Fitness centers vs. wellness centers: What’s the difference?
Fitness center memberships soared during the 1980s, fueled by a desire to either bulk up or slim down.
Wellness centers are poised for a similar rate of membership growth during the 2020s.
A generation ago, gym members were focused on the aesthetics, like big biceps and toned abs. Today, wellness center members want to optimize their health and live a happy, healthy and pain-free life. Looking good is secondary to feeling good and living well.
FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers is helping to lead the wellness trend nationally. Many FYZICAL Wellness Centers have been remodeled and reimagined.
To understand the difference between fitness and wellness, it’s important to know the definitions. Fitness refers to one’s state of health as measured by that individual’s ability to perform exercises and activities. Meanwhile, wellness bridges physiology, exercise and nutrition to help an individual live longer, healthier lives... and still look good on the beach.
The term “wellness” was once viewed with skepticism, a hard-to-define concept that wasn’t quite fitness, exercise or health. Those are all part of wellness, along with nutrition, mental well-being and other components. Wellness, simply defined, is the state of being in good health to live a satisfying, fulfilling life.
Below are five notable differences between fitness centers and wellness centers:
Size
Fitness centers operated by big box, national fitness chains often exceed 40,000 square feet. They can feature swimming pools, racquetball and basketball courts, locker rooms with showers and equipment galore. Some even offer on-site smoothie bars and coffee houses.
Meanwhile, FYZICAL Wellness Centers are more compact, generally under 10,000 square feet. Facilities include workout space, a multipurpose room and offices for private consultations. FYZICAL Wellness Centers are adjacent to FYZICAL’s cutting-edge physical therapy clinics.
Equipment
Fitness centers focus on volume. They need to sell a lot of memberships to be profitable, and they must have ample equipment to accommodate peak periods. It’s not uncommon for large fitness centers to have 20 or more treadmills, stationary bikes and stair climbers.
FYZICAL Wellness Centers focus on improving the overall health of members. A center may have a few dozen to a few hundred members, only a handful of which will be present at one time. This undoubtedly helps with social distancing and keeping equipment clean. It also means they only need one or two stations for each type of exercise.
Programming
Larger fitness centers offer group exercise classes like cycling, HIIT and water aerobics. Some even have boot camp programs. Fitness centers often feature their high-energy spin classes with peppy instructors and booming sound systems.
By design, FYZICAL’s group classes are small and low-key. Instructors won’t shout at participants or urge them to surge past the pain. Instead, health and wellness experts create classes designed around specific health conditions. For instance, members with Parkinson’s can enroll in Rock Steady Boxing to help improve balance, hand-eye coordination and agility. Other popular classes include Zumba and Yoga. Our classes incorporate the expert instruction patients receive from a physical therapist but in a group setting. Certified health and wellness professionals lead group classes.
Clientele
A persistent strike against large gyms is that members tend to skew younger. It can be intimidating to work out next to someone in peak athletic condition or bench-pressing twice their body weight.
FYZICAL Wellness Centers attract marathoners and weekend warriors as well as retirees and those recovering from injuries and illnesses. That’s what makes them so unique. Members have different fitness levels, but share the same goal of optimizing their health. Wellness is for everyone.
Employees
Many fitness centers rely on part-time workers to serve as personal trainers and class instructors. These workers typically have varying levels of education and experience, and longevity is a concern.
FYZICAL Wellness Centers are staffed by experienced health professionals. Licensed physical therapists guide patients through their recovery process based on medical factors. Certified personal trainers demonstrate exercises, show members how to use equipment and formulate detailed exercise plans. What’s truly unique at FYZICAL is that physical therapists join personal trainers in developing customized programs. Personalized plans address pain, mobility, strength and balance while considering a member’s goals and limitations.
If you'd like to learn more about FYZICAL or find the nearest FYZICAL Wellness Center, please visit FYZICAL.com.