Industry executives held 92 meetings with lawmakers and administration officials, promoting physical activity as essential healthcare infrastructure while launching the Service Ready military fitness initiative.

By Pamela Kufahl, senior director of communications

The fitness industry was represented by 130 leaders from health clubs, studios, industry partner sponsors, and HFA staff at the three-day event that culminated on June 10 with visits to Congressional offices. The participants braved a rainy morning to pose on the Capitol steps prior to their visits with legislators.

At the 2026 HFA Fly-In and Advocacy Summit on June 8-10 in Washington, DC, 130 fitness industry leaders met with US legislators and administration officials to reinforce the health and fitness industry’s role in preventing chronic disease, reducing healthcare costs, and supporting military readiness. 

The Fly-In is an annual event organized by the Health & Fitness Association at which industry leaders travel to Capitol Hill to learn about business and legislative issues affecting the industry and to speak with their representatives about the impact of each on their businesses and on the physical and mental health of the country. Participants, who were split into groups based on the states in which they live, collectively held 92 meetings.

Participants heard from Dr. Mehmet Oz about the importance of integrating nutrition and physical activity into healthcare, learned about HFA’s Service Ready initiative, and met with lawmakers to advance policies that position physical activity as a critical component of a healthier America.

Oz, who serves as administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, US Department of Health and Human Services, delivered the dinner keynote address June 9 at the headquarters of the Daughters of the American Revolution. 

He focused on physical activity’s role in healthy aging and disease prevention and the opportunity for the fitness industry, CMS, and federal policymakers to integrate physical activity into healthcare delivery and prevention efforts.

Earlier in the day, Admiral Brian Christine, MD, assistant secretary for health and head of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps at the US Department of Health and Human Services, offered the luncheon keynote, speaking about the importance of a healthier nation to the strength of America. 

“Health is foundational to our national strength,” he said. “Health is essential to our readiness. It shapes the vitality of our economy, the resilience of our communities. Health shapes the future of our nation.” 

Both Oz and Christine expressed appreciation for HFA’s Service Ready initiative, which was announced at the Fly-In immediately prior to Christine’s address. Service Ready is an initiative in which operators at HFA member clubs and studios can offer eight to 12 weeks of free membership to individuals who have signed up to join the military to help them prepare to complete boot camp. 

“The announcement you made shows the commitment you have to this country,” Christine said. “Your commitment to the fighting forces and the fighting readiness of the United States of America touches me deeply.” 

Oz called the initiative “the greatest gift you can give to this country.” 

Operators interested in learning more about participating in the program can fill out this form to be notified as more details become available. 

HFA also handed out its first two HFA Heavy Lifter Awards at the June 9 dinner. The awards were given to two representatives who have supported the fitness industry: Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO). 

Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, was part of a fireside chat with Mark Harrington Jr., president of Healthworks Group, on the topic of GLP-1s and how to frame physical activity as essential healthcare infrastructure in discussions with policymakers.

That discussion occurred after HFA VP of Research Anton Severin presented a preview of a GLP-1 white paper paper, From Weight Loss to Lasting Value: Structured Exercise and the Economics of GLP-1 Therapy, which will be released on June 15. 

The heart of the event occurred on June 10 when attendees took to the halls of Congress and met with 92 legislators or their staff members. Each group included constituents of the legislators. Some of the offices visited included Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Sen. Tom Tillis (R-NC), and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Some of the legislators who took time to meet personally with the groups included Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-OR), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA), and Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), among others.

Participants in the Fly-In included executives from acac Health & Fitness, Bay Club Company, Discover Strength, East Bank Club, EoS Fitness, Fitness Formula Clubs, Genesis Health Clubs, Healthworks, Life Time, Planet Fitness, Solidcore and many others. 

Also participating in the meetings were executives from the event sponsors, which were:

Premier Sponsors: Matrix, TechnoGym
Advocate Sponsors: AltaDX, Daxko, DIRECTV, Echelon, Life Fitness / Hammer Strength, PerfectGym, SECA, VIDA Fitness, Wellhub, and Woodway
Supporters: National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), ROR Partners, and Zenoti

The three days wrapped with a poolside reception at VIDA Fitness. 

