Gold’s Gym lays the foundation for healthy workplaces
By: Gwen McNamara
LAWRENCE Gold’s Gym Lawrenceville is offering its healthy-office program to local businesses.
Staff members from Gold’s Gym are ready to meet with local businesses to present information on numerous health and fitness topics, including proper diet, exercise recommendations and sample fitness regimens. In addition, the program dubbed HOP, for healthy-office program will highlight the gym’s classes, equipment and additional amenities.
"Given the statistics, getting employees interested in fitness is just common sense," said Ken Lehman, general manager of Gold’s Gym Lawrenceville. Specifically, he points to the cost of missed days due to sickness.
Recent findings from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control show that health problems associated with weight and obesity have cost businesses more than $15 billion.
In addition, a recent piece of legislation introduced in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives make offering off- site fitness options to employees beneficial to both the corporations and the employees.
The Workforce Health Improvement Program Act would allow for the favorable tax treatment of health club memberships as an employee benefit.
Specifically, it would reaffirm an employer’s right to deduct the cost of subsidizing or providing offsite health club benefits to their workers. In addition, this measure would exclude the wellness benefit from being considered additional taxable income for employees.
And since many employers do not have the resources or office space to offer on-site exercise rooms and fitness programs, the WHIP Act makes it easier for all employers to offer important exercise incentive to their workers without any tax complications.
Corporations interested in participating in HOP need only provide the space at their facility, and Gold’s Gym Lawrenceville will provide the knowledge, the company said. Presentations can be customized to meet a company’s specific needs.
Gold’s Gym Lawrenceville began presales in January 2005 and has a preview gym available for member use. The official opening of the 50,000-square-food facility will be this summer, with a grand opening celebration in September.
The new Lawrence gym will offer new fitness equipment form industry leaders, as well as classic Gold’s Gym free weights and personal training and nutritional expertise. The gym is located adjacent to the Quaker Bridge Mall, just off Route 1 on Quakerbridge Road.
Established in Venice, Calif., in 1965, Gold’s Gym is the largest co- ed gym chain in the world, with more than 600 locations in 43 states and 25 countries.
For more information about the Healthy Office Program, contact Bob LePage or Joyce McNeill at (609) 275-8900, or visit its Web site at www.goldgym.com/lawrencevillenj.