Author: ezfacility

July 31, 2013 – Kai and Charles Huang, co-inventors of the popular video game Guitar Hero, recently announced a new package of games they will launch this year as fitness accessories. The games, designed for enhancing and rewarding exercise, will track physical activity while users play on mobile devices.
“The objective,” said Kai Huang, CEO of Blue Goji, the company created in 2011 to launch the workout games, “is to make [the games] so fun that you want to come back, and you want to play them, and fitness becomes a byproduct.” The games, Huang said, will be more immersive and habit-forming than other workout distractions.
An article about Blue Goji in the online tech news outlet All Things, D reported that the current prototypes for the company’s game accessories include a small activity tracker that can be clipped onto clothing, a game controller consisting of two black bands with buttons, and two lightweight batons. For bikes and ellipticals, the controller bands strap onto the machines’ built-in handles, but the batons can be used in conjunction with the bands, so that exercisers can reach all buttons without holding on to the treadmill. Both the tracker and the bands communicate wirelessly with mobile devices via Bluetooth.
Although Blue Goji has not yet named a price point, its first bundle of games is slated to come out before the 2013 holiday shopping season begins.

July 22, 2013 – YogaFit, Los Angeles, has launched YogaFit for Warriors, a certification program that teaches instructors how to help soldiers and veterans who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and traumatic injuries. Along with a focus on specific yoga postures, breathing methods, and relaxation techniques, the 100-hour program includes information on how trauma affects the brain and body.
The Veterans Administration (V.A.) announced last year that 30 percent of the Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans treated at V.A. hospitals had been diagnosed with PTSD. Previously, in 2010, a study funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and led by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School showed that practicing yoga had relieved PTSD symptoms for many veterans. But, says Shaye Molendyke, one of the YogaFit for Warriors creators and a member of the U.S. Air Force, until now there has been no program designed to address the specific needs of such veterans.
Emily Wilensky, Marketing Manager of EZFacility, a fitness center management software provider in Bethpage, NY, noted that health programs designed to treat specific ailments are becoming increasingly popular. “In recent years,” she said, “we’ve seen a blossoming of studios and in-gym programs designed particularly for victims of violent crimes, for multiple sclerosis sufferers, for cancer patients, and more. Yoga seems adaptable to the needs of many different populations, and it’s wonderful to see that our veterans can reap its benefits.”
Molendyke stresses that teacher-training for veteran-related PTSD treatment focuses largely on learning how to speak to veterans and other trauma-sufferers. “We needed to bring it to the military in a format that wasn’t intimidating,” says Molendyke. “You can’t use Sanskrit. It can’t be command-oriented.” Instructors are also taught how to modify their classes to provide a safe environment for PTSD-sufferers.

July 3, 2013 – A start-up sports and entertainment company has proposed building a Washington, D.C.-area athletics complex that would occupy 600,000 square feet — the size of three Wal-Mart supercentres. The company’s founders, Kendrick F. Ashton, Jr. and Craig A. Dixon, say the facility, to be called the St. James Sports and Entertainment Complex, would be the largest in the region.
Ashton and Dixon grew up locally and say that, as kids, they always dreamed of having accesses to such a complex. According to their business proposal, the complex would cater to a wide range of sports, and would include six indoor tennis courts, four batting cages, two NHL-size hockey rinks, and an 80,000-square-foot multipurpose field house.
“We grew up incredibly passionate about participating in sports and getting better and pursuing certain passions,” Ashton said. “This is the kind of facility we would have liked to have had as young children growing up.”
Eric Willin, COO of EZFacility, a sports facility software management company, noted a recent trend toward the creation of gigantic complexes that offer a variety of athletic activities, along with opportunities for year-round competition and training. “The construction of such a facility in the D.C. area would have major significance,” he said. “Local athletes, students, and sports enthusiasts would have unprecedented opportunities for participation in sporting events, and the complex would likely draw sports tourists and others from all over. We’ll be interested to see how this project progresses.”
The new complex would be built on the Hensley Park playing fields, between the Beltway and Eisenhower Avenue, in Alexandria, Virginia. Ashton and Dixon pitched the project as an economic development engine for the area, which lies near where the National Science Foundation is planning to relocate in 2017. They are requesting a 40-year ground lease from the city of Alexandria, but it is not yet clear what the project would cost them or taxpayers.

