Note: this article was originally published by Club Industry on 11/3/22 For many years the fitness industry has viewed itself as an essential component of the healthcare delivery system in America. The problem is, broadly speaking, no one outside of our industry views us this way. Look no further than the healthcare crisis of our lifetime (COVID-19) when all of our doors were shuttered. Even more recently, look at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health; one of the pillars discussed was physical activity. In the administration’s whitepaper published from this conference, the fitness industry wasn’t mentioned — not once. The wake-up calls abound. As hard as it is to hear, members of the public health and medical communities, as well as our lawmakers and even the general public, view us as more of a non-essential, entertainment commodity than an essential part of our public health infrastructure. This reality coexists with escalating healthcare costs due to chronic li
