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When an older adult walks into the PebbleCreek Fitness Center having never exercised regularly, Jerry and Donna Yost jump at the chance to introduce the newcomer to a whole new life. The Yosts manage and direct the MaxLife Fitness Program that caters to Robson retirement community residents. The program includes education, assessment, instruction and individualized exercise routines centered around an aerobic circuit. MaxLife emphasizes exercising within a target training zone for the 450 regulars at PebbleCreek Fitness Center, many of whom have never previously worked out. “It is never too late to start a fitness program,” Jerry Yost says simply.

Music impacts the quality of a workout. The right music can motivate members to exercise at their fullest potential, while the wrong music can be distracting or downright unpleasant, leading to reduced satisfaction and performance. This makes selecting music for a health club a difficult task. Not only do the tastes of individual members vary, but the music desired by the majority of people present at a particular time also changes. Often the “squeaky wheels” get their way, as members request their favorite formats from the staff. Andersen Consulting’s Center for Strategic Technology Research came up with a high-tech solution to these problems. It installed an automated system that selects the most appropriate music based on the pre-established preferences of Fitness Xchange members who are working out at a particular time.

A new study appearing in the April 20 issue of the British medical journal The Lancet shows that even mild elevations of blood pressure in young people may be a risk factor for the development of heart disease and stroke.

A link from the manufacturer’s server to club equipment also provides companies with what could be considered a unique support concept: surveillance. For instance, each machine equipped with a Netpulse Station is constantly monitored via the Internet by Netpulse Communications to ensure that it is in working order. If, at any time, any station fails, a Netpulse technician can diagnose the problem and immediately notify the facility so the station can be repaired. “If any machine goes down for any reason, the most common one being that someone turns the power off,” says Proulx, “we know about it usually before the club does.”

It seems good service is getting harder and harder to come by. For the fitness industry, at a time when club members are becoming ever more critical, service is a crucial issue. If equipment is down and repairs take long, that can have a great effect on a club’s bottom line. Industry manufacturers know this, and they are using technology, namely the Internet, to expand their offerings in the form of service and sales support.

A number of people were taken aback when a variety of Microsoft Web sites, including the main microsoft.com site, temporarily disappeared last week.

After all, here is a company trying to convince the corporate sector that it has what it takes to support mission-critical business applications on the Web.