Is Innovation In The Fitness And Wellness Industries Lacking ?
Friday, April 1, 2011 
In thinking about innovation in fitness and wellness, I sometimes get frustrated. It amazes me, for example, that so many leaders in the wellness and fitness industries don't even know what Google Health is or actually oppose social media marketing out of fear of what their members or clients will post.
I realize that there is some great innovation going on, but with many health club and fitness facility operators, innovation seems very limited. Obesity continues to rise and the number of people participating in fitness and wellness continues to be stagnant. Why isn't innovation in wellness and fitness happening as quickly as it could be ? I think it might be a function of the industry environment. Are there enough quality exchanges between thinking professionals about what the real problems and opportunities are ? Steven Johnson recently wrote Where Good Ideas Come From, The Natural History Of Innovation. According to Steve, great innovations need time to incubate and they need to collide with other hunches. They require great collaboration. Watch his video below as he explains how environment can create greater opportunities for innovation and further explores the issues of innovation in general.
Please let me, Bryan O'Rourke, know your thoughts about innovation in fitness and wellness. Do you think there are great opportunities that aren't being realized fast enough ? Do you think innovation is lacking in the fitness industry or in the wellness industry and why ? How could we create a better environment for innovation in our industry ?
Reader Comments (2)
MADPOWER fitness system - new fitness method info: Google
I think innovation IS occurring just not always in the places you would expect it. A lot of professionals that I think will be sought after are more up and coming and they are doing exactly what you mention. Creating a social media presence. Posting you tube videos, links on twitter, blogs on pages that they create or other pages that enhance their own message.
Innovation doesn't happen in larger facilities because there is too much to undo. They don't want to be bothered with that much effort.
But there ARE other facilities that are changing with the industry. And some of them are leading it.
The change is there. I think it is happening.
You just right now have to look for it.
Those that aren't changing are ensuring their own extinction over time.