PerfectFit - The Fitness Monitoring and Management Project

These days, the emphasis is very much on living healthier lifestyles and many of us rely on clubs and gyms for reducing stress and staying fit. In this arena, the recently opened Fitness Company in Bicester, Oxfordshire is deliberately forward looking with a mission to provide the best in terms of service and equipment. The atmosphere is relaxed but highly professional and this is reflected in all levels of their service.

Active Media Business Solutions and The Fitness Company decided to work together to create a better, more accurate way to assess and monitor physical profiles and fitness, help instructors design individual fitness programmes more quickly and generally improve the club's overall efficiency and provision of service. Time is a significant factor, as clients often have only a short time per session. Speeding up fitness checking and reducing the time it takes to provide progress reports without compromising the quality of the information was a major goal.

PerfectFit, the solution designed by Active Media Business Solutions had to be easy for the instructors to use, able to produce and print fitness reports in a format suitable for clients, and provide the company with general fitness statistics allowing them to map trends and assess their own overall performance. The look and feel of the solution also had to reflect the professional image of The Fitness Company.

Prior to computerisation, a Fitness Check would take a good forty minutes to complete with analysis taking place afterwards. Now, the instructors can finish a check in about half an hour and as the application performs real time analysis, the reports are instant.

The PerfectFit system collects and processes data such as the client's weight, blood pressure and cardiovascular function as a result of which the instructor can set up a suitable Fitness Programme. Then, each time the client comes for a session, they can easily update their information, obtain a progress report, adjust their activities with their instructor if necessary and take home a report should they so wish.

The application has a modern Windows 9.x / XP style interface and the feedback from instructors is that it is exceptionally easy to use. They report that PerfectFit intuitively follows the normal progression of a Fitness Check, keeping the emphasis on the client and the activity, not on form filling at the computer. Clients are impressed with the reports and the efficiency of the system.

Assessing company performance is quick and easy by looking at the general statistical reports. PerfectFit reports solid data such as how often people use the facility, the type of people who prefer their facility according to age, gender and equipment use and tracks fitness progress according to categories. To take this competitive edge even further, a module is planned to enable members to access their fitness programmes and profiles via the web.

PerfectFit is an integral part of the service provided by the Fitness Company. For clients, it is, essentially, a lifestyle solution providing fast, efficient fitness assessment and monitoring ensuring that time is spent more effectively on the activities that keep them healthy and fit. For the Fitness Company, the solution enhances their professional image and improves their efficiency. And, with the data they now have at the click of a mouse, they are perfectly positioned to plan and provide truly client driven service and facilities.