Bold new vision for the Health and Wellbeing of Australia

AUSactive takes account of the diversity of traditional body building, yoga, Pilates, spin, dance, aqua classes, wellness and complementary health.

A bold new vision for the health and wellbeing of Australia

Fitness Australia’s Barry Elvish reveals the peak body’s rebranding

Almost two years ago, Australians first became aware of a new ‘virus’ emerging from Asia; Coronavirus. A few months later and the renamed Covid-19 appeared for the first time in Australia, quickly causing health authorities to swing into action with community messages to wash our hands, cough into our elbows and maintain a safe distance. Then, in March 2020 our sector, along with all other indoor physical activity and exercise modalities, was shut down with no consultation and only 24 hours’ notice. Understanding how and why such drastic decisions with devastating impacts could be made caused significant reflection within our membership base and at Fitness Australia from the Board down.

It quickly became clear key stakeholders were making decisions often based on outdated perceptions, erroneous information, overseas experiences and the need to respond to Covid expeditiously; all factors that contributed to the health and fitness sector initially being treated without due consideration or meaningful engagement.

Over the following months and through numerous discussions with all State and Territory Health departments, relevant ministers, police and other government agencies several key messages emerged. Firstly, few government departments in the past have fully understood how and where to categorise exercise, physical activity and fitness resulting in every government jurisdiction placing all three regimes under Departments of Sport and Recreation. Although there are clear pathways between exercise, fitness and sport, we are not sport.

Secondly, and despite all government messaging during the various lockdowns emphasising exercise as one of the only four reasons to be able to leave your home, highlighting its essential purpose for the maintenance of a healthy body and mind, the same messages were not linking exercise with our member’s services and/or facilities. This was also regardless of the fact 50% of Australians who claim to exercise use fitness, Pilates, Yoga and group class facilities as their preferred venue or program of choice.

Thirdly, and much to the initial chagrin of the other modalities, we learnt the government not only did not comprehend where to categorise fitness and exercise, it effectively lumped all indoor physical activity and exercise programs including yoga, Pilates and dance under the generic classification of ‘gyms’. Accordingly in March 2020, all were closed simultaneously with gyms and since then Fitness Australia has been collaborating with, and supporting the relevant Associations through government advocacy, members support and media statements. This experience has identified a demand from several complementary modalities for new membership categories offering support for both Pilates and yoga facilities and professionals. A potential obstacle to becoming more inclusive was the label ‘fitness’, a word that has connotations of exclusivity rather than inclusivity, elitist rather than accommodating.

Concurrent with the ongoing negotiations with government, Fitness Australia late last year completed two sector surveys - one industry wide and one for members only. The former was designed to assess the appetite for regulation in the industry - the lack of which was a constant reason given by Health authorities as to why we were closed when Allied Health was not. The responses received indicated a strong desire for increased standards, industry oversight and governance and ongoing professional development.

The members’ only survey messages were equally forthright; stop advocating on behalf of non-members and initiate a consumer campaign educating the community of the benefits of using a member facility and/or exercise professional.

Although separate and with slightly different audiences, when considered together the two surveys had a powerful correlation. Fitness Australia members wanted to differentiate themselves from non-members on the basis of professionalism, standards, credibility, ethical practice and safety; equally any future advocacy and consumer campaigns needed to reinforce these demarcations.

The Board and staff of Fitness Australia considered the Covid situation, the survey messages, feedback received at many face-to-face member meetings, direct feedback from members and constructive criticism from ‘critical friends’. It became apparent that strategically a conscious and concerted effort was required to reposition our sector in the minds of key stakeholders, external decision makers and the wider community. It was agreed that as the nation emerges from state lockdowns, combined with various other favourable factors outlined below, now was the ideal time to implement this strategy.

One of the few positive outcomes of the pandemic is mental health and wellbeing now being ‘top of mind’ for the wider Australian community, not just those affected by it. As the Federal Treasurer indicated during his Budget speech earlier this year, mental health is now ‘a national priority’ and the exacerbation of mental health issues as a result of Covid has only heightened the seriousness of the problem. Mental health organisations, medical professionals and our members all agree on the direct benefits exercise can bring in managing and mitigating mental health issues. Exercise is essential. For our mind, our body and our wellbeing.

Australia is also experiencing worsening rates of obesity, dementia, diabetes, kidney failure, heart disease, arthritis and dietary risk failures to name but a few. When combined with more spectator than participant sedentary behaviour, urban congestion, time poor families, limited public space and long commuting times it is easy to understand why the nation is facing a health crisis. Exercise professionals, be they Aqua, Pilates, yoga or fitness, all have an essential role to play to halt and ideally reverse this trend.

In November 2018 the Federal Government signed on to the Global Action Plan on Physical Activity with a commitment to inspire 15% more Australians to be more active by 2030. Unfortunately, since then nothing has been activated. We know public preventative health campaigns work, think QUIT antismoking, AIDS, and sofa ensconced Norm encouraging us to ‘Be in it’ 40 years ago. Government at all levels need key community partners to support and activate health campaigns; a more inclusive Fitness Australia has the capacity, energy and desire to fill that role.

Research over many years in many countries has proven the value of preventative health campaigns in not just addressing physical and mental health problems but also in saving government’s money by not having to spend more money once a health problem has manifested itself. Covid has left the Federal Government with a huge deficit but by working with a reactivated Fitness Australia it has the potential to reduce both the instance of health problems and the cost of managing them. Exercise professionals can help stop Australians needing rehabilitation services, they can act as the precursor to Allied Health services.

In 2032, the Olympics are returning to Australia and this will lead by default to increased community interest in sport, trickling down to fitness, exercise and physical activity - a very good thing. However, it also means that most sport and recreation departments, especially federally, and most sport related government agencies will be financing and focusing on elite sports and future gold medals. Another reason why we need to rethink and reposition our sector away from sport to health.

Our sector has evolved from an emphasis on looking good to a focus on feeling good. Fitness facilities now encompass a diverse range of programs, from traditional body building to yoga, Pilates, spin, dance, aqua classes, wellness and complementary health.

There are now more female club members and female Fitness Australia professionals, more facilities are welcoming people with disabilities, the older age cohort and members from a cultural and linguistically diverse background; our sector has changed and continues to reflect the changes that are occurring in the wider community.

In recognition of these changes and the evolving and recognised importance of exercise and movement professionals, the opportunity to embrace additional modalities, the potential to collaborate with governments and other key stakeholders as their critical preventative health partner and expand our advocacy capability, Fitness Australia also needs to change.

AUSactive is the visible representation of a strategic rethink and repositioning of our sector. Welcome to the united body for Australia’s health and wellbeing; AUSactive - Activating: Every body. Every way. Every day.

Are you ready to join the movement for movement? Barrie Elvish is Chief Executive of Fitness Australia/ AUSactive. For more information go to www.ausactive.org.au