A Healthier Population and Increased Recognition for Club-Based Wellness Programs

by Meredith Poppler of IHRSA >>>

Despite the many proven health benefits of exercise; physical inactivity, obesity, and chronic disease continue to be growing problems. And still, policy-makers, insurers, and the medical community are slow to embrace the solutions the health and fitness club industry provides.

IHRSA and its members have consistently worked to lay the groundwork for a world that views physical activity and the benefits that health clubs provide with increased importance. With that end-goal in mind, IHRSA has created a mechanism through which our industry’s efforts to fight chronic disease through exercise can be amplified.

The lofty but achievable goals of The IHRSA Foundation are to demonstrate the impact health clubs have on helping people effectively improve and manage their health, and then promote those benefits to increase the physically active population and improve wellness across the globe.

Specifically, the IHRSA Foundation seeks to:

• Conduct and support research on health outcomes related to participation in club-based wellness programs,

• Provide educational resources and support to IHRSA member clubs in their efforts to improve the health of their communities, and

• Promote evidence-based programs that encourage healthy lifestyles.

Currently, the IHRSA Foundation is building a collection of wellness through exercise programs which stress physical activity as an effective means of managing conditions like cancer, chronic disease prevention and management, diabetes, and physical and mental disabilities.

To support the IHRSA Foundation, please:

• Contribute directly at ihrsa.org/foundation

• Join Amazon Smile (smile.amazon.com) and select the IHRSA Foundation as your charity of choice so that a small percentage of your Amazon expenditures directly support the Foundation

• Contact IHRSA to pilot a wellness program in your club (http://hub.ihrsa.org/ihrsa-foundation-participate)

The IHRSA Foundation is a 501(c)3 charitable organization.

Vice President of Communication and Leadership Engagement at IHRSA
Meredith Poppler puts her 20+ year career in the industry to work protecting and promoting health clubs by raising awareness of and funding for important policy issues, and encouraging advocacy, collaboration and leadership within the industry. And as IHRSA’s Media liaison, Poppler communicates the importance of physical activity and the benefits that health clubs provide to their communities.  @PopplerMeredith

Meredith Poppler puts her 20+ year career in the industry to work protecting and promoting health clubs by raising awareness of and funding for important policy issues, and encouraging advocacy, collaboration and leadership within the industry. And as IHRSA’s Media liaison, Poppler communicates the importance of physical activity and the benefits that health clubs provide to their communities.  @PopplerMeredithVice President of Communication and Leadership Engagement at IHRSA