Tornadoes Destroy Health Clubs in Joplin, MO, Tuscaloosa, AL

Tornadoes in the Midwest and Southeast this past spring killed hundreds and ravaged thousands of homes and buildings. Some fitness clubs in communities hit hardest by the storms were not spared.

Olympic Fitness Center, which had been in operation for years in Joplin, MO, was destroyed by an EF5 tornado on May 22. One report said that members hunkered down in a closet inside the club while the tornado roared over them.

Powerhouse Gym CEO Henry Dabish spent many anxious hours making calls and sending texts to his Joplin club’s owners and managers before he finally heard that they were OK. Powerhouse Gym opened its doors to displaced homeowners to use its shower facilities, Dabish says.

A Curves club in Joplin and its owner survived the tornado. The club, however, has been closed indefinitely, and the equipment has been removed to deter looters, according to a Curves spokesperson.

Maccaroo Gyms, a kids’ fitness facility in Joplin, did not sustain any detrimental damage, says operator Ken Scheuerman. The gym was used for the American Red Cross and Americorps after the tornado and re-opened for business on June 1, Scheuerman says.

“Things are a little hectic, but we feel it is important to promote a sense of normalcy as the community moves forward,” he says.

The three YMCA facilities in Joplin also are back to normal operating hours, but membership usage has dropped dramatically, and most of the usual programming has been suspended, according to Amy York, associate executive at the Joplin Family YMCA.

As of June 6, the tornado had killed 141 people, and all of the missing persons had been accounted for.

“You simply cannot imagine the devastation here,” Kevin Rhinehart, owner of Rhino Fitness Center that was unharmed in the Joplin tornado, said last month. “Nuclear war couldn’t be much worse.”

The description of the aftermath was eerily similar to what an EF4 tornado did to Tuscaloosa, AL, earlier this spring. The April 27 tornado there destroyed both a Planet Fitness and a World Gym. A few members at Planet Fitness took shelter in the locker room and were unharmed while the storm pummeled their club.

“The city in general is absolutely devastated,” David Leverett, owner of Fitness South in Tuscaloosa, said after the tornado killed 40 in his hometown. “It’s indescribable. It’s like a bomb went off right where Planet Fitness and World Gym were. It’s hard to fathom.”

Universities in both communities came to the aid of survivors. An athletic center at Missouri Southern State University became an American Red Cross shelter. The University of Alabama’s student rec center housed students whose off-campus housing had been damaged.

Tornadoes Destroy Health Clubs in Joplin, MO, Tuscaloosa, AL

Tornadoes in the Midwest and Southeast this past spring killed hundreds and ravaged thousands of homes and buildings. Some fitness clubs in communities hit hardest by the storms were not spared.

Olympic Fitness Center, which had been in operation for years in Joplin, MO, was destroyed by an EF5 tornado on May 22. One report said that members hunkered down in a closet inside the club while the tornado roared over them.

Powerhouse Gym CEO Henry Dabish spent many anxious hours making calls and sending texts to his Joplin club’s owners and managers before he finally heard that they were OK. Powerhouse Gym opened its doors to displaced homeowners to use its shower facilities, Dabish says.

A Curves club in Joplin and its owner survived the tornado. The club, however, has been closed indefinitely, and the equipment has been removed to deter looters, according to a Curves spokesperson.

Maccaroo Gyms, a kids’ fitness facility in Joplin, did not sustain any detrimental damage, says operator Ken Scheuerman. The gym was used for the American Red Cross and Americorps after the tornado and re-opened for business on June 1, Scheuerman says.

“Things are a little hectic, but we feel it is important to promote a sense of normalcy as the community moves forward,” he says.

The three YMCA facilities in Joplin also are back to normal operating hours, but membership usage has dropped dramatically, and most of the usual programming has been suspended, according to Amy York, associate executive at the Joplin Family YMCA.

As of June 6, the tornado had killed 141 people, and all of the missing persons had been accounted for.

“You simply cannot imagine the devastation here,” Kevin Rhinehart, owner of Rhino Fitness Center that was unharmed in the Joplin tornado, said last month. “Nuclear war couldn’t be much worse.”

The description of the aftermath was eerily similar to what an EF4 tornado did to Tuscaloosa, AL, earlier this spring. The April 27 tornado there destroyed both a Planet Fitness and a World Gym. A few members at Planet Fitness took shelter in the locker room and were unharmed while the storm pummeled their club.

