Members to an incentive program designed to accommodate and benefit all types of exercisers: young, old, special populations (members with closed head injury, stroke, etc.), members from our sport-specific program and city employees involved with our facility. There was a need to encourage more physical activity, and to educate members on its benefits for their specific needs and goals.
With that in mind, I implemented a program that would educate members on the need to increase their volume of exercise, and that would give continued support for those who did. The program is named Club Air. It started Jan. 13, 2002, and will end in six months on Jun. 30, 2002.
Club Air’s objective is to create positive change in personal health behavior, while improving or maintaining cardiovascular fitness by incorporating behavior techniques that result in long-term program compliance and attainment of individual goals. The benefits of this program are improved cardiorespiratory function (increased maximal oxygen uptake, lowered heart rate and blood pressure, etc.), reduced coronary artery disease risk factors (increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, decreasing body fat, improved glucose tolerance, etc.), decreased anxiety and depression, and enhanced performance of daily activities of work, sport and recreation.
Club Air is based on “hang-time minutes,” and the amount of time members are able to sustain their minutes over six months.
The idea is to challenge members to start a program and see how long they can “hang.”
The program’s success is based on its efficiency, flexibility and accessibility. For the first six-month session, all members can enter the program at any time, and there is no fee or paperwork to register. Members are just asked to exercise and accept responsibility for their actions.