Building better business in downtown Fort Myers

MICHAEL PISTELLA Jim and Cindy Wilson, owners of the Downtown Health Club in Fort Myers.
Necessity, Plato said, is the mother of invention. Necessity it seems, is also the mother of a unique business plan created by Downtown Health Club owner, Jim Wilson.
The club’s location, at 2400 First St. in downtown Fort Myers, has been both a blessing and a curse. Seemingly endless construction and a lack of nearby homes have made walk-in traffic difficult, while the proximity to Lee County’s seat of power has made it as much a place to network as a place to exercise.
“We have a lot of lawyers. I would estimate that we have about 600 attorneys. There’s a lot of city and county workers and officials that come in and many business owners,” Wilson said.
Eventually, he said, he expects the River District’s many high-rises to contribute to his membership numbers as more people start moving into the area, but for now he has to improvise.
“I call it a secondary membership. Basically, it works like this: if you are already a member at another club, you can join the Downtown Health Club for half price until your existing membership expires, and then you can decide if you want to stay with us,” he said.
Wilson said he knows many people have club memberships that they don’t use as often as they would like. The concurrent membership option, he said, gives the consumer the chance to take advantage of the Downtown Health Club’s accessibility.
“If you live in the Cape and work in Fort Myers and you end up working late, by the time you get through traffic and get across the bridge, your chances of of working out are going down. But, if your club is right there where you work, you’re more likely to go,” he said.
Wilson says he also prides himself on offering a more relaxed and less intimidating workout experience, especially for members who may be new to the whole health club experience.
“We’re very diversified. You may see a 24-year-old intern from one of the government offices or businesses in the area working out next to a 55-year-old woman who is working out for the first time,” he said. “What you won’t see are show-offs.”
Wilson said the weightroom archetype of the screaming, grunting weight-banging bodybuilder isn’t welcome at the Downtown Health Club.
“We don’t tolerate that kind of behavior. We’re looking to offer a truly non-intimidating experience,” he said.
He’s also keen on providing his customers with a complete work-out opportunity.
“We’re a relatively small club at only 4,500 square feet, but we have a lot of machines. I don’t go out and buy five or six of the same machines, I buy one and make sure it’s the best there is,” he said.
A variety of exercises is the best way to build lean muscles and consequently burn more fat, he said.
“Muscle equals metabolism. For every one pound of muscle that you put on, your body burns an additional 50 calories a day,” he said.
Consistent, but moderate, weight training coupled with cardio is the fastest way to a more trim and healthy body.
“There’s no reason ever to overdo it. The best approach is to work out with weights no more than 35 minutes a day, two or three days a week. Anything over that isn’t doing you any good,” he said.
Wilson also believes the most boring of exercises, walking, is the key to dropping unwanted pounds.
“You’ll get a lot more out of walking at a steady and brisk pace than you ever will from running, because your body can’t burn fat fast enough to keep up with a running pace so it starts to cannibalize muscle which then triggers your appetite response and you may overeat,” he said.
Wilson also recommends doing weight training before cardio exercises as it prepares the body to burn more fat.
Consistent and “smart” exercise, Wilson said, combined with proper nutrition makes staying in shape easier even as our bodies age and make weight maintenance more difficult.
Wilson and his wife, Cindy, both personal trainers, took ownership of the Downtown Health Club in March 2004. Owning his own club was the natural culmination for Wilson, who had worked for many years in the business as a trainer and membership executive. He has also had to overcome a weight issue of his own.
“When I quit smoking in the early 1990s, I blew up to about 75 pounds overweight. I knew something had to give.” he said.
A life-long athlete, Wilson played multiple sports in middle school and high school.
“As a teenager, I once participated in 11 seasons worth of sports in two years,” he said.
Wilson said he ran track and cross country, played football, baseball and soccer working practices into, during and after the school day.
Time, however, began to catch up with him
“Of course I slowed down as I got older, but I still stayed active. But over the years, you can do the same things and not get the same results,” he said. “It’s the same for everyone regardless of your level of activity. The older you get, the more you have to do to get the same results you used to,” he said.
So he began a regimen of training and education and turned his personal victory into a solid business plan.
“Staying in shape isn’t easy, and it gets harder as we get older, but you can do it just by changing your way of thinking,” he said. “You don’t have to workout all day, every day. You don’t have to exercise hard, you just have to exercise smart.”
Downtown Health Club offers personal training, nutrition counseling and free two-week trial membership for Lee County residents.
For more information, call 337-2323 or visit the Web site at: www.DTHealthclub.com.