04 letters
The media is encouraging children to avoid exercise, says Fergus Ahern, director of ZigZag.

08 news round-up
Construction starts on the Surrey Centre for Sport, Liverpool’s Aquatics Centre opens and Candover buys a stake in Technogym.

14 international news
Feelgood Fitness ventures Down Under and Planet Fitness opens a flagship club in Johannesburg.

16 fia update
The go London scheme sees great success and the Get Active Alliance is launched to create a ‘cradle to grave’ solution to the health crisis.

20 reps update
Jean-Ann Marnoch is appointed as the new REPs registrar.

22 people news
Florence Orban is the National Skills Academy's interim CEO and Cedric Bryant previews his LIW seminars.

24 competitive edge
Take part in a three-day ski challenge in Switzerland to raise money for charity.

25 diary dates
September means SIBEC North America and Leisure Industry Week.

26 everyone’s talking about... older fitness instructors
How old is too old?

28 interview: jim whitehead and richard cotton
We talk to the ACSM’s executive vice president and CEO, and to its national certifications director, about getting inactive people into exercise.

32 finger on the pulse
In the second of our series on wellness hubs, Emilie Filou looks back at the Peckham Experiment and reviews today’s Peckham Pulse.

36 balancing act
Neena Dhillon looks at different business models for offering pilates.

40 ship shape
We review the fitness and spa facilities on board Independence of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship.

44 all inclusive
The IFI’s Chris Easton assesses how far the fitness industry has come in meeting the needs of the disabled.

46 a matter of life and death
How prepared is your facility should a client have a cardiac arrest? We look at the need to install defibrillators in health clubs.

50 a question of trusts
An update on leisure trusts’ dispute over charging VAT on sauna and steam provision.

52 product round-up
Steam and sauna product news.

54 push the envelope
A report on the Royal Mail Group’s corporate fitness scheme

55 mind games
We look at how NLP can motivate health club staff and members.

58 young at heart
A summary of what’s in store at LIW, which this year offers a broad range of youth-focused content.

60 defining retention
Paul Bedford outlines the type of analysis needed to calculate retention and take the right action.

62 integrated systems
A look at how CRM systems are evolving as clubs combine their fitness and spa operations.

68 fitness kit special: cables and free weights
Matrix’s Functional Trainer and Kettlebell training from Escape.

70 member maintenance
Advice following research on what drives members’ intentions to renew their membership.

72 supplier profile: jon johnston, matrix
The managing director of Matrix Fitness Systems talks about making his company remarkable.

81 lightweights
Singing makes us healthier, electrical baths for rheumatism, and leech detox therapy.