Fitness Industry Resources

Health and Fitness Marketing Blog

Independent online resources for the fitness industry are few and far between when you try to search using Google, MSN or Yahoo. It seems like 99 times out of 100 the sites are trying to sell you something, which makes it difficult for the small business person to sift through it all in search of a reputable resource for their fitness industry questions and concerns. That is why First Page Fitness has put together this list of fitness industry resources that provide quality information to fitness professionals.

Whether it is marketing your fitness business, managing a health club, registering new business names, franchising, getting certified or just keeping up with trends in the fitness industry, these online resources have you covered…

Meta Resources (other places to find fitness resources):

The NASA Occupational Health Page on Fitness Resources
These are the sites to which NASA sends their employees and visitors to their website for fitness information and training. It is an indispensable list of fitness industry resources.

The Medline Plus Sports and Fitness Directory
Medline Plus is a service of the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. In our humble opinion, this is the best site on the Internet in terms of launching a search for fitness industry resources.

The First Page Fitness Directory
This is our own directory of fitness websites, which includes links to all of these and many others. We also accept submissions if you would like to have your website included in the directory.

Fitness Industry News and Information:

The PR Web Fitness Industry Press Release Section
Stay up-to-date on the latest news coming out of the fitness industry PR machines.

Fitness Industry News Newsletter by Deborah Sullivan
This newsletter provides information for the Fitness Center Owner, Manager and Personal Trainer. It provides information about the industry, including news, tips, interviews, discussions and technology.

US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Fitness Workers Section
This section of the BLS.gov website provides stats on the latest trends in the fitness industry, especially in relation to employment trends and new businesses.

The Missouri Attorney General’s Consumer Watchdog Page for the Fitness Industry
This section of Missouri’s official state website focuses on consumer issues within the health and fitness industry, especially with fitness centers. Our advice - Read this site but do everything you can to stay “off” of it by trying “not” to do what it warns consumers about.

US Census Bureau Industry Statistics for Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
Full PDF reports by the Census Bureau on a number of relevant statistics gained from the last census. This is an invaluable source of information, especially to anyone involved in reporting on the fitness center industry.

Club Industry’s Fitness Business Pro
This website and print publication is a leader in providing information to professionals about the health and fitness industry. Especially useful are their Buyer’s Guide and the Fitness Company Index, although they only list companies that pay to be included.

The Fitness Industry Association (FIA)
This is a fitness industry lobbying firm in the UK. Their purpose is to influence government policy and decisions in the United Kingdom, ostensibly in favor of the fitness industry.

Fitness Associations, Education and Certification:

Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA)
A resource for certified fitness professionals and those who want to obtain an AFAA certification.

American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
Sports medicine certification, research and news from an industry leader.

MyFuture Fitness Industry Page
This is an Australian site that provides information about possible occupations in the fitness industry. Right now it is sparse with content, but I hope they develop it further eventually.

Fifty Plus
The Fifty-Plus organization promotes healthy lifestyles after fifty. They have their own resource section, as well as sections for motivation, news and products.

Health Research and Fitness Consumer Education:

The Cooper Institute
In addition to personal trainer certification, the Cooper Institute conducts research in order to advance the understanding of the relationship between our living habits and health.

NASA Research on Fitness - Why do workouts work?
By exploring how and why exercise causes muscles to grow, NASA scientists hope to help astronauts avoid muscle atrophy while in confined areas in space.

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
The NCCAM is part of the National Institutes of Health and provides in-depth information on subjects like dietary health supplements and alternative therapies.

Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition Resource
This section of Harvard’s public health website includes information about diet and nutrition. It is a great source to reference in your own marketing materials, to which you can send clients for more information about nutrition.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Physical Activity Resource
This is the CDC’s resource for health professionals, and there are several sections relevant to the fitness industry, including reports, data, policy and legislation, training, tools for promoting physical activity, nutrition and more.

Associated Fitness and Exercise Content
This is Associated Content’s Fitness and Exercise section and is chock full of user-generated articles about health and fitness. Although it is not an authoritative enough resource to send clients to for more information, it is a great place to generate ideas for your own content, or to publish and get your name out there as a fitness guru. Almost anyone can join and publish their work. The amount you get paid for that content depends on your qualifications and the quality of the content itself.

Fitness Equipment Manufacturers:

LifeFitness
Manufacturer of home and commercial fitness equipment. Brands include Lifecycle, Parabody, and - my personal favorite - Hammer Strength.

Concept2
This company specializes in designing and manufacturing rowing machines.

Precor USA
Precor is probably best known for their treadmills and elliptical machines.

Technogym
This company produces fitness and rehabilitation equipment for personal, professional, and biomedical applications.

Physical Success
Mostly boxing and martial arts supplies.

Keys Fitness
Manufacturer and wholesaler of exercise equipment.

Tuff Stuff
Free weights, benches, racks, weights and machines. They have a line of home-use products, as well as a more heavy-duty line for the fitness industry.

More Fitness Industry Marketing Resources:



		
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