Martin Pazzani & Nicole Edelstein
About Martin Pazzani
Martin is a longtime fitness executive and strategic marketing guru (Bally, Crunch, 24 Hour Fitness, The Sporting Club, Activate, and Continu Wellness) whose lifelong passion for hiking and climbing has taken him to major peaks on seven continents over five decades, which compelled him to write The Secrets of Aging Well: GET OUTSIDE in 2020. Dan & Cody like to say, “He has persuaded more people to join a fitness club than everyone else in this room, combined.” While that is possibly still true, he’s on a mission to enable more people to live happier, healthier, longer lives, and to promote hiking to the age 50+ population.
About Nicole Edelstein
Nicole had a fitness studio in Florida, got a copy of Martin's book Secrets of Aging Well: GET OUTSIDE, and she and her husband immediately moved from flat Florida to Denver to hike (and to open Pivot Fitness, where as an FAI trained expert, she trains a studio full of age 50+ clients and a lot of hikers). She’s a career fitness pro, a respiratory therapist, a collegiate rowing champion at Marist College, has a long list of certifications, and has hiked exotic locales around the world. Their book, Book Two in the Secrets of Aging Well: GET OUTSIDE series, is The GET OUTSIDE Workout about how to hike and train people to hike. It will be out in summer 2023.
Why Hiking Is The Fountain of Youth (and How Fitness Studios Can Capitalize on This)
Even before the pandemic, hiking was in accelerated growth mode. Then when gyms were closed, millions more across the country looked to hiking, not only for exercise but for stress relief, escape from the city, and mental / spiritual health. Many of these newbies had no experience and were physically unprepared for outdoor activities, and so what also grew rapidly were a host of minor injuries, exhaustion, cardiac events, fall injuries, and even search & rescue activities from injured hikers. Still, due in part to social media posting of these fun, outdoor activities, interest in hiking and other ‘get outside’ activities rocketed ahead. Now, we in the fitness community can play a role in helping people become more prepared, able to do more, and hike safely. As fitness professionals, we can help individuals get more enjoyment and heightened fitness levels by helping them find more of ‘the fitness you cannot get in a gym.’
Objectives:
1 - Educate attendees on the market size, the growth, and the accelerated interest in hiking and outdoor activities.
2 - Encourage you to use training for outdoor activities, using hiking as a hook, as a tremendous member/client boost.
3 - Review the physical and mental benefits of hiking as an accessible activity to encourage more age 50+ people to stay active.
4 - Provide tips for trainers from their upcoming GET OUTSIDE Workout book, due in summer 2023.