“The city in general is absolutely devastated,” David Leverett, owner of Fitness South in Tuscaloosa, said after the tornado killed 40 in his hometown. “It’s indescribable. It’s like a bomb went off right where Planet Fitness and World Gym were. It’s hard to fathom.”

Universities in both communities came to the aid of survivors. An athletic center at Missouri Southern State University became an American Red Cross shelter. The University of Alabama’s student rec center housed students whose off-campus housing had been damaged.

NFL…..Dolphins Swarming Health Clubs and Gyms Gyms During Lockout

Be nice to the guy asking for a spot at the gym, he could be a member of the Dolphins.Next time you go to your local gym, be on the lookout for Miami Dolphins. With the NFL’s ongoing lockout nearly a month old, football players who might have otherwise worked out at team facilities during the offseason have found new workout spots, including an LA Fitness in Plantation.
A number of Dolphins, including WRs Davone Bess and Roberto Wallace, have been using the gym franchise to hold unofficial workouts with their teammates, the Miami Herald reported.After a glimmer of hope, the on-again, off-again National Football League lockout went back on again last week, much to the dismay of NFL fans, players and coaches. Instead of training in their team’s facility, players resumed working out wherever they could—perhaps even at your club.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen Jacksonville Jaguars at a Lifestyle Family Fitness, Philadelphia Eagles at a local aquatic and fitness center, St. Louis Rams at Emerge Fitness and a New Orleans Saints free agent at Elmwood Fitness Center.
Miami Dolphins have worked out at an LA Fitness in Miami, and an assortment of players from other teams, including New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker, are working out with a personal trainer amongst senior citizens at a Miami-area JCC.
“Everyone here is really, really friendly,” one NFL player says in this video shot at the JCC. “Besides them looking at us like we’re giants, that’s about it.”
Have your members rubbed elbows with locked-out NFL players who are now locked in at your club? If so, how do they interact with them?
Autographs probably aren’t the best way to go. Too much sweat would smear the ink.
(UPDATE: Several members of the Denver Broncos are working out at Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club, Greenwood Village, CO. Pictured above with group exercise instructor Sherri Weaver-Fast are Broncos Manny Ramirez, Zane Beadles and J.D. Walton, who had just completed Sherri’s Bosu Complete class. Not pictured, but who also works out at Greenwood: Tim Tebow.)A Herald reporter shot video of one of these public workouts and posted it to YouTube (see below). “If you stay ready you ain’t gotta get ready,” Bess said at a workout.Springtime is usually when NFL players are getting geared up for Organized Team Activities (OTAs), the offseason workouts and minicamps where players work out with their team and new acquisitions get up to speed on their team’s schemes and systems. Public workouts are not quite as structured as OTAs, but they do give players a chance to stay in game shape during the labor dispute.
However, running unofficial workouts carries its own risk. The Sun-Sentinel spoke to superagent Drew Rosenhaus, who noted that players injured in unofficial workouts during the lockout could be released by their teams. “It’s not a sanctioned activity,” he told the Sentinel, “so if a guy goes out there and blows his knee, the team can say they’ve decided not to pay your contract this year. It’s very risky.”
For that reason, Rosenhaus and other agents advise their clients to work out at professional facilities where they have access to trainers and medical staff. The Herald reported that Brandon Marshall, for instance, has been working out at Fit Speed Sports Performance in Fort Lauderdale.Regardless, this phenomenon of pro football players hitting the same gym as us regular people does give locals an extra incentive to wipe down the bench after finishing some presses. You would hate to inadvertently give Jake Long ringworm.

