Announcement: The largest association in Katrinholm invests in health

This article is taken from +Magasin

– We see that the number of members is finally growing again after a few difficult years during and after the pandemic, and this feels really good, says Ewa Lindström, Operations Manager.

Since Friskis & Svetis is an association and not a for-profit company, the focus is on the members. Any surplus must return to members, in the form of investments in the facility, materials or access to new/more training courses. In order to meet the needs and desires of members, shorter surveys are conducted on several occasions during the year, which EYWA calls three rapid surveys.

-We previously tried sending surveys, but the response rate wasn't good enough. Instead, you're asked three quick questions at the entrance about possible development actions, and there we get a really good answer. Our last project was to redesign the gym according to the members’ opinions and desires,” says Ewa.

As in many other things, there are trends in training and sports as well. New training models enter the program and some disappear.

– In the last 3-4 years, yoga has grown quite dramatically, especially Yin Yoga, which is a quiet, meditative form of yoga. Ewa says the spinning classes are very popular and are also multi-sport, combining fitness and strength.

News coming from the training side includes shorter training sessions, the 30-minute SPLIT, which focuses on strength.

-I believe that very much. It can be a good exercise that can be combined well with spinning or yoga.

Friskis & Svetis has become a meeting place for several generations.

The gym is very popular among young people. If you are between 13 and 16 years old, you can attend a short training course with our gym trainers. There you will learn basic techniques and how to think in order to train in a healthy way at an early age. But also how to behave in the building and relate to our rules of order has become very common. We have gym hosts who move around the building when we have the highest number of members and this has created a better environment for everyone staying here and you always have someone to ask.

Seniors are also active at the facility, with a large group of active seniors exercising during the day. The morning sessions are often fully booked, and Ewa thinks it's a lot of fun because the focus is not only on training but also on community and relationships.

Friskis & Svetis has over half a million members across the country and there should be more as sedentary behavior becomes more widespread.

– The sofa is our biggest competitor and we want to be able to accommodate and expand our range further. On the children and youth side, there is a lot that can be done, but it also requires more leaders.

Finding new leaders is usually not difficult. Some of them are carefully selected when they see that there is an aptitude for being able to lead their own classes, others register an interest on their own.

-If you are approved, you can attend a training course that gives you all the tools you need.

Ewa herself has been a pioneer since 1996 in all forms of exercise except yoga and spinning.

– It has become a way of life and it is not too late to start training. At Friskis, we're good at helping you get started!

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