June 20, 2013 – LA Fitness has announced plans to renovate its Tucson East facility in Tucson, Arizona, with a full-scale update and an expansion of more than 7,000 square feet. In addition, the California-based health club chain will remodel and update nine other sites in and around Phoenix and Tucson.
Reconstruction of the Tucson East site will take place near the end of July. Once complete, the club will feature all new cardio equipment and other updates.
At other sites, remodeling efforts are already under way, and will continue on a rolling basis throughout June and July. While specific plans vary from location to location, they include the following: refinishing hardwood floors in group fitness rooms, racquetball courts, and basketball courts; replacing the flooring in cycling studios; installing new LCD televisions; refinishing saunas; new carpeting and lighting; repainting and updating graphics; and adding new cardio machines, strength equipment, free weights, and indoor studio cycles.
“We are committed to providing state-of-the-art facilities and enhancing the LA Fitness experience with more than $4 million slated for these improvements, to ensure our members enjoy achieving their fitness goals,” Senior Vice President/Chief Real Estate Officer Bill Horner said in a company statement. He added that club members will have access to other nearby clubs when their usual locations are closed for the remodeling.
Eric Willin, COO of EZFacility, a health club management software provider in Bethpage, New York, noted that a number of health and fitness chains are currently undertaking expansion efforts. “We’re seeing more businesses choosing to open new sites or to rebuild existing ones than has been the case in recent years,” Willin said. “It’s a positive sign about the state of the health club industry. Given the American Medical Association’s decision to designate obesity as a disease, as well as other factors, we’ll probably continue to see an increase for a while to come.” Other nationwide health club chains that recently have announced plans for reconstruction or expansion include Total Woman Gym and Spa, Chicago Athletic Clubs, and UFC Gym.
LA Fitness has more than 500 locations throughout the United States and Canada. Earlier this month, the company opened its first branch in Rhode Island and announced plans to open at least six new clubs in the Detroit area.

June 25, 2013 – Last week, Texas-based Gold’s Gym International acquired all but one of the 18 fitness facilities owned by Fitness First in the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. region. According to the news outlet Club Industry, the acquisition price was in the $30 to $40 million range, and the deal will be closed by the end of this week.
“We love the clubs because of the distribution in the D.C. area in relation to our current clubs,” Gold’s Gym CEO and president Jim Snow told Club Industry. “…It takes us to 50 clubs, both corporate and franchise, in that DC market, giving us a strong, clear competitive advantage, so this is a really nice acquisition from that perspective.”
Fitness First will continue to own and operate one club, in Bethesda, MD, because of the structure of the lease with that club’s landlord. The owner of Fitness First, Peter Harvey, told Club Industry that he was ready for a change. “I think it was a great opportunity for all sides,” he said. “It was great for me, personally, and I think it’s a great move for Gold’s.”
Hugh McEvoy, Director of Sales and Operations for EZFacility, a gym management software provider in Bethpage, NY, noted that the move seems beneficial for all involved parties, including Gold’s, Fitness First, and the members of both clubs. “Any change on this scale is going to involve a lot of transition,” he said, “but it sounds as if the customer’s concerns are a high priority in this deal, and the change is sure to be a positive one. It’s always significant,” he added, “when a major gym chain grows in such a way.”
The Fitness First clubs acquired by Gold’s will be rebranded under the Gold’s Gym name over the next six months. Gold’s will honor all current Fitness First memberships and will offer former Fitness First members access to additional Gold’s Gyms. Also, current Gold’s Gym members will be offered options granting them access to former Fitness First clubs.
Last year, Gold’s Gym made another big acquisition, taking on 11 San Antonio-area Spectrum Athletic Clubs. In total, the company has about 100 corporate-owned clubs and 675 franchised clubs.