Nic DeCaire is a 2014 DBT40 honoree and the owner of Fusion Fitness in Newark.

I have spent a lot of time the past couple of weeks coaching people to get back on track.

In fact, most of my days have been focused on coaching, instead of actual exercise. Both are equally important when it comes to health and fitness.

But I have to be honest – some of that time was spent talking to myself
in the mirror.

I have been so focused on growing my companies this first quarter that I have neglected my own body. And I can feel the difference. I am 10 pounds heavier than I want to be. My energy levels are down, so I am drinking more coffee. Right now, I don’t feel I am playing at my best level.

A study by the University of Scranton estimated that by this time of year, 92 percent people have failed their New Year’s resolutions. Are you one of these statistics?

I am.

It is so much easier to coach someone else than it is to coach yourself. It is sort of like dating. The people with the best advice are usually single.

I’m spending most of my time right now trying to figure out why some of my clients haven’t achieved their fitness goals.

Were their goals not realistic? Did they not allow themselves enough time to achieve them? Or did they not have the right support team in place?

Let’s talk about being realistic. If you wanted six-pack abs in four weeks but you are 30 pounds overweight, that’s not realistic. Dropping one to two pounds per week, however, is.

So when your goal is not realistic, what do you do? Come up with a new one. Pick something you know you can do or have achieved in the past. This way, you set yourself up for a win, providing the momentum you need to achieve the bigger goals.

About time – let’s face it. None of us have enough of it in our day. So setting a goal to run a half marathon when you can barely get to the gym for 20 minutes is not a good goal.

We all want to achieve big things in life. It makes us feel good. But if you can’t dedicate the time to reach your goal, you are only setting yourself up for failure.

To be successful, you need to realistically estimate how long it will take to accomplish your goal. Frustration leads to failure. Give yourself enough time and be realistic.

I have always been told in business if you want to be a millionaire, hang out with millionaires. So, if you want to lose weight and be in shape, then hang around with people who live a healthy lifestyle and are in shape. Sorry, but sometimes the truth hurts.

An incredible support team is crucial to your success. Most of the time, this is what makes or breaks you. We are all going to have ups and downs when it comes to our fitness. Being surrounded with people who also want to live a healthy lifestyle will help keep you on track and pick you up when you are down.

If you don’t already have a great support team, try an online community. They are great for keeping you honest, accountable and the best part is they will not judge you because they don’t know you.

As we approach the second quarter, take another look at the goal you set for yourself this year. Ask yourself – honestly – if it is realistic, achievable and if you have support.

Failure is not an option if you want to continue to improve yourself. Setbacks are allowed, but never allowed to stop you.

When you encounter a setback, ask yourself why? Was it realistic, time efficient and how was your support?

If you answered NO, write down a new goal and learn from the past.

There is a reason I use the hashtag #ResultsAreEarned with everything that I do. Nothing in this life is given to you.

You have to work for it – and work hard.

Source: http://clubsolutionsmagazine.com/2015/03/clubs-communities/

By Emily Harbourne

How to create a bond amongst members that’s hard to break.

Imagine a world in which your members enjoy coming to the gym. Despite their busy schedules they look forward to working out every day.

This does not have to be a fantasy; it can become reality by creating a strong sense of community within your club. While this approach may seem obvious, it is easy to overlook the power of community. Too many gyms allow their members to walk in the door, get on a piece of equipment, complete their workout and leave, without speaking to a single person.

Without a strong sense of community, members will not feel loyal to your club and retention rates can suffer.

“Naturally we keep our club very clean, equipment in good repair and programs functioning at the top level,” said Linda Mitchell, the director of public relations and community partners at Newtown Athletic Club (NAC) in Newtown, Pennsylvania. “As important as all of these elements are, they pale in comparison if members don’t feel interconnected.”

Fortunately, there are a number of creative ways to develop a sense of community within your gym.

The first step is to engage your members by getting them involved with the various services and programming offered at your club. If they do, they are more likely to enjoy coming to the gym and reach their fitness goals. Encourage members to take advantage of personal training, group exercise classes, wellness programs, youth programming and more.

“After a membership is sold, the new member is immediately transferred to our member experience team for follow up and education,” explained Mitchell. “We feel the member experience is so important that we have devoted an entire department to its implementation.”

A critical part of a positive membership experience is ensuring that members connect with other members, instructors and personal trainers. Help them build relationships with others in the gym. An easy way to do this is to host events.

“We are always hosting events throughout the club,” said Mitchell. “Sometimes events are geared towards a specific target market, such as a luncheon for the senior members or a Halloween party and parade through the club for the kids.”

Besides getting members engaged with activities in the club, it is also crucial to make sure they feel valued. Let members know how important their feedback is by conducting regular surveys.

Screen Shot 2015-03-02 at 2.35.11 PM“Another tool that has proven to be a game changer for us is the Medallia member experience system for collecting member feedback on an ongoing and systematic basis,” said Mitchell.

According to Mitchell, each member receives the Medallia member survey once per quarter. They complete a three-minute questionnaire that ultimately produces a Net Promoter Score, along with other measurements on friendliness, business practices and more.

