We recently had the pleasure of interviewing Ted Vickey, a leader in the corporate fitness management industry who has served under three presidential administrations as the the Executive Director of the White House Athletic Center, the fitness center serving the fitness, wellness and health promotion needs of the staff at the Executive Office of the President of the United States. In a two part interview, Ted shares his thoughts on his time in the White House, the state of health & fitness in the country, social media, smart phones and fitness.
There was an article in the NY Times last year about Obama's trainer, Cornell McClellan, who is flown in from Chicago to train the White House staff. The Obama family takes fitness seriously, did you find the administrations during your tenure at the White House were as serious about health and fitness?
I was both impressed and inspired during my time at the White House Athletic Center that the man, who many would argue, was the most important person in the world found time to exercise. If they can carve out of their busy day the time to take an hour to exercise, then why can't we? Of the three that I had the pleasure of working for, George W. Bush was probably the most fit. I remember stories in the press that suggested the Secret Service had to recruit "more athletic" agents to keep up with the President. Not only did he make daily exercise a priority, he also wanted his staff to do the same. To have that type of support from your boss was evident to me in the success of our program during his Administration. Our fitness program served the health and fitness needs of the entire staff of the White House, from the President to the White House florist, from the Secret Service agents and Military Office to the budget analysts and phone operators, at times over 3000 staff who worked directly for the White House. I didn't fly around on Air Force One, but I did put a treadmill on it.
How do you think the fitness industry has changed with the addition of social media, fitness apps and smartphones?
I think that like many industries, social media and technology within the scope of health and fitness has made an impact for the better. That said, unlike other industries, this industry might be life or death. We as a society have a growing problem of lack of physical activity and the rise of obesity. It has gotten so bad that the World Health Organization coined a new term called "globesity". We all know that we need to eat less and move more - that simple message has been the same messages for years, but yet things are getting worse. So can we use technology to change that? I think we can. The technologies of today have removed the four physical walls of a gym or fitness center and created a virtual place where the average Joe or Jane, both young and old, tech savvy or not to have an environment where they can get valuable information, motivation and data that can play a pivotal role in their own health and well-being. We now have in our pockets, through our mobile device, more computing power than what was used to put a man on the moon just three decades ago. The question becomes this - can we use that technology to be more persuasive so that people can achieve positive health habits?
Do you predict apps taking over the jobs of personal trainers or cutting into the market share of big box gyms such as Equinox or NY Sports Clubs?
Take a look at that job title - a PERSONAL trainer. No technology, no social media, no app will replace the personal side of what a trainer does for a client. I laughed during last year's Super Bowl when Kim Kardashian said a pair of shoes was going to replace her personal trainer. They didn't and they won't. Same applies to technology. There will be a few people who decide not to use the services of a personal trainer after using an app, but I think more will begin or continue to use a personal trainer because of technology. Technology is a tool that can be used towards better health. That tool, added to the skill set, knowledge and motivation of a certified personal trainer will enable people to achieve their health and fitness goals. Personal trainers and fitness centers that embrace technology and social media will see great success, those that don't will either stay the same or get worse.
Ted is the Founder and President of FitWell LLC. FitWell is a fitness management consulting company specializing in operations, design consulting and professional development to the fitness industry, government agencies, Fortune 1000 companies and the golf industry.
In addition to his FitWell duties, he is member of the Board of Directors for the American Council on Exercise, the largest non-profit accredited certification organization in the fitness industry. Ted can be reached at vickey@fitwellinc.com, tedvickey.com, and you can follow him on Twitter at @tedvickey.
Be sure to check back tomorrow for the second part of our interview with Mr. Vickey!
Source: http://blog.nj.com/fitness/2012/10/white_house_and_fitness.html
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