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 An IDEA Whose Time Has Come
By Peter & Kathie Davis
To put it simply, Americans are overweight and out-of-shape
and it is taking a tremendous toll on our people, our economy
and our nation's health care system. And with the Director of
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calling
obesity the Number One health threat in the Unites States today,
it is incumbent upon the fitness industry to come together and
act now.
This will not be an easy task since we need to reach the more than 70-percent of adult women and 60-percent of adult men who get no regular exercise and nearly half of young people aged 12-21 who do not participate in any sort of vigorous physical activity. But we must accept this challenge since it presents the fitness industry with an unprecedented opportunity to be a positive social force for change.
Many of us have been a part of the fitness industry for years, if not decades, and what we are seeing now is a culmination of our collective efforts to promote and encourage physical well being. A health and fitness renaissance is taking place in the United States with a growing societal awareness that health, fitness and wellness are key components to a healthy, happy and successful life. A shift is beginning to occur in our cultural consciousness similar to our attitudes about smoking, and drinking and driving that have evolved over the past few decades; and like these situations, many segments of society are coalescing into a united front to take on the serious health crisis of obesity and inactivity.
At IDEA Health & Fitness Association, we have launched Inspire
the World to Fitness®, a broad-based initiative to utilize
the fitness industry as a powerful and effective force to combat
this significant public health crisis. One goal of Inspire the
World to Fitness® is to give fitness professionals the motivational
tools and resources they need to provide realistic and effective
exercise programs. We have challenged IDEA's 21,000 members
to touch five inactive people per year and to make exercise
a part of their lives. In time, IDEA members will reach hundreds
of thousands of non-exercisers and this figure could be even
larger if the fitness industry as a whole accepts this sort
of challenge
By everyone working together to get this message out, we can truly make a difference. In the meantime, it is important to remember that we need to reach out, even if it is just to one person at a time as we help them make a change in their life. When asked how many people she had helped in the streets of India, Mother Theresa responded by saying, "It is not how much we do, but how much love we put into doing it. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving." These are important words to remember as the fitness industry responds to an immense challenge and an important opportunity.
Inspire the World to Fitness Campaign
You have the rare opportunity to Inspire the World on a daily, if not hourly, basis by educating your clients on better nutrition, effective exercise routines and motivational techniques. You also have the chance to listen to clients and help them work toward a higher quality of life each time they see you.
IDEA's goal is to have our membership reach over a million inactive people in the next 5 years. We believe this will be possible if, each year, an IDEA member inspires just five non-exercisers to commit to a program of regular physical activity. How are You Inspiring the World to Fitness? Accept the Challenge from IDEA and send us the names of Five people you have Inspired.
Every year, inspire 5 new people to start exercising.
What can you do to reach five non-exercisers this year? Speak at a local service club? Offer a free class? Meet your neighbors and invite them along for a walk?
Our vision for Inspire the World to Fitness is to support you by becoming the source for credible programs and inspirational tools. IDEA will profile programs and services that can be used as models. Our conferences and publications will have a greater focus on motivational and behavioral change so you can increase your clients' chances of success.
We will continue to establish strong relationships with other organizations and individuals that share the mission to Inspire the World to Fitness. And we will reach out to allied health and wellness professionals, since they reach many people who could use exercise as a prescription for better health. We will also work with the news media to ensure that they are aware of the positive work fitness professionals are doing.
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