Going to the gym is becoming fashionable among
Taiwan's young people, who are increasingly
interested in maintaining good health and slim
physiques. Fueling this trend is the growing number
of fitness centers, offering classes in everything
from aerobics to muscle conditioning.
Loud thumping music and flashing lights fill the cavernous room as hot, sweaty bodies jump, stretch, kick, and move around to the beat. Is this a disco? Hardly. It is in fact a combat aerobics class at a local fitness center. "The sound system and lighting effects are as good as in any disco," says twenty-one-year-old college student Huang Wan-ling. "What I like about coming here is being able to learn new dance steps without having to put up with the second-hand smoke and expensive cover charges you normally find at discos."
Huang is not alone. According to a survey conducted in 2001 by the National Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, 75 percent of over 10,000 respondents said they enjoyed exercise and over 15 percent exercised at least three times a week. About 53 percent exercised to improve their health and physical strength, while 30 percent were in it for the fun or to improve their mood. Huang, who joined a local fitness center a year ago, is perhaps typical of the new breed of people making gym visits part of their routine. "I find that regular exercise has helped improve my figure and complexion. That makes me feel more confident about myself," she adds. "I've also learned from instructors how to exercise properly and efficiently. That's been the real benefit."
Physical fitness as entertainment is not a new marketing concept, but the recent rise in affluence in Taiwan and a widely accepted slim body ideal have prompted thousands to pay an average of NT$15,000 (US$435) a year to join a fitness center. The choices open to those shopping for a gym are also growing. The Aerobics Fitness Health Association recorded 129 health clubs in Taiwan in May 2000, and by the end of 2001 there were 160.
A pioneer in the field Candy Tang, president of Alexander Group, recognized the enormous potential at an early stage. She set up her first aerobics studio in 1982 with a view to targeting women and children. By aggressive promotion through the media, aerobics demonstrations, and special events, Tang gradually expanded her business, which is now Taiwan's largest health-club chain with twenty branches across the island and a membership over 200,000 strong. Ten of its branches are in Taipei, five in Taipei County, two in Taichung, and one each in Chungli, Tainan, and Kaohsiung.
Tang attributes her success to entering the market early and constantly readjusting operations to meet the market's changing demands. For example, members now include the young and the old, and men as well as women. Another strategy involves constant reinvestment in new branches, product development, and the training of personnel. "We're always trying to figure out what customers want and need," Tang says. "It's human nature to remain sedentary. We have to learn how to make exercise more interesting and enjoyable."
Another aspect of the business Tang must always consider is the competition. California Fitness Center (CFC), one of the world's leading fitness chains, opened its first Taipei branch in 1999 amid great fanfare and has since established another two branches in the city with an aggregated investment of US$30 million. Both Alexander Health Club and CFC have spacious exercise facilities, weight-training equipment, and a range of fitness machines, such as rowing machines, stair masters, stationary bikes, gliders, and treadmills. Other standard facilities include Jacuzzis, saunas, steam rooms, tanning booths, and some Alexander branches also have swimming pools. Both chains employ fitness trainers and offer a variety of aerobics classes such as step, funky, and hip hop, as well as classes in muscle conditioning and yoga.
The broad range of choices appears to be a major attraction for consumers. "Coming here is like having a buffet. With the availability of various exercise programs and facilities, you can choose whatever you like," says Henry Tseng, who signed up with a fitness center three years ago. For Tseng, the gym is a social experience. "The best part about coming here is being able to exercise and meet people with similar interests, like those in an aerobics class," he continues. "Sharing the experience and being part of a group is great. That's a major driving force that keeps me coming here regularly."
The social aspect of fitness centers has been cultivated to transform the gym, which was once the exclusive domain of men engaged in weight training, into an environment open to both men and women. CFC, for example, notes that 70 percent of its membership are women aged between twenty-one and fifty, while Alexander's members are divided equally between men and women with most between twenty-five and thirty-five.
The competition to sign up new members is keen, and keeping up with the latest exercise trends is crucial. "There are many ways to exercise," Alexander's Candy Tang notes. "Our task is to make it more fun by constantly updating our programs and facilities. Hopefully, we can attract not only people who like to exercise, but also those who don't." Eric Levine, chief executive officer of CFC in the Asia-Pacific region, agrees that generating interest in physical fitness is a vital aspect of attracting new members. "Once customers set foot in our centers, they're motivated by the positive energy around them to be the best they can be," Levine says. "We're making every effort to enhance our operations by providing the best equipment, location, service, and instructors. Much more than that, we create an environment that gets people excited to come and work out."
