Here is his question in its entirety:

“How many people use online trackers/health social networks for health? Are there any sites you know of? Any research in this area? Do other health clubs recommend this to customers?”

For those of you who follow me you've read my prior posts on wireless devices and wellness in addition to technology's impact on the future of the fitness industry, which touches on this and other topics. Well developed research is not readily available to the general public but there are some interesting metrics to consider when asking the question. During 2009 the Nike+ Human Race, participants ran a combined total of 802,863 miles and during the inaugural 2008 Nike+ Human Race  more than 750,000 runners participated in the event, which took place in more than 24 cities worldwide. Over 2 million users rely on the Nike Plus web site (read Wired's article "The Nike Experiment. How the Shoe Giant Unleashed the Power of Personal Metrics"). That should give you an idea. Recently Adidas joined the rank with an even more powerful solution Micoach. There are many others.

The trend in fitness and wellness towards online tracking with personal and mobile devices being integrated continues. Mobility in general is exploding with over 4 billion devices growin to nearly 15 Bilion devices attached to the Internet in the next four years with (mobile smart phones in the US will reach 150 million users in 2011) . In fitness and wellness the category has become better defined recently. On one hand there are the simple calorie-counters, like Philips DirectLife and fitbit. More complicated devices, like Polar's FT80 and others strap onto your wrist like a small computer. Other advanced systems like Progio have special devices that work with heart rate technologies to enable tracking and deliver educational and workout content. In the middle are devices for casual marathoners: the Nike+ iPod system, and now Adidas' latest mid-range system.

Social media is connected to many of these solutions, with Nike Plus for example enabling people to connect, compete and share their performance through an online platform.

Outside of the integrated solutions like Nike Plus or Adidas' new system, fitday.com, dailyburn.com and other online soutions provide workout, calorie counting and other tools and solutions to help people get fit. Many of these solutions are offered under a "freemium" model with premium upgrades available.

Interestingly many health clubs do not integrate these online offerings, although this is changing and some like  Vitabot which provides nutritional tools online work with health clubs to deliver nutritional online solutions to their members. Good life fitness, a successful fitness chain based in Canada offers at home fitness solutions to deliver workout content online and provide some basic tracking and motivation. Major chains like 24 hour fitness and lifetime among others are in the midst of testing and or introducing integrate online offerings as well. Expect these trends to continue and watch this video  (below) on the advancement of tracking in medicine.

Using Social Media to Grow Your Fitness Business

I had the chance to present to fitness industry professionals at Dallas Mania this weekend. It was great and my thanks go out to Sara Kooperman and her group for hosting the event and allowing me to present. The use of Social Media in all businesses is a hot topic. I have included my presentation here for your review. Please reach out if I can be of any assistance in helping your fitness or wellness business utilize social media to grow revenues ! See the testimonial below !

Growing your fitness business using social media

Growing your fitness business using social media

View more presentations from Bryan ORourke.

View more presentations from Bryan ORourke.

Location Based Marketing is Here - Get Ready

While the folks at Facebook haven't confirmed how Facebook Places might eventually integrate with Facebook's business pages, this is in the works and once it happens companies will have an easy opportunity to market and promote their services on the social media platform.

The rollout of Facebook Places follows the launch of Google Places in April. Building on prior Google business listings, Google's solution offers up Web pages dedicated to individual businesses, showing where they are located, street-level images, and customer reviews of services or products. Businesses can also advertise through their Google Place pages.

The implications are enormous for business marketing. Expect huge growth in location based promotions and services. In the areas of the fitness industry, among other industries, very targeted applications will quickly emerge.

Watch the video on facebook pages to learn more and get your business ready for the coming merger of the physical and digital worlds ! This time with location based b2c engagement.

About the author:

Bryan O’Rourke is a health club industry expert, technologist, financier, and shareholder and executive in several fitness companies. He consults with global brands, serves as a member of the GGFA Think Tank is Chair of the Medical Fitness Association’s Education Committee, is President of the Fitness Industry Technology Council and a partner in Fitmarc, Integerus, Fitsomo and the Flywheel Group. To learn more contact Bryan here today .

