Fitness First is the world's largest privately owned health club group with over 540 clubs worldwide and over 1 million members in 21 countries. In London alone there are over 40 clubs, each stocked with state-of-the art gym equipment, and staffed by enthusiastic fitness professionals. Who better then, to help the people of Britain wash away their January gloom with a good old-fashioned endorphin-boost? This week the company has done just that, with the help of the Halpern consultancy and Olympic heroes Victoria Pendleton and Max Whitlock.
The campaign is called “Red Monday,” referring to Fitness First's bold red branding, and the fact that this current week (“Blue” Monday 19 especially) is thought to be the most depressing time of the year as resolutions fall by the way-side and the weather continues to (for want of a better phrase) suck eggs. The idea of “Blue Monday” dates back to 2005 (well technically the term dates back to the 1980's New Order single, but let's not split hairs here), with psychologist Cliff Arnall discovering that the third Monday in January marked the most depressing and least active period for most people in the UK. Any sane person will tell you that exercise releases endorphins that significantly improve your mood, so it makes sense that FF and Halpern would use the misery of January as a jumping off point for a campaign.
The Red Monday campaign offers complimentary visits to Fitness First centres nationwide and free consultations with top training experts
Red Monday hopes to turn those January blue days into red days with complimentary visits to Fitness First centres nationwide and free consultations with top training experts. On Monday, Londoners even got the chance to grab a lift to the gym in a free, tweet-to-ride Fitness First branded taxi, with Pendleton and Whitlock in the back giving out custom tailored fitness advice. All potential fitness freaks had to do was tweet #RedMondayFF to order a free taxi to gyms in Bishopsgate, The Strand and Tottenham Court Road.
Halpern director Clare Woodford, said the scheme had been launched last year with great success, with Pendleton's “Pro-cycling class for Red Monday attracting 3,000 new people into Fitness First clubs to exercise for the first time on the day of campaign launch.” She adds that, based on their latest insights, “The Fitness First gym experience has been adapted to encourage intrinsic motivation within individuals,” and to support this, they're offering the nation “Free motivational advice and workout tips from Britain's Olympic heroes.”
“Fitness First’s Red Monday activity will shine a light on what Fitness First can do for the British public” Martin Seibold, MD of Fitness First UK
Whitlock, an Olympic gymnast, who was part of the first British men's team to win a medal at an Olympic games in 100 years at the London 2012 games, said, when he asks his friends “They say getting to the gym can be the hardest part of any workout, especially during the winter.” This is why he loved the idea of the Fitness First cabs, “Which will make the journey easier for a lucky few.” Martin Seibold, managing director of Fitness First UK, added that he hopes “Fitness First’s Red Monday activity will shine a light on what Fitness First can do for the British public,” and he looks forward to “Welcoming everyone, no matter what their goals are, or current state of fitness.”
