It is always a pleasure to welcome guests to our corporate offices from around the world. As the brand founder, I am humbled by the fact that people will travel thousands of miles for the opportunity to meet and do business with the elements brand.
Over the past year, we have hosted guests from Australia, Greece, India, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, Brasil, and England. This week we were pleased to welcome executives from the HUR Fitness Company in Finland, the manufacturer of our smartcard workout equipment. Smartcard technology helps to create an exceptional member workout experience in the elements for women gyms. The equipment has color flatscreens at each station of the circuit workout, and “greets” each member by name, self-adjusts to her settings, records her progress, and even tells her where to go next… it is very similar to having a virtual personal trainer - and is a great tool for members. This type of interactive technology is one of the major fitness trends worldwide, causing a membership explosion within the industry.

In todays meeting, we were discussing some exciting planned enhancements to our smartcard program, including integration with our online class scheduler, and BalanceD interactive diet for members. With the completion of these additions, elements members will be able to find a club online, join, shop for products, view and book classes, personal training session, diet coaching session, view their club attendance and each workout progress, making it the most sophisticated member portal in the industry. elements is more than a health club brand, we are a total lifestyle - this technology allows us to deliver varied wellness options to our members, in their own space, and on their own schedule.

Our discussions were also regarding the expansion of the elements for women clubs into Eastern Europe, and the planned development of a flagship location in Estonia, a major port of call for the Baltic Region. With the flagship club complete later this year, we will be able to host European operations for franchise development… I am very excited to make this visit!

It is exciting to see the continual interest from the press into our fitness programs, including Woman’s World Magazine. We are gathering large numbers of testimonials from elements members, video testimonials from BalanceD diet users, inquiries from press and media, as well as frequent features on blogs and online media.

elements is designed to become the leading fitness and lifestyle brand for women… we do this by focusing our energy to build the very best consumer experiences…. this is the foundation which causes the brand to grow rapidly.  New elements club openings in Chicago, Atlanta, and Colombus Ohio this month were met with buzz from the communities, members, and even online bloggers… even a new partnership locally with Whole Foods Market.  elements is fast becoming a community which will grow itself - this will be one of the runaway secrets to this brand’s success in the lifestyle and fitness sectors.

As seen in Woman’s World Magazine

I was conducting a phone meeting with a business contact of ours in Bombay, India, who said that speaking to me was “both a pleasure and a joy.”

I smiled as I hung up, but began to reflect on the tremendous, and also the subtle cultural differences that exist among us. In business (and in life), I am always careful to be a student of a culture, and to let my counterpart take the lead. Knowledge of, or at least a respect for culture, and our cultural differences goes a long way with international business relationships.

We have begun to focus the elements brand on “global growth,” given the wide spread appeal of our philosophy of “balanced, healthy lifestyle.” Our board also shares the vision that being an international fitness and lifestyle player gives elements a far greater depth. Our online interactive diet, “BalanceD” has a community feature which allows women globally to chate and share inspiration, tips, and stories with each other. It is really fascinating to watch women from such different backgrounds and worlds share a common weight loss or lifestyle goal.

It is really essential to understand the economic impact of a global marketplace. Today, just focusing a brand state-side is almost perceived as short-sighted. In terms of business, if the growth can be managed, it certainly makes great sense to have operations internationally – it stabilizes the brand in times of political or economic uncertainty, while adding an entire new dimension of depth. In total, with the right team, international growth, coupled with a solid base at home, builds a more solid investment for shareholders, with far greater growth potential.

pon entering the building, I noticed the use of “living walls,” one of the design features that we use throughout many of our elements clubs… the designers has used it to add character to the building exterior, as well as add intrigue to the space. It was a great evening, a delicious gourmet Italian meal, and a nice opportunity

Im not sure why I was so surprised to see the cover of Time magazine… I mean, we all know that obesity is one of the top killers of Americans… we know that each generation is producing heavier and heavier children. Still, you must admit, there is something very in-your-face about the cover of Time magazine.

The article (and countless studies) went on to detail the various factors to blame… increased portion sizes, trans-fats, and parents failing to teach proper eating and healthy lifestyle tips to their children.

It doesn’t take a scientist to recognize that there is a dangerous trend at work. I believe that most parents with overweight children are aware of the dangers, but are lacking easy solution on how to adapt a change. Let’s face it, parenting is tough work, having to gingely coach a child into exercising and eating right, on top of the other 1,000 challenges just makes an already challenging job that much tougher.

One proven solution is to be a positive role model. Many published studies show that overweight parents are more than 100% more likely to have overweight children than their fit-an-trim counterparts. Again, this really makes sense- a child grows up seeing the importance of exercise, watching their mom and dad make time for the gym, selecting healthier options. Exercise can (and should be) a family acitivity. Healthy cooking can be a part of an everyday lifestyle. At elements and BalanceD, few of our clients initially realize that hiring a personal trainer or a diet coach can also be a true benefit to their families, they generally will begin coaching or a weight loss program for a personal solution. While this is great, it is a true bonus in my opinion when that knowledge is shared to create a healthy lifestyle for the family. Our lifestyle coaches make shopping lists, suggest recipes, and can even adapt your family’s favorites into a lighter version. Parents making better food and cooking choices makes for a healthier (and slimmer) family. What more compelling reason could their be to begin a wellness program today?