Many people ask why I felt I needed to create the "Fit Happens" program.
My name is Joel Potter and I have been in and around gyms for over 35 years. I started as a very unlikely exerciser but recognized the benefits of exercise long before mainstream America or the medical community embraced it.
I have spent the last 30 years of my life trying to help others experience the benefits of exercise. Promoting exercise was an uphill battle in the 70's and 80's. In the late 70's even most athletes did not participate in strength conditioning.
In 1996, we saw the release of Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health. Many compared it to the groundbreaking report in the 60's that informed people of the dangers of smoking. Since the release of the report, we have been inundated with information about both the benefits of exercise and the problems caused by inactivity and obesity.
So of course, people would all rush to a gym and exercise, right? Wrong.
As a gym operator, I have watched the quality of gyms and the awareness for the need for exercise increase. I have also watched the public get heavier and heavier. I have watched "Adult Onset Diabetes" be renamed "Type 2 Diabetes" because our lifestyles have allowed what was once considered a disease that only affected adults to spill over and affect even the youngest of our children.
All this while gyms have been under-utilized.
I recognized that there was something dramatically wrong with this picture. I had to understand so many people who knew they need to exercise would choose not take advantage of all of the great gyms all across the country.
I discovered that many people thought they would be unwelcome in a gym. They thought that they needed to lose weight prior to coming to the gym so that they would not stand out. Many people who had tried a gym did not like the atmosphere. They did not like some of the cliques and some of the bad actors who frequented gyms. They did not like following behind a sweaty gym member who did not wipe up their sweat. They did not like approaching a piece of equipment only to find that another member thought they they had claim to that piece as though they owned it.
This was occurring in every gym. To that, I say hogwash, horse puckey, and nonsense!
As I look around at my friends and neighbors, I don't see bodybuilders or powerlifters. I see average Americans, with two-thirds being overweight or obese. I see people who all struggle to make better diet and exercise choices. I see people who treat each with respect and appreciate when that respect is returned. I see people who want to exercise, but are not fanatical about it. I see people who will leave a gym rather than deal with bad members.
Therefore, I introduced Fit Happens as a program to overcome the objections that people have at every gym and change the image of my gyms. My gyms are committed to getting rid of bad actors. My gyms are less tolerant of bad behavior than any other gym you will encounter. I will not tolerate people who drop weights or leave a trail of sweat behind them. We won't tolerate grunting or screaming while exercising.
While many gyms offer dumbbells in excess of 100 pounds, my dumbbells "only" go up to 85 pounds. I made that choice because very, very few of my friends or neighbors said that they would ever use anything heavier than 85 pounds. However, we have many, many dumbbells between 10 and 25 pounds because that is what my friends and neighbors said they would use.
These new rules have upset a few members and we have had to part ways. Many members have thanked us for creating an environment where bad actors don't fit. For those of you who have been to a gym before and witnessed people who were so self-absorbed that they didn't realize they were making other people uncomfortable, you know exactly whom I am talking about.
We know that two-thirds of America is overweight or obese. For me to be able to help them my facilities must - and will - be places where they know they are welcome, respected, and appreciated. Fit Happens weeds out rude and obnoxious behavior. What is left is warm, friendly, and encouraging facilities full of people of all shapes and sizes with positive attitudes that support each other in their efforts to live a healthier life.
Fit Happens -- one workout at a time or one dessert at a time. If you want to improve the quality and quantity of your life in a positive, comfortable atmosphere, please come join your friends and neighbors at one of my four gym locations.