NFL…..Dolphins Swarming Health Clubs and Gyms Gyms During Lockout

Be nice to the guy asking for a spot at the gym, he could be a member of the Dolphins.Next time you go to your local gym, be on the lookout for Miami Dolphins. With the NFL’s ongoing lockout nearly a month old, football players who might have otherwise worked out at team facilities during the offseason have found new workout spots, including an LA Fitness in Plantation.
A number of Dolphins, including WRs Davone Bess and Roberto Wallace, have been using the gym franchise to hold unofficial workouts with their teammates, the Miami Herald reported.After a glimmer of hope, the on-again, off-again National Football League lockout went back on again last week, much to the dismay of NFL fans, players and coaches. Instead of training in their team’s facility, players resumed working out wherever they could—perhaps even at your club.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen Jacksonville Jaguars at a Lifestyle Family Fitness, Philadelphia Eagles at a local aquatic and fitness center, St. Louis Rams at Emerge Fitness and a New Orleans Saints free agent at Elmwood Fitness Center.
Miami Dolphins have worked out at an LA Fitness in Miami, and an assortment of players from other teams, including New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker, are working out with a personal trainer amongst senior citizens at a Miami-area JCC.
“Everyone here is really, really friendly,” one NFL player says in this video shot at the JCC. “Besides them looking at us like we’re giants, that’s about it.”
Have your members rubbed elbows with locked-out NFL players who are now locked in at your club? If so, how do they interact with them?
Autographs probably aren’t the best way to go. Too much sweat would smear the ink.
(UPDATE: Several members of the Denver Broncos are working out at Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club, Greenwood Village, CO. Pictured above with group exercise instructor Sherri Weaver-Fast are Broncos Manny Ramirez, Zane Beadles and J.D. Walton, who had just completed Sherri’s Bosu Complete class. Not pictured, but who also works out at Greenwood: Tim Tebow.)A Herald reporter shot video of one of these public workouts and posted it to YouTube (see below). “If you stay ready you ain’t gotta get ready,” Bess said at a workout.Springtime is usually when NFL players are getting geared up for Organized Team Activities (OTAs), the offseason workouts and minicamps where players work out with their team and new acquisitions get up to speed on their team’s schemes and systems. Public workouts are not quite as structured as OTAs, but they do give players a chance to stay in game shape during the labor dispute.
However, running unofficial workouts carries its own risk. The Sun-Sentinel spoke to superagent Drew Rosenhaus, who noted that players injured in unofficial workouts during the lockout could be released by their teams. “It’s not a sanctioned activity,” he told the Sentinel, “so if a guy goes out there and blows his knee, the team can say they’ve decided not to pay your contract this year. It’s very risky.”
For that reason, Rosenhaus and other agents advise their clients to work out at professional facilities where they have access to trainers and medical staff. The Herald reported that Brandon Marshall, for instance, has been working out at Fit Speed Sports Performance in Fort Lauderdale.Regardless, this phenomenon of pro football players hitting the same gym as us regular people does give locals an extra incentive to wipe down the bench after finishing some presses. You would hate to inadvertently give Jake Long ringworm.

Military Mom, Health Club Executive Lends a Helping Hand to Servicepeople

The mother of a naval serviceman and General Manager of Sports, Fitness & Fun health club, Roberta Kruse-Fordham is doing what she can to help the United States’ service people. Her health club is offering free memberships to active military personnel and their immediate families.The IHRSA Joining Forces Network urges health clubs to offer free memberships to the families of active reservists and National Guard members. Kruse-Fordham has met IHRSA’s call, and gone above and beyond by offering free six month memberships to all branches of the US military.”I am so proud and thankful to be a part of [The IHRSA Joining Forces Network],” Kruse-Fordham wrote to IHRSA in an email. “I operate a health club in Florida, New York and am the mom of a deployed Navy man.” She attached a photo of her son, T.J. (pictured above), whose wife and daughter remain at home in Jacksonville, Florida while he serves overseas.”It’s a great stress reliever to be able to work out, take yoga, do Pilates, especially for the people left at home, and certainly those who are about to be deployed,” Kruse-Fordham told her local newspaper, the Times Herald-Record.She added:”When I heard of this program, I joined the cause immediately because it spoke to my heart, and I believe it will do the same for others in our community. Our staff is so proud to be able to give back to the families of these courageous Americans in such a unique and beneficial way.”
To find out more about the IHRSA Joining Forces Network, or to get involved, please visit IHRSA.org/joining-forces-network.

Military Mom, Health Club Executive Lends a Helping Hand to Servicepeople

The mother of a naval serviceman and General Manager of Sports, Fitness & Fun health club, Roberta Kruse-Fordham is doing what she can to help the United States’ service people. Her health club is offering free memberships to active military personnel and their immediate families.The IHRSA Joining Forces Network urges health clubs to offer free memberships to the families of active reservists and National Guard members. Kruse-Fordham has met IHRSA’s call, and gone above and beyond by offering free six month memberships to all branches of the US military.”I am so proud and thankful to be a part of [The IHRSA Joining Forces Network],” Kruse-Fordham wrote to IHRSA in an email. “I operate a health club in Florida, New York and am the mom of a deployed Navy man.” She attached a photo of her son, T.J. (pictured above), whose wife and daughter remain at home in Jacksonville, Florida while he serves overseas.”It’s a great stress reliever to be able to work out, take yoga, do Pilates, especially for the people left at home, and certainly those who are about to be deployed,” Kruse-Fordham told her local newspaper, the Times Herald-Record.She added:”When I heard of this program, I joined the cause immediately because it spoke to my heart, and I believe it will do the same for others in our community. Our staff is so proud to be able to give back to the families of these courageous Americans in such a unique and beneficial way.”
To find out more about the IHRSA Joining Forces Network, or to get involved, please visit IHRSA.org/joining-forces-network.

