features
Letters: write to reply
Free vibration therapy sessions for MS sufferers
I’m writing regarding your recent article (HCM April 13, p71) which mentioned vibration therapy’s potential benefits for Multiple Sclerosis sufferers.
My organisation, Borders Sport & Leisure, is a social enterprise responsible for the operation of 14 leisure facilities in the Scottish Borders. As part of our vision to improve lives through physical activity and sport, we’ve been working with the MS Society Borders over a number of years to trial vibration machines in the management of MS symptoms.
A pilot study we ran in association with the MS Society found that vibration training could improve a range of functions in MS sufferers, including muscular power, strength and mobility. Subsequent analysis using the sporta Impact and Social Value Toolkit indicates a potential 4:1 ROI in terms of social value for every £1 invested into vibration technology therapy for MS sufferers.
As a result, we’ve recently entered into a new agreement with the MS Society in the Borders to provide MS sufferers with free access, for the next three years, to vibration therapy at three of our leisure facilities.
I’d like to urge other operators to consider opportunities to work with charitable organisations in a similar way. Such partnerships can see equipment put to new use and enable MS sufferers to experience exercise benefits – and the accompanying social opportunities that attending a gym can bring.
Ewan Jackson - CEO, Borders Sport & Leisure
Full-service fitness serves clients best
I completely agree with Kate Cracknell that group exercise needs TLC to ensure it continues to bring results for providers and their clients (see editor’s letter, HCM April 13, p3). However, I struggle to see how the new generation of group exercise-only venues will ever be more than a niche market.
Classes should never be seen as an add-on: they are key and core to leisure centres. We give classes top priority: over 40 per cent of our customers regularly participate in group exercise, and we offer 80–90 classes a week at many sites.
The ‘focused fitness’ model makes sense to ensure the best-of-the-best is available; multi-purpose operators can learn from the trend towards bespoke exercise by ensuring all aspects of their gyms and group/studio programmes remain innovative in their own right.
However, very few of our members do just one type of exercise, combining gym with classes, swimming with group cycling. As an industry, we advocate a variety of training for all-round fitness, and we should offer that variety in one place to allow people to cross-train effectively and time-efficiently.
The ‘future of fitness’, I’d suggest, is full-service fitness done well: this will prevail over more niche offerings.
Michelle Bletso - Group exercise development manager, Everyone Active