“Our Net Promoter Score increased by over 40 points in the space of a year as a result,” explained Mitchell. “Anecdotally, our members tell us that they feel we really care and are much more connected to us.”

However, building a community does not have to be limited to within the walls of your club. Get involved with the outside community as well.

Giving back to the community is a priority for Kim Kenyon, the managing partner of Gold’s Gym Dutchess County (GGDC), which includes two facilities in LaGrange and Fishkill, New York. Her clubs host around 20 events a year.

“Hosting and sponsoring events doesn’t always have to mean money,” explained Kenyon. “We have four or five pillar events that we are monetarily involved with and then we have our next level of events where we provide a giveaway or stuff like that. Then the third level of events would be where we donate some membership time for an organization to auction off.”

Recently GGDC participated in the American Heart Association program, Better You. During the program 14 women were selected to participate in a 12-week challenge. GGDC donated the 12 weeks of membership time for all 14 participants, along with 12 personal training sessions.

“That was a program we felt very strongly about,” said Kenyon. “We felt that it was exactly why we are in the business because it wasn’t a weight loss challenge, it was about getting healthy, getting off your metabolism medication or lowing your blood pressure, so the program was an absolute win-win for us.”

Fusion Fitness Center in Newark, Delaware, also goes to great lengths to give back to the community. Nic DeCaire, the president of Fusion Fitness Center Inc., uses fitness challenges as a creative way for members to get in shape while benefiting a local non-profit.

The club hosts six challenges a year, each between 21 and 28 days long. To join the challenge members pay a fee and all of the proceeds go to a local non-profit. Members are divided into teams of 20 to 30 people and they compete in various challenges to win points.

“You can earn one point for every workout performed during the challenge,” explained DeCaire. “Workouts must be a minimum of 30 minutes. Then once a week the team gets a special challenge, which might be to workout with a partner — that way we also encourage members to get to know one another. On the last day of the challenge we have a big workout celebration and we announce the winning team.”

Proceeds from the most recent fitness challenge went to Preston’s March for Energy, an organization that provides adaptive bikes for children in need. Each bike costs between $1,800 and $2,500. The goal of the challenge was to raise enough money to buy one bike for a child in the community.

Members got so involved with the challenge they blew past the $1,800 goal. According to DeCaire, they raised over $7,000, which allowed them to purchase four adaptive bikes.

“The greatest enjoyment of all the charity work we do at Fusion is watching the members come together,” said DeCaire. “It becomes more than just fitness and is truly about changing lives in our community.”

Of course it is crucial to remember that your staff play a huge role in community building. Besides helping your members feel engaged, make your staff feel like they are a part of the team as well. A happy staff will reflect on your members.

The Newtown Athletic Club helps its staff to feel energized and valued through the recognition program, Lifechangers. Based on nominations submitted by members online, an executive committee of senior managers will select an “Ultimate Lifechanger of the Month.”

“We celebrate monthly by inviting the members who nominated the employee to join us in recognizing the employee during a small informal ceremony where they are presented with accolades and gifts,” explained Mitchell. “That recognition is promoted throughout the club, social media and the community. We have found that even though employees receive discounts, they are motivated by recognition and appreciation.”

Fostering a strong sense of community takes time and is not a simple process, but it reaps significant rewards. Both Kenyon and Mitchell confirm that this sense of community contributes to member satisfaction and retention. “We are surrounded by low-price model clubs,” said Kenyon. “I can’t change that, but I can change the way members feel when they come into the club.”

Source: http://clubsolutionsmagazine.com/2015/03/clubs-communities/

It sounds like the beginning of some corny joke—a fitness center owner gets advice from a fast food restaurant executive. But that’s exactly what happened to me. A few weeks ago, I attended a conference organized by Pal’s Business Excellence Institute. Yes, Pal’s Sudden Service really is a fast-food restaurant chain with more than 20 locations in Tennessee. But the company also is the recipient of the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award, established by …

Continue Reading: http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/health/2015/03/16/fitness-one-route-helping-addicts-maintain-recovery/24853765/

Fusion Fitness Center is proving that a club can do more than just provide an outlet for people to get in shape.

Nic DeCaire, the president of Fusion Fitness Center Inc. in Newark, Delaware, decided it was essential to give back to the local community by having the club support local charities. When he found out the police K-9 unit was in need of a new dog, DeCaire thought it would be the perfect way to give back.

In order to raise funds for the cause, DeCaire launched the Main Street Mile run, which is held annually. “We wanted to make a difference in the community so we decided to make the Newark Police K-9 Fund our house charity,” said DeCaire. “Over the past nine years we have funded the department with enough money to purchase two K-9 dogs.”

DeCaire noticed how involved members got with the Main Street Mile event, so he decided the club should host other events throughout the year as a way to give back to numerous non-profits in the area.

Now the club hosts six challenges a year, each between 21 and 28 days long. To join the challenge members pay a fee and all of the proceeds go to a local non-profit. Members are divided into teams of 20 to 30 people and they compete in various challenges to win points.