Should Insurance Reimburse Health Clubs For Exercise Programs?.

It’s often been said that if exercise were a pill, it’d be a mega-blockbuster, given the positive health effects — from lower cholesterol to improved cognition to longer lifetimes — to which it’s been tied.An editorial just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association says research supports consideration of a wider policy of reimbursing for structured exercise programs, particularly in high-risk groups, such as diabetics. Currently, health-insurance plans don’t treat exercise as medicine; only some plans offer a fitness benefit, usually a partial reimbursement for gym membership.Marco Pahor, author of the editorial and a University of Florida professor and chair of the school’s department of aging and geriatric research, isn’t saying that every commercial insurer should suddenly start paying for everyone’s Saturday-afternoon Zumba class.
But he points to a review of published data published in the same issue of JAMA that found aerobic exercise, strength training or both can help control blood-sugar levels in diabetics. And, he notes that “cost analyses have shown that use of a health plan–sponsored health club benefit by the general older population and by older adults with diabetes was associated with slower increases in total health care costs over 2 years.” Older adults going to a health club two or more times a week incurred $1,252 less in health-care costs in the second year than those who went less than once a week, he writes.
“The type of supported program and the target population eligible ought to be carefully assessed,” he writes. For example, it may be more cost-effective to pay for exercise programs for people with existing diabetes, not as a preventive measure. More data on the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a structured exercise program on different health conditions and outcomes need to be analyzed, he says.
That said, there is “solid evidence for public policy makers to consider structured exercise and physical activity programs as worthy of insurance reimbursement to promote health, especially in high-risk populations,” he writes.
What do you think, readers? Should Medicare or private insurers reimburse for exercise programs just like they do for statins or antidepressants
By Katherine Hobson

Should Insurance Reimburse Health Clubs For Exercise Programs?.

It’s often been said that if exercise were a pill, it’d be a mega-blockbuster, given the positive health effects — from lower cholesterol to improved cognition to longer lifetimes — to which it’s been tied.An editorial just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association says research supports consideration of a wider policy of reimbursing for structured exercise programs, particularly in high-risk groups, such as diabetics. Currently, health-insurance plans don’t treat exercise as medicine; only some plans offer a fitness benefit, usually a partial reimbursement for gym membership.Marco Pahor, author of the editorial and a University of Florida professor and chair of the school’s department of aging and geriatric research, isn’t saying that every commercial insurer should suddenly start paying for everyone’s Saturday-afternoon Zumba class.
But he points to a review of published data published in the same issue of JAMA that found aerobic exercise, strength training or both can help control blood-sugar levels in diabetics. And, he notes that “cost analyses have shown that use of a health plan–sponsored health club benefit by the general older population and by older adults with diabetes was associated with slower increases in total health care costs over 2 years.” Older adults going to a health club two or more times a week incurred $1,252 less in health-care costs in the second year than those who went less than once a week, he writes.
“The type of supported program and the target population eligible ought to be carefully assessed,” he writes. For example, it may be more cost-effective to pay for exercise programs for people with existing diabetes, not as a preventive measure. More data on the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a structured exercise program on different health conditions and outcomes need to be analyzed, he says.
That said, there is “solid evidence for public policy makers to consider structured exercise and physical activity programs as worthy of insurance reimbursement to promote health, especially in high-risk populations,” he writes.
What do you think, readers? Should Medicare or private insurers reimburse for exercise programs just like they do for statins or antidepressants
By Katherine Hobson

What a crying shame! Anthony Weiner takes full advantage of House Health Club that is paid for by the taxpayers and could care less!

WASHINGTON DC – You may not know it, but an exclusive health club in DC is subsidized by your money. But, taxpayers aren’t welcome. Only members of Congress are.Photos of Anthony Weiner in the House gym recently brought attention to this popular Congressional perk.

http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/national/wellness-provides-plush-gym-for-house-members

What a crying shame! Anthony Weiner takes full advantage of House Health Club that is paid for by the taxpayers and could care less!

WASHINGTON DC – You may not know it, but an exclusive health club in DC is subsidized by your money. But, taxpayers aren’t welcome. Only members of Congress are.Photos of Anthony Weiner in the House gym recently brought attention to this popular Congressional perk.

http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/national/wellness-provides-plush-gym-for-house-members

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