Older people today cannot afford not to move! With all the hype around nutrition and exercise, the aging population is well aware of the benefits of an active lifestyle.

Most seniors in the 55+ age group are eager to reap the rewards of healthy aging through a variety of activities. They are not newcomers to the gym so to speak. Most have been active with some form of physical activity throughout their lives, whether it’s a hard workout at the gym or a nice round of golf on a summer afternoon. Women in this age group have also handled years of multitasking, most juggling full-time careers while raising families and still finding time to get some form of exercise. These women became well acquainted with aerobics, step classes, strength training, and power walking. In addition, pain relievers such as yoga and Pilates were adopted to combat tension and fatigue. In many cases, these activities were the salvation of an overly busy lifestyle.

So it’s only natural that these baby boomers would look to continue their active lifestyle until retirement. Quite possibly, with time constraints removed at this stage of life, it allows them to focus more on their health and well-being.

There is tremendous opportunity for gyms and programming facilities to cater to this older adult market. The number of seniors will skyrocket in the next five to ten years and if gym operators are going to get ahead of this curve, they need to set their marketing sights on attracting and appealing to this demographic.

How is this going? What do seniors look for when it comes to staying fit? First of all, it is important to see a visual image that they can relate to. Marketing success is all about seeing yourself in the picture, being that person who is strong, fit, and beaming with energy. If a beautiful image of a twenty-something smiles back, then age becomes a handicap in the older person’s mind, derailing their good intentions, making them feel like they can’t compete. The perfect image that will empower the market you are trying to impress is an attractive older person who is engaged in the exercise of her choice. An ad like this will appear in the 55+ market, creating a role model that they can immediately identify with and connect with. Older people, like everyone else, need to be able to participate in that ad campaign and honestly believe that they might be the ones watching. This sets the wheels in motion for a positive mindset and “can do” attitude.

Older people are only as old as they feel. Once again we return to the mindset, which is a very powerful tool. Boomers today are constantly fighting against the stereotype of aging that has portrayed older people in the past. People over the age of sixty often look, act, and feel ten to fifteen years younger than their actual age. Advertising should live up to this pretense promoting this healthy change known as “turning back the clock.”

Another means of promoting fitness is to educate the older person who wants to move and who wants information on how this will benefit them and improve their lives. They need to know the positives, what they can expect, and what they can expect as a result of embarking on the fitness journey that the marketer is proposing. The campaign must cover all aspects of their lives, demonstrating that presented correctly, older people will understand that they are offered an opportunity for change that will impact and alter their lifestyle. It’s within your grasp, all that’s left to do is go out there, set realistic goals with realistic time frames, and make it happen.

This brings us to another point. Marketers should focus on improving seniors’ lives in general, as a result of participation in exercise and activities, rather than the promise that if you join, you’ll achieve this enviable body or snag that hot date. It is noteworthy the quality of life and the greater enjoyment of daily activities that older people can have as a result of exercise.

Marketing programs should also contain testimonials and comments from real seniors delighted with their progress and achievements, similar to “weight loss before and after stories.” Older people want to hear how they have improved and changed other people, who are just like them. They want to hear the successes, for example, how exercise lowered blood pressure, how strength training enabled other seniors to do more, how medication was reduced, how stamina was stretched. Everything gives the feeling that everything is possible, if they can, I can too. Send a message and an incentive to become a carpenter.

Seniors often prefer to try a program on a trial basis to see if it is right for them. Offering special programs geared toward this group is smart by limiting them to one or two classes. Physical activities can be offered in many different types of senior living facilities. Places like retirement communities and nursing homes already recognize the need for and benefits of nutritional and fitness programs. Approaching these nursing homes is an effective marketing strategy for large groups of seniors. There are also many assisted living homes for seniors who don’t have organized fitness classes or programs yet, but will soon. Visit these places and offer a free class or program, if these programs are successful you will know that this appeals to older people and if the need is strong enough to continue. This will help target the senior market, focusing on what works and what doesn’t.

Fitness marketers need to modify their sales approach to seniors. This age group is not impulsive and will appreciate a more careful and gentle approach to selling. Older people need and want information and prefer patience. This, in turn, builds trust, instilling confidence in the senior contemplating purchasing a membership. It basically reaffirms that they are doing the right thing by taking this first step to join.

Older people as consumers have certain expectations that must be met for compliance. As part of the programming packaging, older people also need and crave socialization and being part of the group. They need leadership, having an instructor guide them safely through the program with an eye toward protecting them from injury, and awareness of ailments like arthritis and osteoporosis in the participants. They seek comfort, with minimal stairs and easy entry, or better yet, to be brought into their home. Ultimately they want value and attention, to feel that they are progressing and that their state of well-being is something that is noticed.

As with any market, your sales approach should be tailored to your age-defined needs and preferences. In 2010 and the years to come the aging boomer market will continue to grow by leaps and bounds. There will be an even greater emphasis on slowing the effects of aging and possibly reversing it through movement and exercise. This, marketers realize what it’s all about at any age. Seniors, like everyone else, want to maintain a high quality of life, and that definitely includes exercise to achieve that.