Struggling to improve your fitness? Gym founder says you might be doing it wrong
By Andre Frois
Anytime Fitness co-founder and president Dave Mortensen was recently in town to open his 25th gym in Singapore. The global gym franchise operates 24-hour gyms in 29 different countries. A knowledgeable trainer of 25 years, Mortensen sat down with Yahoo Singapore to talk about gym trends and healthy lifestyle choices.
Many people struggle with their weight despite putting in hours of exercise. What might they be doing wrong?
It’s not always about the intensity of the workout. It’s actually more important to be active throughout the day. Metabolism and fat burn can be encouraged by frequent movement, which is actually more effective than an hour of working out. Eating right is also essential. Exercise proportion management with what you consume.
What tips can you give someone struggling to make a fitness change in his or her life?
There are lots of healthier lifestyle choices to make and unhealthy habits to break. I’d say, take them one step at a time. Take your time to make these small lifestyle changes, and you will be better able to maintain these new habits. Be tactical and take them on in small portions.
The first step is to ask for help. Ask for a support system – people who hold you accountable if you backslide. If you are really stuck in square one, at least try to get a little bit more active. Getting off that chair and even walking, goes a long way.
How safe is it for someone to go into a gym and operate heavy equipment at an hour when, according to his or her body clock, it’s supposed to be bedtime?
We don’t tell anyone to stop sleeping. We always have trained staff on duty in our gyms, and we encourage regular sleep. Our ultimate object is to have you exercise in our gyms at least three hours a week, and our physical trainers will coach you every step of the way. Especially now with modern technology, gym members can utilise their devices to stay connected with our trainers for guidance. If you think about it, when you buy a piece of personal exercise equipment, where is the safety? And who trains you to use that equipment safely?
What’s the approximate demographic of Anytime Fitness right now?
Anytime Fitness does not have an idealistic view of what someone in the gym looks like. What we want to do is to speak to people of any age, which has led to our consumers being evenly spread from the ages of 16 to their 80s, which makes crafting marketing campaigns challenging.
Is that why Anytime Fitness does not currently have a celebrity ambassador?
We have had some sports people as our representatives, but ultimately, our ambassadors are our clients. Their success stories of having been able to turn their lives around are what vouch for Anytime Fitness. When a gym is endorsed by a celebrity, this cost is passed on to the consumer.
Over your 25 years in the fitness industry, what evolutions in this sector have you observed, and are they linked to any global trends?
There are now more gyms than there ever have been. Additionally, we are also experiencing a growing number of consumers. These can be very simply tracked to the rise of obesity. In recent years, obesity has been on the rise and changing the direction of this trend is my passion. Obesity is a drain on the economy and also a drain on people’s lives.
