For the New Year and Beyond

Consistency in blogging hasn’t been my strong suit in recent weeks leading up to the holidays, so that (consistency) will be one of my short-term goals for the New Year.

I read in the Dec. 29th issue of the Wall Street Journal that a Russian professor is generating some publicity from his predictions that the US “will fall apart in 2010.”  His theory is that economic difficulties will lead to civil stress and possibly a civil war, leading to the break-up of the States into regions influenced or controlled by interests such as the EU, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Japan, and/or China.  I don’t agree with the prof’s prediction, but I can’t say that I disagree with his assessment that we have some major economic and financial work ahead of us, and for years to come, not just for the short-term.  My concern is that the vast majority of the country doesn’t see it, so I’m hoping the President-Elect Obama will continue to send the message that people need to step up because “we know that government can’t solve every problem.”

So, what does all this have to do with our physical fitness and overall well-being?  Well, it struck me while reading the WSJ article that our economic issues are going to require some fiscal discipline to address them, just as we, as individuals and as a society, need to have some physical discipline to address our health (or lack thereof, today).  By looking around it’s hard to argue against the notion that today our society is lazy – physically, mentally, and behaviorally lazy – and we don’t know how to delay instant gratification or how to put in some work to get a desired benefit, whether those benefits are higher net worth in the future, or a stronger, healthier body in the near-term.

The link between seemingly unrelated areas of life and their impact on one’s success – however one defines it – was illustrated for me several years ago when working with a patient at a hospital-based wellness center.  A gentleman, who was a successful entrepreneur and owner of about seven businesses, came to see me for behavioral and practical help with exercise.  It turns out that he had just recently found his unique solution for the first part, the behavioral part, prior to seeing me, so I can’t take any credit for it.  For years he put his energy into his work and couldn’t ever seem to make any health-related lifestyle changes stick.  At one point, someone asked him why he didn’t treat his body like one of his businesses – and that clicked for him.  He found that the goal-setting, discipline, and other tools that he used for his work could be successfully used for his health, and his improved health in turn helped him not only enjoy life more, but also add to his business success.

When we realize that we’re the entrepreneurs of our lives and take control our health and our wealth, we – individuals and society – will be better off for it.  And who knows, maybe the U.S. will last long enough to see 2011.

Underappreciated Resources

Ever feel like your employer doesn’t quite value your contribution to the organization?  The other day a colleague told me about a conversation she had with a contact at a national health club chain – you might be surprised which one – that featured exactly that situation. This person is a personal trainer at one of the company’s locations, and was surprised to recently learn that as part of the firm’s cost-cutting efforts in the wake of the recession, she and her fellow trainers at the club have inherited responsibility for the cleaning and upkeep of one of the facility’s restrooms.

Excuse me? The fact that some facilities treat their personal trainers – their fitness and health professionals – as simply a club equivalent of car salesmen is bad enough in my view (perhaps I’ll save my detailed view on that for another post). Now this company decides that having these professionals clean bathrooms is a good bottom-line strategy. Demoralizing? Yeah, I’d say so. Let me line up to work there. Increased staff turnover? Coming right up. Brand equity? Uh, yeah, I think the club’s and each individual trainer’s brand just took a hit on that one; let’s face it, would you view your doctor or the practice the same way if you walked in the bathroom and saw him/her cleaning up and replacing the toilet paper? Poor resource allocation? Yep, got that one here too – these people are supposed to be generating revenue by transforming lives, and now instead of working on their craft or client management during their downtime, they’re pulling out the Charmin.

Monthly dues are typically the dominant source of revenue for facilities, but programs, services, and food & beverages are where a club really makes its money and reinvests into the equipment and facility. And given that the health club industry is essentially a service business, it makes sense that clubs respect their providers since they – in various areas of a facility – are the ones creating the experience for users. Equipment is great, locker rooms are a wow factor, but people are really the difference-makers. Unfortunately, some companies treat their differentiating factors like commodities. Not a problem for patrons as long as they are comfortable lowering their expectations.

Weekender: Just a Reminder

For those of you who may have been going to Pizza Hut lately for all of the nutritious, alternative menu items they now offer, this is just a reminder.

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Iffy Strategy

Over a long holiday weekend, I read a Chicago Tribune article on “financial triage” – the need to prioritize your personal finances pronto in the wake of a job loss in the current economic climate. Since job loss affects the income side, the gist of the article was to address the spending side, and one of the first tips was to act quickly and decisively. An example here, along with eliminating a Netflix-type of DVD subscription, was to eliminate the health club membership.

I understand that the message here is to cut deep in times of personal financial crisis, and I also understand that the health club reference was only an example. Nonetheless, I take issue with it. Of all the things that a person or family could and should cut in those instances, a health club membership is not one of them. Sure, if someone has a membership that is rarely or never used, then nix it because it’s serving no purpose other than to drain the bank account. However, if a person is actually using it then I’m going to take a “wild” guess based on research and years of experience that there are physical and mental benefits being gained. In that situation, cutting a health club membership just makes the situation worse, because it cuts off an outlet for stress, as well as opportunities for maintaining self-esteem in a very difficult time. Not only that, but given that many self-branding gurus talk about one’s appearance (physical and clothing) and demeanor as a product package, similar to an actual product or service package, the last thing a person would want to do in a competitive employment environment such as a recession is to let their brand slip a bit in comparison to their competition. Cutting out a club membership, assuming that’s the primary place a person gets their regular exercise, does exactly all of those negative things.

Just as personal finance experts distinguish between good debt (house, education, etc.) and bad debt (credit cards), I’d make a distinction between good or necessary expenses (house, groceries, health club, etc.) and bad or unnecessary expenses (dinners out, cable TV, books/music, etc.). I recognize that what’s necessary and unnecessary varies by individual, but I argue that one’s health and overall well-being is a non-negotiable – even in times like these.