A Seat at the Table

Encouraging policymakers to view the health and fitness industry as part of the broader preventive health landscape is a marathon, not a sprint, HFA Chief of Staff Mike Goscinski emphasized on The Perfect Step podcast, A Seat at the Table: Making Health & Fitness Accessible to Everyone.

The Perfect Step podcast is hosted by Hal Hargrave, founder and CEO of The Perfect Step, an activity-based recovery center. Hargrave is an activist for adding more inclusive programs in the fitness industry and is a regular presence at HFA advocacy events, including the annual HFA Fly-In and Advocacy Summit.

In a candid and passionate discussion, Goscinski told Hargrave that the advocacy process can seem slow, but the investment in time and money eventually pays off, and progress is being made. The growing recognition of the importance of health, lifestyle, and wellness for longevity and preventive health is creating greater opportunity for HFA’s advocacy efforts.

“That process of change is long, like the erosion of a beach. It takes constant pressure and constant conversations over an extended period of time,” he said.

Education as the Foundation for Change and Advocacy

Advocacy is first and foremost about education, but it also requires sales and relationship-building.

“The pandemic brought to light that if you don't have a trusted voice communicating that value, nobody else is saying it for you,” Goscinski explained. “Policymakers are humans, meaning they can only make decisions with the information they have.”

A retiring member of Congress told Goscinski: “You guys don’t need any more science to prove that working out helps. You need to show that it will provide economic and healthcare savings, and it’ll drive the longevity that we’re looking for in the return on investment when we’re making change in Washington.”

In addition to supporting new research and communicating the value of physical activity, HFA emphasizes the jobs, economic impact, community access, and mental health benefits that fitness facilities provide.

That broader case, Goscinski says, helps shift the narrative about the role the industry plays.

“We’re not talking about a hobby or a sport—it’s a vital part of the preventive health infrastructure,” he contends. “And the relationships we’re building with policymakers help ingrain the industry into the decision-making process moving forward.”

Making the Case, State by State

At the federal level, HFA is currently working on legislation to establish a 10-year update cycle for the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, similar to the one for the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, both established by the US government. The goal is to give physical activity the same weight as nutrition in the public health discussion.

HFA is also collaborating with the Physical Activity Alliance (PAA) to encourage physicians to assess, prescribe, and give referrals for physical activity. (See here for more.) Last year, the organizations got Medicare to reimburse doctors for assessments of physical activity and nutrition during routine checkups.

Across all 50 states, HFA is “blocking and tackling” to prevent legislation and regulation that could negatively affect operators, while also proactively positioning the role of physical activity in everyone’s life.

Recent efforts include modernizing cancellation and auto-renewal policies and influencing regulations on emerging recovery services such as cold spas.

“We would much rather be driving the discussion of how they're regulated [than] having policymakers decide to regulate them without our input,” Goscinski pointed out.

Operator Involvement Starts at the Local Level

HFA can open doors and make connections, Goscinski says, but policymakers ultimately need to hear from the operators serving their communities. “Our members are really driving this forward.”

Advocacy doesn't have to begin in Washington, either. “If someone believes something in their community needs to change,” he says, “it's not as difficult as you think. All it takes is making that first phone call.”

That could mean attending a local town hall, engaging with a mayor, or inviting a city or town council member to sit down and discuss an issue affecting the community.

Advocacy, Goscinski says, depends on sustained engagement and a collective voice. “We want everybody to be passing the torch. Everybody is an advocate.”