Apple's Best Days Are Over - What Does It Mean for Fitness ?

David Olive's recent article titled Why Apple and Google May Have Their Best Days Behind Them is a thoughtful examination of the trends occuring in tehcnology today. There is a lot of rapid change going on. Its implications are broad and in fact relevant to the fitness industry; a traditional late comer to technology adoption. Why ? It has to do with change, adoption and open systems. Here are a few excerpts from David's article:

They dominated their industries until they didn’t. General Motors, Massey-Ferguson, IBM, Sears, Roebuck – in their heyday, it was unimaginable that they could be dislodged as kings of their castles by rival firms and new technology and business methods.

Apple is increasingly a smartphone company, and that sector is coming under intense attack from competitors. The maker of iPods, iPads and Mac computers now looks to iPhones for 34 per cent of total sales, or $5.3 billion (U.S.) in Apple’s most recent quarter.

Competing smartphones using Google Inc.’s Android operating system have claimed 27 per cent of the U.S. market, to the iPhone’s 23 per cent. And the Android rivals are able to play most videos and games on the Web, a capability lacking in the iPhone.

Google’s core business, Internet search, is slowing. The search business has been growing at a clip of 30 per cent to 40 per cent a year. But projections have it slowing to growth in the range of 15 per cent to 17 per cent.

Google still depends on search for 91 per cent of its $24 billion (U.S.) in sales, and 91 per cent of its profits. That’s troubling given the trend in which surfers are bypassing Google and Microsoft Corp. rival Bing and instead using the likes of Facebook and Twitter to canvass friends for information, and responding to alerts from shopping services like Groupon.

Certainly Google has tried to bolster its core franchise, with acquisitions of YouTube, ad network DoubleClick and mobile ad platform AdMob. Its Android smartphone software has become an iPhone killer for upward of a dozen Apple rivals.

Yet those businesses haven’t made a dent in Google’s reliance on old-fashioned search. With its core business facing erosion, it’s no wonder Google’s share price has dropped 21 per cent this year, underperforming a 1 per cent gain in the Nasdaq.

More consumer centric tecnhologies will emerge in the fitness industry. However, that they might rely on Apple as a central component is a question. That they will rely on Apple's mobile technology alone would really be unwise. Unfortunately many vendors seeking to deliver innovation will rely on tApple's mobile technology and that will be a mistake in my view.

Watch this video on the emergence of Android in the mobile market to illustrate my point. If you see vendors in fitness relying largely on Apple's solutions - that is a bad sign for them. Android will become the clear victor in the next two years.

Your IT Department's Fear of the Cloud

WARNING - STRONG LANGUAGE IN THE VIDEO BELOW.

Information technology is going through a tremendous shift in organizations. I'm not just talking about the technology per se; I am referring to a more challenging issue - that of the traditional role of the "IT" and its leadership That role in many organizations needs to change and how.

Used to be that the application of technologies in organizations required high levels of understanding around the technical aspects of it all. Think of the days when hobbyists would construct their own personal computers, ala Apple, in a garage. Like the Wright Brothers, IT required at its core inventors with detailed oriented personalities who had to focus on great minutia to get something to do what needed to be done. The benefits of automating manual tasks utilizing RPG or other code was low hanging fruit and a different paradigm than today. To realize the benefits of technology today in organizations requires a deeper understanding of its deployment. There exists a wide range of methods to achieve results more easily and more inexpensively - thanks to the Cloud. Hence this post and video.

I can tell you that the TRUE adoption of the Cloud is not what many in IT claim or represent it to be,. Cloud adoption is being stifled by IT leadership in many instances mostly out of fear. Fear of losing jobs; fear of being irrelevant; fear of the unknown. Business leaders need to GET THEIR HANDS around what the Cloud really is and start evaluating their options because in most cases the options are much more worthy of pursuit then they might know or are being told.  My partner Clint Lee brought the video below to my atention. It is an actual discussion in an organization between an internal customer and an IT leader. It is not an exaggeration.Watch it (pardon the expletives) and believe me when I tell you - YOU NEED TO EVALUATE THE REAL CLOUD. Feel free to contact me if you need any assistance.