People Who Need People

Fitness facility operators keep finding ways to bring people together—to the benefit of both operators and consumers.

Like the term "wellness," "community" is a word with many interpretations. Drilling down on its precise meaning in the context of the health and fitness industry is a challenge, one that HFA Board Chair Luke Carlson grapples with in his column this month.

However you define community, it’s an imperative for one very important reason: People need it for their health.

Research has found that social isolation:

• increases mortality risk;

• leads to a 29% increase in risk coronary heart disease and a 32% increase in risk of stroke; and

• increases risk for all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia.

That’s just a partial list. It’s no wonder that in 2023 the US Surgeon General declared a loneliness epidemic, saying that up to 40% of the nation’s adults suffered from the condition.

At the beginning of the decade, we all got a crash course in the debilitating effects of social isolation. But the origins of the loneliness trend is not just about the pandemic. The increase in social isolation started well before 2020.

Technology is frequently blamed for this. Maybe it’s fitting that our community-themed issue follows our technology-themed issue. Social stratification and isolation are certainly exacerbated by excessive screen time, but other cultural and economic forces have played a part.

What’s interesting about the research on the health risks of social isolation is how closely it hews to studies on the health risks of physical inactivity. This is why the health and fitness industry offers such an elegant, long-term solution to improving population health around the world. It’s a twofer, a win-win, a two-for-one deal you just can’t pass up.

So how do operators create communities that last?

What’s interesting about the research on the health risks of social isolation is how closely it hews to studies on the health risks of physical inactivity.

All Together Now

In this issue, we talk about the many ways communities form in fitness facilities. In the introduction to our Creating Community section, we draw from a just-released ABC Fitness report, Wellness Watch Mid-Year 2026: The Reinforcement Shift. What stands out in the report is the conclusion that “community is the new currency.”

The members surveyed were clear: They want community. It helps them remain accountable and engaged (good for operators) and improves their physical and mental health (good for consumers). Another twofer.

One notable datapoint: More than half of active consumers surveyed (61%) said community improved mental and emotional well-being.

Many fitness communities come from nowhere—who could have predicted the tribal bonding of CrossFit or the rise of current community builders like pickleball and indoor fitness competitions like HYROX? Operators can build on these word-of-mouth movements in the fitness space, while creating a number of social- and fitness-focused events that appeal to the demographic profile of their membership. The facilities and experts we profile in this issue provide a number of examples that worked for them.

Maybe the fitness entrepreneur who knew the power of community best is somebody we sadly said goodbye to recently. Les Mills passed away on June 29 at age 91. With his son, Phillip, and daughter-in-law, Jackie, Les helped build the longest-running community fitness phenomenon in history with Les Mills International. The group classes have gone through many changes over the decades, but the demand for what Les Mills International offers hasn’t diminished.

As Les Mills knew, what binds people as a community will change as people age and new generations emerge. But one thing will never change: People will always need people, and the global health and fitness industry should be there to bring them together.

Contributors

Patricia Amend

Patricia Amend, who holds an M.A. in journalism from New York University, has been a writer, editor, and author for 30+ years. She took up long-distance running, which piqued her interest in healthy lifestyles and the fitness industry. She also specializes in financial health—small business and personal finance.

In addition to writing some 600 articles about the industry—mostly for HFA—Ms. Amend served as Executive Editor of Health & Fitness Business (formerly Club Business International) and Managing Editor of Club Business Europe, and she produced research reports, newsletters, program guides, and marketing materials for HFA.

Other stories have appeared in Club Industry, ACE Fitness Matters, USA Today, Inc. Magazine, Money.com, AARP.org, and AARP The Magazine. One of her books, The 30-Minute Fitness Solution, published by Harvard University Press, received an Award of Excellence from the American Medical Writers Association. She can be reached at patriciaamend2@gmail.com.

Sean Callahan

Sean Callahan is a writer and reporter whose career has included stops at LinkedIn, Innovid, Bizo, Crain Communications, and GeezerJock Magazine (RIP). His freelance journalism has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Salon.com, and Notre Dame Magazine. He is the author of five children's books, including Voting With a Porpoise. He strives to work out six days a week.

Jon Feld

Jon Feld has been writing for four decades. He has a diverse and varied background: editor for Club Industry magazine, publications director at Boston University, director of Content Development at Inc. Magazine, media business owner, and more. One thread has been a near constant for most of his career: He’s been writing for HFA since 1987. He can be contacted at jfeld@oncoremedia.net.

Julie King

Julie King is a freelance writer with more than 30 years of experience in the fitness industry. She’s worked as a content creator, personal trainer, group fitness instructor, fitness director, fitness/wellness coordinator, and health club manager. Since 2002, King has been a contributing writer to Health & Fitness Business. Her work has also appeared in the Journal on Active Aging, Club Solutions, Recreation Management, Campus Recreation, National Fitness Trade Journal, and Fitness Management. Holding a B.S. in journalism and an M.S. in kinesiology, King was a contributing author to The Fitness Handbook, published by Stairmaster Sports/Medical Products. She can be contacted at julie.king1@comcast.net.

Health & Fitness Business is a publication of

Health & Fitness Business (HFB) is the leading health and fitness industry publication. Published monthly by the Health & Fitness Association (HFA) and distributed free to the industry, HFB offers analysis of the opportunities, challenges, issues, and news that impact the industry.

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