CFC's goals in tapping the Taiwan market are to change people's lifestyles through physical fitness and build upon the chain's worldwide membership, notes Levine. Around 32,000 members in Taipei have joined the club's branches, all of whom are entitled to use the facilities in CFC's worldwide network of 440 branches in eleven countries. The international fitness chain also plans to invest a further US$70 million to expand the total number of outlets in Taiwan to ten. "The level of quality of fitness centers currently in Taiwan is the highest among the countries I've been to," Levine says. "With the kind of products and quality services on offer, it will naturally attract more people."
Although it does not have the benefit of a similarly international network, Alexander recently opened a center in Shanghai last September to better serve its members who frequently travel across the Taiwan Strait, and plans to offer customers the option of buying an international membership card.
Candy Tang acknowledges that Taiwan's fitness market has already reached a certain stage of maturity. To fuel another business boom, she notes, it is essential to make breakthroughs in operations. "The latest global trend is offering diversified services," she says. "That's to say we're not only selling health, but also a variety of life's other needs." Alexander operations are being expanded to include facial care, massages, spa treatments, TV or reading lounges, conference rooms, and restaurants. "In the future, fitness centers won't only be a place to exercise, but also somewhere for family or social gatherings," Tang notes. "They should be ideal venues for sports, recreation, entertainment, education, socialization, and cultural and information exchanges."
Merely offering a venue where people can gather and exercise, however, is not enough to promote good health, asserts CFC's Eric Levine. The population must be educated about the importance of being fit. "Taiwan has the opportunity to be a leader in the fitness industry, but that calls for enhanced government and media efforts," he notes. He encourages the government to get more involved in a fitness awareness program, suggesting that campaigns begin in elementary schools and continue to the university level. Physical fitness can also be promoted in public venues such as parks, supermarkets, shopping malls, and even in the streets. "It has to be a daily reminder that exercise is not a luxury but a necessary part of life and health," he says.
Although the government can play a vital role in promoting public health, it should allow the fitness industry to self-regulate, Levine adds. He refers to the current guidelines formulated by the Executive Yuan's National Sports Council governing membership contracts for sports centers. The guidelines were drafted to protect the rights and interests of consumers, Levine points out, but they fail to protect the service providers. The government should instead lift the restrictions and give fitness centers greater freedom to invest and promote their services, he adds.
Fitness centers provide a valuable service, one the government should fully appreciate. "The fitness industry should be looked upon as being more important than the medical profession because we contribute to preventive medicine," the CFC executive avers. While perhaps such consideration may be premature, at least five hospitals across Taiwan are getting into the business of physical fitness and two others, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Cheng Hsin Rehabilitation Medical Center in Taipei, are in the process of including similar facilities for paying clients.
These hospitals offer fitness equipment, aerobics instructions, and facilities such as swimming pools and saunas, like the one found at Kang Ning General Hospital. What distinguishes such centers from ordinary fitness clubs? "Our main competitive edge is that we have professional medical and physical fitness teams to keep a close eye on our members' health," explains Wu Jiunn-jer, the superintendent of the hospital's health center. "It's very safe to work out here since we have a strong backup of medical resources. People can receive the best medical care any time they need it."
The hospital opened its exercise center last July to combine its rehabilitation program with one on physical fitness training. "Our objective is to help the healthy become healthier, and the unhealthy get better," he indicates. "We're building a wellness center rather than simply a fitness center. We're helping people lead balanced lives through promoting good physical fitness habits."
Those wishing to join the hospital's center must first undergo a thorough health checkup and physical fitness evaluation. Based on the results, a doctor and a fitness instructor will draft a personalized prescription on a recommended exercise program. Evaluations are conducted every three months to determine whether the program requires adjustment. Wu says that some people diagnosed with high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease are often told to engage in moderate exercise, but some patients, fearing a relapse, dare not engage in any physical activity. Such patients can benefit greatly from doctor-supervised exercise.
Another bonus for joining a hospital fitness center is the professional staff of fitness trainers, doctors, and nurses who are on hand to offer patients with on-the-spot advice or assistance in the event of an emergency. This gives members a greater sense of security, Wu notes. In addition to medical treatment, Kang Ning Hospital emphasizes preventive medicine, the doctor adds, "and exercise should be an effective prescription."
Maintaining good health is a strategy many governments around the world are trying to promote to avoid the enormous health costs involved in caring for an aging population. People joining fitness centers may only be looking at the immediate benefits of exercise, but there is no doubt that the society, as well as those operating such facilities, are reaping the rewards. Exercise not only increases one's strength and improves the cardiovascular system, it also helps reduce stress and contributes to a feeling of well-being. For proof of this, one only needs to look at the smiling faces of the Henry Tsengs and Huang Wan-lings of the world.