Guidelines for Meetings With Legislators
Here’s how to make the most of your visits on Capitol Hill.
The HFA Fly-In is intentionally different from a traditional trade association lobby day.
The focus is not simply on business concerns but also demonstrating how physical activity infrastructure can help address some of the country’s largest health and prevention challenges.
Meeting with a member of Congress or Congressional staff is an opportunity to position the health and fitness industry as a credible partner in prevention, public health, and long-term health outcomes.
The following framework is designed to help guide conversations and ensure attendees communicate with consistency, confidence, and credibility.
Introductions & Business Overview
Begin by briefly introducing yourself, your organization or facility, your role, and your connection to the member’s district or state. Explain that you are participating in the HFA Fly-In to discuss prevention, physical activity, public health, and policies that can help Americans live healthier lives.
This is also an opportunity to highlight the role your organization plays in supporting the health and well-being of your local community.
Helpful topics to mention:
● Number of locations/employees
● Community partnerships
● Senior wellness programs
● Youth engagement
● Recovery/rehabilitation programming
● Veteran or military partnerships
● Coaching and wellness support
Establish Industry Scale & Public Health Impact One of the primary goals of these meetings is establishing that the fitness industry represents significant national prevention infrastructure. Key Industry Statistics ● 81 million Americans held a fitness facility membership in 2025 ● More than 104 million Americans engaged with a fitness facility last year ● Americans made nearly 7 billion visits to fitness facilities in 2025 ● One in three Americans now uses a fitness facility Key Public Health Data ● Nearly half of fitness facility members meet or exceed recommended physical activity guidelines ● Only 24.5% of non-users meet those guidelines ● Only 4.7% of members report no weekly physical activity compared to 33.1% of non-users Recommended Language “The health and fitness industry has evolved into one of the nation’s largest community-based physical activity and prevention infrastructures.” Avoid saying: ● “We represent gyms” ● “We’re asking Congress to help our industry” Instead use phrases like: ● “prevention infrastructure” ● “community-based wellness” ● “scalable physical activity engagement” ● “long-term health outcomes” ● “healthcare cost reduction”
Inside Scoop: How to Get the Most Out of Your Congressional Meetings
Former US Rep. Susan Molinari shares what makes a lasting impact on legislators in constituent meetings.
Former US Rep. Susan Molinari served four terms in Congress representing New York. She has had a fair share of visits from constituents, and she knows what leaves a lasting impression in constituent meetings. Recently, she sat down with HFA Chief of Staff Mike Goscinski in the first episode of the relaunched HFA podcast, HFA Pod, to offer insights into how to make your meetings at the Fly-In and Advocacy Summit more impactful.
During her tenure in the House, Molinari held leadership positions within the Republican Conference and played a key role in some of Washington’s most important legislative debates. She earned a reputation as one of Capitol Hill’s most effective bipartisan communicators and strategic thinkers.
Since leaving Congress, Molinari has remained deeply engaged in Washington policy discussions, advising major organizations and helping leaders navigate the complex intersection of policy and influence. She also worked as Google's vice president of public policy and government affairs for nearly seven years. She brings a rare perspective to advocacy work, with a deep understanding of what industries want to communicate and what lawmakers and their staffs are most receptive to hearing.
Notable & Quotable
Here are some highlights from HFA Pod’s interview with US Representative Susan Molinari.
On personal stories as advocacy tools: “The personal stories are precious. You're humanizing. I started doing strength training at the gym and my bone density in my spine improved by 9% in two years. Now that's preventative health medicine.”
On inviting lawmakers to your facility: “Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. The businesses I remember are the ones that got me good press. You invite them in, you make sure you have a good group there and invite the local paper. That’s a home run for any business.”
On the power of collective advocacy: “When you do it not as a one-off, but collectively, that really breaks through the noise.”
On the closing call to action: “Somebody gets off the couch and leaves their business for a day or two and comes to Washington, DC to talk to me—it’s important to them. That was the message I always had: The CEO came in, this must be really important. It will pay you in spades.”