Business executives need to know that keeping an eye on the waistline is just as critical to survival as the bottom line.
Research indicates that successful business executives suffer more from diseases of affluence -obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure-than any other occupational category. Specifically, those between ages 40 and 50 years old are twice as likely to die from stress-related illness compared with people in other occupations in the same age group.
Fortunately for Lansing-area business professionals, among the local resources available to help defy the odds is access to one of the nation's best health and fitness clubs. The Michigan Athletic Club (MAC), a division of Sparrow Health System, offers 270,000 square feet of state-of-the art excellence. Among its amenities are 16 tennis courts; two full-length indoor basketball gyms; extensive strength and cardiovascular areas; an expert health and fitness staff; the area's largest indoor track; four swimming pools and a mammoth 200-foot water slide; championship squash, racquetball and handball courts; a 3,000-square-foot indoor golf practice area; swing analysis and lessons from PGA instructors; 20 world-class golf courses on simulators; three exercise studios; and childcare for infants and toddlers. In addition, the club features four plush locker rooms with whirlpools, saunas, steam rooms, cold plunges, day and permanent lockers and individual showers. Other services include massages, a hair salon, a shoeshine shop, a pro shop and a restaurant and banquet facility. It's not surprising that Club Industry Magazine named the East Lansing club as one of the Top 100 U.S. Health and Fitness Facilities for 2001.
Mike Combes, MAC general manager, noted, 'One of the things that is unique about us is the hospital affiliation. I think people are sometimes skeptical about joining a health club because they've heard the disaster stories of clubs opening, then going out of business. Here, people know when it's affiliated with a hospital, especially a prominent one like Sparrow, it's like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. It lends itself instant credibility and that's a real advantage to the Club. They know it's going to be held to the highest standard.'
Setting high standards and meeting and exceeding expectations are the driving force behind the MAC's success since its beginning 12 years ago. Credit goes to Carl Porter, MAC executive director and president of MedSport Enterprises, for leadership in perfecting the formula for a total quality experience, often described as the 'Magic of the MAC.'
'State-of-the-art - that's been Carl's game plan since this club opened. Everything's the best,' stated Combes. 'We've got an ongoing program of keeping the facility maintained and to keep improving it. Members appreciate that there's money always being put back into the club. Every year we buy new equipment and resurface courts. Every so often, we do a major renovation. We did the huge 100,000-square-foot MegaMAC renovation in 1997, now we're going to totally renovate our weight room including adding a new Mondo floor. We're going to expand the size of the room by 3,000 feet and get new lines of equipment.'
Besides providing the best equipment training and facilities, assuring 'rich, rewarding experiences for each member on every visit' is the mantra shared by the MAC's professional staff. 'We train our staff ... yes, we have a great facility, but what's going to bind somebody to the club is the relationships they make. People are looking for personal relationships not whether you have the latest treadmill,' said Combes.
The MAC's roots began in 1985, when Porter helped launch the first Michigan Athletic Club in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as a medical/fitness partnership with St. Mary's Hospital. Based on that experience, Lansing's St. Lawrence Hospital enlisted Porter and MedSport's assistance with its Health Science Pavilion project, which included the MAC and 60,000 square feet of medical office space, including a branch for physical medicine and rehabilitation services. With the merger of St. Lawrence into Sparrow Health System, the concept of 'integrated lifestyle management' continues to successfully evolve, giving patients and members access to a broad continuum of programs and services. The approach integrates wellness, fitness and rehabilitation and supports a proactive approach to individual health.
The MAC plays a pivotal role in the integrated approach. 'You have people who have never exercised in their lives, and all of a sudden they go to the doctor at age 55 and are told they better start exercising or they're going to die,' explained Combes. 'That may be just the extreme case, but people need to consider if they want to get more out of their lives. Rather, do they want to spend the last 30 years sitting down watching TV or being bedridden or chair ridden? Or do they want to have an active, healthy lifestyle, maybe play tennis or just play with their kids or grandkids?'
Combes encourages anyone with an interest in learning more about the MAC to come in for a no obligation tour. 'We've never been a hard sell. We just show people the club, and say 'Here it is; we'd love you to be a member, but it's your decision.' Sometimes people have the impression that people over here [at the MAC] are all in great shape, and that's simply not the truth. People are surprised when they come in here because they see all different sizes, ages and shapes. We have many deconditioned people, who are out of shape, and that is one of our main focuses. We're happy to be a club where elite athletes can go, but we get much more enjoyment out of seeing someone come in here who has never really exercised before and see the progress.'
THE MICHIGAN ATHLETIC CLUB
Mike Combes, General Manager
Carl Porter, Executive Director
Joe Wald, President
The Michigan Athletic Club is a division of Sparrow Health System
2900 Hannah Blvd., East Lansing
517-337-0002, www.themac.org
