Summer Programming Made Simple
Active’s Approach on Inspiring Others to Move for 30 Minutes a Day

Let’s be honest, there is so much going on in our lives right now. May it be pandemic-related, work-life busyness, summer events, and activities, or vacation schedules; life gets busy. As fitness professionals, when we think about summer program offerings, one thing is certain: we need to keep it simple! 

This summer, many things in society will be revving back up and a lot of members may start venturing back into the office. This is exciting, but with the excitement comes the reality of another schedule shift, including with their exercise routine. With new routines comes a transitional phase with new goals and other life factors to account for. Therefore, not only do we need to make our summer programming simple, but we need to build smart programs with realistic goals that take into account our clientele’s current lifestyle. 

At Active Wellness, our goal is to instill healthy habits that last for a lifetime, so this summer we're shifting our focus from a traditional steps program with lofty goals to something so simple: move for 30 minutes a day. Here are our summer program recommendations:

• Set your dates. With any program, you need to determine when you want to run your program. Yes, all summer long you will run into vacations or members going out of town, but with a flexible program, members can be encouraged to move anywhere, anytime.

• Set your goals. As a team, decide what your goal is for the program. Our program’s goal is 30 minutes of exercise/movement each day that can be completed at any time or interval throughout the day. Example: 10 minutes of stretching, 10 minutes of walking, 10 minutes of weight training throughout the day. 

• Determine sign-up & promotions. How are you going to inform your members and encourage them to sign up for the program? Flyers, social media, emails, word of mouth, and incentives are all great ways to get the word out about your program. In these communication avenues, make sure that you have clear directions on how members need to sign up. We also recommend multiple access points to drive traffic to the registration page. For example, include multiple links and buttons in your emails to the registration page and include an easy-to-remember URL for the registration page.

• Determine tracking. You need to determine how members will track. Will you use an online portal or have participants submit a tracking sheet? You may even choose to just even use the honor code and rather focus on the motivational piece of the challenge.

• Provide touch points. This is really important to keep members engaged throughout your program. There are many ways to provide touch points to your members. Regular emails, live virtual classes, on-demand videos, webinars with your team, in-person education, social media posts, and videos (this could be a good time to try Reels or another new social media avenue) weekly raffles, and more. Get creative and have fun with it!
• Provide fun prizes. We recommend incentives for achievement and/or participation. This may not particularly be a prize for all who participate, but maybe a special offer or discount because they are part of the program. Or raffle off prizes to increase engagement in other programs at your facility like group fitness, specialty classes, nutrition counseling, personal training, massage, and more!

If you have questions on creating your summer engagement programs or would like help implementing programs at your gym or fitness center, email us today ourteam@activewellness.com.

You might also like:

https://www.ihrsa.org/improve-your-club/summers-are-getting-hotter-is-your-gym-ready/

https://www.activewellness.com/blog/summer-engagement-strategies

https://www.activewellness.com/blog/reboot-challenge-recap

Active's Director of Wellness, Karah Ehrhardt, has been with the organization since its inception and has been a part of the greater fitness industry for 15 years now. She is passionate about meeting individuals where they are by providing our sites and members with the tools, resources and products that help support their health and wellness journey.

Karah is staying safe at home with her loved ones spending time chasing around her toddler and experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen!