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Exercise for Everyone

11/4/2016

5 Comments

 
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by David Hagenbuch, founder of Mindful Marketing & author of Honorable Influence
Our world favors people who can function fully physically and mentally.  Buildings cater to occupants with complete capabilities, and businesses tend to target similar consumer segments.  Regrettably, these approaches exclude many people with special needs. Fortunately, though, some firms not only accommodate this later group, they create business models specifically to serve them.
 
Like other areas, Central Pennsylvania has dozens of different gyms and fitness centers for people wanting to workout.  Some are for serious weightlifters, while others are for more casual exercisers.  Virtually all of these firms assume that their members have no special needs, with one notable exception: Fitness 4 Focus.
 
The mission of Fitness 4 Focus is “to promote a healthier and happier lifestyle through physical activity for individuals with special needs.”  That means people can go to Fitness 4 Focus and receive individualized instruction from coaches who are specially equipped to design workout sessions for persons with physical and mental disabilities.  The coaches confer with their clients and their parents to set goals and develop personalized fitness plans to improve cognitive ability, hand-eye coordination, and strength.
 
One Fitness 4 Focus client is a young man named Alexander who has several intellectual disabilities, in addition to being blind, autistic, and epileptic.  While most of us can find many less-than-compelling reasons to avoid a workout (e.g., “I’m feeling tired.”), Alexander eagerly does his, despite his multiple disabilities, largely because Fitness 4 Focus has uniquely equipped him to succeed.  Alexander’s story is typical of many other Fitness 4 Focus clients, as testimonials like the following from the firm’s website support:
 
"Fitness 4 Focus is an amazing resource for families in the autism community of Central PA! My daughter is too sensory sensitive for organized sports and even Special Olympics was too stimulating. Chris Russell and his team know autism, have the kindness and patience to keep encouraging my daughter even on her bad days at F4F!” – Jen K
 
 “Since starting F4F one year ago Chase has improved his agility, endurance, strength and most importantly his confidence. He looks forward to seeing Coach Chris every week and for the first time ever he doesn’t ‘fight’ therapy! – Sarah R
 
"I cannot recommend Fitness 4 Focus enough. This is one thing Caden looks forward to going to every week and yet I could never get him to exercise with me before. He loves working on his muscles and I love the improved confidence and independence I see in him. We use Fitness 4 Focus in place of physical therapy as it is refreshing to be out of a clinical setting and much more motivating to Caden." – Jessica C
 
"At Fitness 4 Focus, they work with Bryan and he has gained confidence and flexibility plus strength, and is both healthier and happier now that he has a place to go to work out the only way possible for him, given his multiple special needs and behaviors.... There is no other place to go for this kind of attention to such a vast array of needs.” – Patty D
 
Given my limited experience working with people with special needs, I wanted to talk with someone who could offer a more expert evaluation of Fitness 4 Focus, so I contacted my friend Dannie who has an adult child with Down syndrome.  I shared with Dannie an article on PennLive.com that provides a brief overview of the business.  After learning a little about Fitness 4 Focus, Dannie offered the following input:
 
“It's a great idea and I applaud the owners for doing this.  While it's great to be integrated [like the typical gym], people with special needs do have ‘special needs.’  Their bodies are built differently than yours and mine and develop in different ways.”
 
Notwithstanding his enthusiastic endorsement, Dannie did also caution that when working with individuals with special needs, you must “deal with the whole person; not just their physical development.”  He went on to explain, “I think the #1 ‘need’ is psychological and I would be greatly concerned that the personal trainers be supplemented with specialists who can deal with the behavior ‘needs’ of the clients and not just the physical.”
 
Dannie’s point about working with the whole person is sound advice, in a special needs context or any other circumstance.  There’s no clear indication on the Fitness 4 Focus website that it employs separate behavioral specialists; however; the parent testimonials shared above do support that the firm’s clients are developing in more than just physical ways.  For instance, three of the four parents mention improved confidence, one says that her son is happier, and another described increased independence.  These are encouraging outcomes that do suggest that the Fitness 4 Focus staff functions on more than just a physical level.
 
So, people with special needs can benefit from a specialized gym, but does such a business really have long-term potential, or is it a forever niche market for kind-hearted do-gooders?  According to a 2010 U.S. Census Bureau study, 19% of the population, or nearly one in five people, has a disability, and half of those people say their disability is “severe.”  Furthermore, TheInclusiveChurch.com reports that 2% of children have autism, 8% have a learning disability, and 14% have a developmental disability.

So, although the special needs population is diverse, it’s much bigger than a niche market, even if only a portion of its members want a specialized gym experience.  Fitness 4 Focus has seen this potential and grown its operations from one location to three in only a few years, and that’s just the beginning, according to Founder and CEO Chris Russell.  He would “love to see one of these on a corner in every town” in order to “strengthen people and make them healthier.”
 
Despite their large numbers, people with special needs sadly are often an underappreciated and overlooked market.  Consequently, finding viable business solutions to serve them both creates stakeholder value and supports societal values, such as fairness and respect.  Fitness 4 Focus is at the forefront of this movement and an excellent example of “Mindful Marketing.”


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5 Comments
Patty Desmond link
11/5/2016 10:11:36 am

Thank you for such an informative review of the best overall fitness program for our underserved population of special needs individuals. Schools and society always put ideas like this down because they view this as "lacking inclusion". Sometimes we just need to have some common sense and do what is right, regardless of the criticism. Chris Russell is pioneering his "whole mind and body" approach to help every special needs person who wants to become stronger and healthier. No, they do not include typically developing individuals in their program because realistically, they are not always the right models to learn from. Fitness 4 Focus is a safe, fun and educational place made special by the very special clients and trainers involved. Thank you for helping spread the word. Our kids deserve their own place to workout without having to worry about behavioral or sensory overload issues. This program rocks!

Reply
David Hagenbuch link
11/5/2016 07:17:44 pm

Thank you for your kind feedback, Patty. As a marketer, I heartily agree with your assessment: Most organizations don't have the resources to serve everyone, so it makes sense for them to identify a target market whose needs they can most effectively meet and to build their business with those clients in mind. It's even better if that group is an underserved one like individuals with special needs. The more I learn about Fitness 4 Focus from you and others, the more impressed I am! Thanks again.

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Chris Russell CEO link
11/5/2016 02:49:06 pm

I wanted to contact you and commend you on how well your article was written. Our athletes do not get the recognition that they should!

I founded Fitness 4 Focus with the idea of working on four main areas, strength, coordination, cognitive abilities, and over all wellness.

Over the past few years, we have seen amazing growth not only in physical fitness, but also in confidence and independence.

Fitness has really become a byproduct of everything else that our fitness/life coaches work on. Each fitness coach has unique experience working with special needs individuals and are extensively trained in working with the athlete as a whole.

Our team collaborates with the athletes family, OT's, PT's, Doctor's, and Psychologists to positively change and improve their overall wellness.

Fitness 4 Focus staff combined has 35+ years serving the special needs community. We pride ourselves in helping to enhance the individual's physical concerns, behavioral and psychological needs. Thank you for taking the time to do the research and to highlight the importance of what we are doing with the special needs community.

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David Hagenbuch link
11/5/2016 07:39:29 pm

Thank you, Chris. It was my pleasure to highlight Fitness 4 Focus. It seems like a wonderful organization in every sense. I love when someone takes a good business concept (e.g., a fitness center) and integrates social responsibility (e.g., serving individuals with special needs). Our world needs more other-oriented entrepreneurs like you.

You and your team are having a profound impact on some very important people's lives. Keep up the good work!

Reply
Matthew Fenstermacher
1/8/2017 02:19:29 pm

I could not agree more with your verdict on Fitness 4 Focus's Mindfulness score. Marketing to the special needs community can be a daunting task and I believe that Fitness 4 Focus truly did a mindful job in their approach. After a SWOT analysis we see many different things, and in some cases a lack thereof. For strengths, they have a target market that is rarely targeted so they are starting in clear waters as the saying goes. For weaknesses, they have a very specific target market and little area to expand with their current idea. For opportunities, we clearly see the chance to expand into other areas of the country and possibly even the world. And hear is where they lack. They have no known competitors that I could find so they have no threats unless a large workout gym franchise decides to add specially tailored areas and assistants to their facilities in the near future, which is a perfect area to be lacking in, although this gives them no competitive motivation to innovate. Overall, I believe this business will succeed in the future through their unique plan of marketing.

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