“You can earn one point for every workout performed during the challenge,” explained DeCaire. “Workouts must be a minimum of 30 minutes. Then, once a week the team gets a special challenge, which might be to workout with a partner — that way we also encourage members to get to know one another. On the last day of the challenge we have a big workout celebration and we announce the winning team.”

Over the past few years, the fitness challenges have raised over $1,000 for the Delaware Humane Association and $2,000 for the B+ Foundation, that’s mission is conquering childhood cancer.

According to DeCaire, members love participating in the challenges. “More and more people get involved with each challenge,” said DeCaire. “You have your core people that always participate, but they spread the word and get others involved too.”

On February 15, 2015, Fusion Fitness Center launched its newest fitness challenge. Proceeds will go to a local organization, 3B (Brae’s Brown Bags), which was started by a young boy, Braeden, who began packing brown bags to hand out to homeless and those in need. Braeden has handed out over 2,000 brown bags since July 2013. He fills the bags with water bottles, healthy snack foods and brochures for shelters and organizations that might be able to help.

“Every business should have a house charity. It is the foundation of what you are and what you stand for,” added DeCaire. “For us it is not only about changing lives inside the gym through fitness, but what we can do outside of the club. It doesn’t even need to be financially — you can donate gift cards or membership time. It is important to stay local and impact the community we live in.”

By Emily Harbourne

Source: http://clubsolutionsmagazine.com/2015/03/changing-lives-inside/

NIC DE CAIRE, SPECIAL TO THE NEWS JOURNAL

John Mabrey never considered himself a runner, but he recently found himself among a sea of 2,000 people on a frigid Saturday morning in old New Castle.

He was part of the record-setting crowd at the second annual AtTAcK Addiction 5K, and even though John doesn’t much like running, he was grateful for the opportunity to move his body in a healthy way – an example of what’s possible through recovery.

Mabrey, 31, of Wilmington, grew up playing football and competing in wrestling, but an addiction to prescription drugs not only changed how he looked but how he felt about himself. Now in recovery, Mabrey uses fitness to stay clean.

I’m grateful he was willing to share his story with me so I could share it with you.

I’ve learned a great deal about addiction and recovery in the past few weeks, thanks to my connection with this event. I was hired as race director for the AtTAcK Addiction 5K, but as I and the others in the crowd that day discovered, this event was more than a race – it was a rally.

Results are Earned: Here’s how to work in a workout

It was incredible to see the many different teams that came out to remember their loved ones lost to addiction or support someone else in recovery. There’s a lot to be said about teamwork in sports, but in this case, the teams were united with the goal of using health and fitness to aid recovery and awareness.

“The miracle of sobriety is that we can rededicate our lives to the things we loved and may have lost when we were using,” said Mabrey, who ran with friends and family on a team called Sarah’s Smiles.

AtTAcK Addiction was founded by Don and Jeanne Keister after they lost their son, Tyler, to an overdose. Their mission is to educate students and the community about addiction, assist families affected by the disease and support those in recovery.

For Mabrey, what started out as a night with friends to see Naughty by Nature at Kahunaville became life-changing. Only three days earlier, he had graduated from college. But that night, he got into a fight.

Then he tried cocaine for the first time. And in the days and months after that, the man who had previously prided himself on how he looked eventually stopped caring. His focus turned to using whatever substances he could to feel good.

“The only reason I tell you this is to show that no matter how much you love something – and I love exercise – you won’t care about it in active addiction,” he said. “After years of heavy drinking and drug use, I no longer felt like an athlete and most certainly didn’t look like one.”

Mabrey said his moment of clarity came when he overdosed on prescription drugs. Luckily for him, someone called an ambulance after finding him unresponsive and not breathing. He was revived.

“That was the last time I consumed drugs or alcohol, and it may have been the best thing to ever happen to me,” he said. “After I got sober, I realized I needed to work on myself physically to help make myself better mentally, and vice versa.”

Mabrey now exercises six days per week. He takes a rest day once a week, even though he doesn’t want to.

Several studies have shown how exercise can help with the recovery of drug addiction. But Mabrey warns against the idea of physical activity as a cure-all, especially for those with a disease that can manifest itself in other areas of a person’s life.

“I’ve seen people often make the mistake of filling the void left when they get sober with an addiction to the gym. It happens. I’ve done it myself. We are extremists,” he said. “We want to be able to squat, bench press and deadlift more than our peers the same way we used to want to be able to be the last man standing at a party or drink our friends under the table.”

Most people think of fitness as a way to stay healthy and look good. Mabrey thinks of it as a way to stay clean and live a life worth living.

And while he may hit the weights to build his physical strength, he’s grateful to be strong in other ways as well.

“People often call addicts cowardly and weak. I’d like to make it clear that couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said. “It takes a lot of guts to admit you need help and a tremendous amount of strength to become a much better version of yourself. I still fall short in many areas of my life. The difference now is that I can do what’s necessary to better myself.”

Nic DeCaire, owner of Fusion Fitness Center in Newark, has been training clients for more than a decade.

Source: http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/health/2015/03/16/fitness-one-route-helping-addicts-maintain-recovery/24853765/