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René Kalt in an Activ Fitness gym

Movemi

"Fitness is part of many people's daily routines"

René Kalt is CEO of Movemi, Switzerland's largest fitness provider. In an interview, we ask him about how the company started 30 years ago, motivation and the healing power of fitness.

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Pierre Wuthrich
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Christian Schnur
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Interview

René Kalt, you look in great shape. As the CEO of Activ Fitness and Fitnesspark, is working out every day compulsory?
I'm not obliged to work out, but I do visit the gym three times a week and alternate between strength and endurance training. As well as how often you exercise, the regularity and intensity of your training sessions are another two key factors.

Do you always manage to ­ work out­?
My motivation comes from the knowledge that every training session stimulates muscle growth and triggers responses that improve my quality of life in the long term. I still want to be able to go dancing at the age of 90.

I still want to be able to go dancing at the age of 90.

René Kalt

Can you remember the first time you ever lifted a dumbbell?
It was over 40 years ago. The gym was in an unheated air-raid shelter. As I was playing volleyball intensively at a high level at the time, I soon realised that strength training would improve my performances on the volleyball court.

Can training really have such a great effect?
Absolutely. Muscle training triggers the release of exerkines­. These bioactive messengers support and stimulate a wide range of positive physiological processes, including the cardiovascular system, your metabolism, the immune system, your mental wellbeing, your muscles and your hormone balance. More and more senior citizens ­are now doing regular exercise to maintain their physical fitness and independence for as long as possible. They want to avoid chronic illnesses and severe health limitations.

But there are negative aspects to the fitness trend too.­ More and more young people are going to the gym to get the perfect physique ...
I'd rather see young people in the gym than sitting on the sofa with their smartphones. I'd like to see schools and parents doing more to encourage children and young people to enjoy physical­ activities.

While we're talking about motivation, how have you managed to get so many Swiss people into fitness?
When I joined Migros Zurich in 1995, the cooperative only had one fitness centre, which was making a loss. Targeted promotional offers helped us to rapidly increase the number of memberships from 2000 to 3000.

But it takes more than attractively priced memberships to remain the industry leader,­ doesn't it?
Of course, that's not enough. We've learned to consistently pursue our strategy of ­ expansion and focusing on the key elements. In order to appeal to a wider target group, we were one of the first providers to combine fitness with wellness activities. Today at Activ Fitness and Fitnesspark, we provide a comprehensive range of services – from group fitness and wellness sessions to initiatives such as 'HERcules', which aims to encourage women to do strength training. The key factor in our success is the outstanding professionalism of our employees.

Could you have imagined 30 years ago that fitness would become as ­popular as it has done?
No, not to this extent. Fitness is now part of many people's everyday routines. In Switzerland, one in five people have a gym membership! Nowadays, you don't really need to ask whether someone goes to the gym, but simply which one.

Will this trend drop off at some point?
I don't believe so. A large part of the population has realised that physical activity and a balanced diet are really beneficial. This means Movemi can continue making a ­major contribution towards encouraging people to get and remain fit and, together with the Medbase Group, step up Migros' ­commitment in this area. I'm really pleased by this situation. I'm handing over the business to my successor, Markus Wolf, with a great sense of satisfaction.

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