When I was in third grade, I used to be one of the fastest runners in my class. As time went on, I grew sluggish. I didn’t enjoy running anymore. I started to avoid any physical activity. In the last year, I have made an unconscious commitment to go to the gym at least two times a week. How could I not? I have the most amazing gym partner with the best discipline in the world about working out.
Getting to the gym is not the problem. It’s what I do at the gym that concerns me. I go through the motions and I complete each work out. Yet, I don’t think I’m doing enough. Each week I do the same weights, and I don’t really increase them because I know what I can handle. I’m not pushing my limits. And that is a problem to me. So how do I fix it? With this blog.
Today, I have found new ways to get motivated. I looked into
the different fitness classes that my gym has to offer. As I was perusing
through the website, I clicked on “Contact Us” and recognized all the social
media logos on that page. Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Pinterest. The gym uses
each of these channels to interact with its customers. I found information
about upcoming gym events as well as inspirational quotes and fitness
information. This is great online
marketing for the gym. It’s a marvelous way of promoting events and building a
good reputation as an organization that cares for its members by providing
useful information. However, I didn’t notice much feedback from the gym members
other than “liking” posts and pictures, and an occasional comment here and
there. I think that something is missing that would allow my gym to better
interact with its members.
After doing some research online, I concluded that the
missing puzzle piece is a human element. I discovered online communities for
fitness devotees. There are so many fitness bloggers that share their
experiences candidly and they get a lot of feedback from people. I think my gym can look into incorporating
blogs for their instructors and trainers on the gym’s website so that they may
interact with customers on a more personal level. It could potentially motivate
members like me to get serious or make the gym a more comfortable place for
those who are turned off by going to a gym. How else can a gym use social media
to get people to the gym and motivating them while they are there? Any ideas?
Related links:
This is a great article about fitness communities online:
http://greatist.com/fitness/fitchickinthecity-online-communities
This article highlights some of the best fitness blogs out
there (I am definitely following some of these!):
http://thechalkboardmag.com/14-best-fitness-blogs
I agree it’s great how interactive and connected gyms are with their customers. I think the best part of my gym is the fact that I can check the website to see the class schedule on my phone as I’m running other errands. It’s a great improvement from before when I use to have a printout copy with me, and if I didn’t have it handy I would have to call. The fact that they use social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to inform their clients of their offerings and updates is very helpful. I also agree that the human connection, in this case blogs, is very important and plays a big role when it comes to continuing fitness and proper dietary eating habits.
ReplyDeleteI also agree! I have been doing Crossfit for a little over a year now and it all got started because of a video I saw on Facebook. Ever since then I use viral videos and blog posts, even things I see on Pinterest, to motivate me and to give me ideas on different exercises and mobility workouts that I can do - especially on days that I can't make it to the gym. I definitely think that social mediums are a GREAT way to motivate others to workout, keeping up to date with fitness blogs and just staying on top of a healthy lifestyle. It's something you can take anywhere so you don't have any excuses on continuing on the path toward healthy living.
ReplyDeleteI used to be an avid half marathon runner until my knees started giving me trouble and now I run 5Ks and actively go to the gym. It actually has been a great way to make friends in a new city and helped me to stay motivated. Apart from all of that I have recently purchased a fitbit tracker and so too has one of my running buddies. Posting your workout and time on Facebook or any social media site at first was daunting. I didn't want to seem slow. As I continued getting more fit I was actually excited to post my times and runs. My friend and I would comment on each other's times and even post pictures of our runs up (when we stopped to catch a breather). Something like this would be a great way for a gym to increase communication and interactivity among its gym-goers. I really appreciated the support and messages I received during my training for my past 5k. Gyms are like communities and having that extra option to communicate online would improve moral and belonging at a gym in my opinion, perhaps even increase retention and enrollment.
ReplyDeleteOnline interaction is a terrific way for fitness facilities to motivate clients. Sharing tips and resources is always appreciated by users. Additionally, I love it when competitions are made public to users. It is interesting to see the success stories from ordinary people participating in competitions, such as "the biggest looser", from people who are local. It is a great motivational factor.
ReplyDeleteHello Aburto,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the fitness problems and lack of interactivity through the social media, but at the same time they don’t have any interactivity in person, if you don’t pay an extra fee to have a fitness trainer you are going to get just a tour thought the gym. I understand that everything in the life have a cost and can’t be free, this is causing some people lose their inspirations and motivations to continuing going to the gym due to the fact of non-information and lack of success of losing the desire weight. Personally, I can share this is the cause why always go just one month to the gym and lose my expectation and initiatives. I believed that this should be a good idea for the gym and will create a good reputation and interactivity with customers. Happy customers, happy ending. And I will end my comment with a bright quote of Bill Gates: “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning”
Working out is very important to me. However till now i haven't found a gym that used social media to motivate me.Working out could be the most boring thing and it could be the most amazing two hours you do in your day. However I think by providing support through social media and helping by providing a service to manage people's workout schedules through Facebook pages or twitter they will gain a huge number of subscribers and gain their loyalty.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree about the importance of interaction and the use of blogs to promote it. I am an avid follower of healthy living blogs and always take note of all the comments for each post (hundreds and sometimes even thousands). Blogs (and good bloggers) can really be a great way to start a conversation among like-minded people, or even a debate, and I feel this really helps one feel like part of the community. I think a gym like the one you mentioned could really benefit from blogging by getting more people to join in on conversations about fitness, ultimately helping the gym identify their needs and maybe end up offering more classes and services that gym-goers are looking for.
ReplyDelete