“This year’s Fly-In reflected a major shift in how the industry is engaging in Washington,” said Mike Goscinski, HFA chief of staff. “The conversation is no longer about whether physical activity matters. Policymakers increasingly understand that. The focus now is on implementation, scalability, affordability, and how the fitness industry can help solve some of the country’s biggest healthcare and readiness challenges. The industry showed up in force this week with a unified message that physical activity must be treated as essential prevention infrastructure.”

More photos from the event can be viewed here.

At 34, physical therapist Will Harlow works out like someone decades older.

Their goals are very different — his clients are regaining mobility and independence, while Harlow is training to do sports and “look good in a T-shirt.”

But the same basic principles of longevity apply whether you’re 18 or 80.

In his new book, “Independence for Life,” Harlow maps out the four pillars of health that should be baked into anyone’s workout routine: strength, mobility, balance, and healthy bones and joints.

Harlow said one exercise in particular checks all the boxes for longevity and performance, whether you’re a high achiever looking to gain muscle in less time or a fitness newbie trying to build up your health.

You don’t need a gym or much equipment to get started, so don’t wait, Harlow says — the younger you start training for longevity, the more muscle and fitness you can bank for the years to come.

“There’s no such thing as too early. And the earlier you start, the better of a base you build,” Harlow said.

The best all-in-one exercise for longevity

Harlow’s top exercise for all-around health and fitness is the goblet squat, a movement that trains strength, stability, and mobility at once.

The exercise involves holding a weight, like a dumbbell or other heavy object, with both hands in front of the chest (as if you’re cupping a giant drinking goblet, as the name suggests).

That’s it — you don’t need a gym or any experience with a barbell, machine, or other equipment, and the risk of injury is low.

“The beautiful thing about the goblet squat is it’s highly safe because if you get into trouble, you can just drop the weight,” Harlow said.

Goblet squats work the entire body at once, engaging the muscles of the back, arms, and legs as you control the weight. As you squat, the joints of your knees, hips, and ankles are working, too. Plus, positioning the weight in front of your body activates your abs and hips.

Elite athletes and top trainers love goblet squats for building explosive power. For the rest of us, the goblet squat is a simple way to build muscle that’s essential for healthy aging, and mimics real-world activities like sitting down and getting up safely.

“It’s so vital to keep that muscle on our body,” Harlow said. “Strength is just a proxy for independence because if you’re weak, you can’t open heavy doors, you can’t get on and off the toilet unassisted, and you can’t get on and off the floor.”

The longevity ‘sweet spot’

To get the most out of your squat workout, Harlow recommends focusing on a concept called reps in reserve: that’s how many more repetitions you could complete before hitting muscle failure, when you can’t lift anymore.

Research suggests the specific number of reps is less important than challenging your muscles, working until you could barely manage another rep or two if you absolutely had to.

You want a weight you can lift for at least 10 reps, but not more than 20 reps, for the best mix of strength, muscle-building, and health benefits, according to Harlow.

“That’s a nice sweet spot for building muscle. It’s also heavy enough that you’re going to have an impact on your bone density and you’ll improve your mobility as well, but it’s not so heavy that we are elevating that risk of injury,” he said.

Twenty minutes, twice a week — that’s the promise behind The Exercise Coach, where artificial intelligence and robotics are helping people rethink what a workout can look like.

“We always start with a leg press, and we get a really good workout on those hamstrings, the quads, the glutes,” said Erica Bennett, trainer at The Exercise Coach.

The workouts are designed for all ages and fitness levels, but many clients are 40 and older. That’s where maintaining strength, balance and muscle mass often becomes a bigger focus.

The proprietary “Exerbotic” machines first measure your strength and range of motion.

“The machine will then use that to create the workout for you, so that you are always spending the most time under tension and the right amount for you,” said Bennett.

The goal is to keep muscles working continuously while the machine adjusts resistance and movement by staying within the lines of the digital graph above you.

“That’s reducing some of that wear and tear on the joints. That’s creating a little bit of a safer experience, especially for somebody who’s looking at some age-related muscle loss,” said Bennett.

Owner Chris Geiser says the technology is what first caught his attention.

“I love data, I love systems, and this had both of those, but also allowed us to help transform people’s lives, have an impact on their health,” said Geiser.

While the tech drives the workout, every session is still guided by a coach.

The workout may be short, but it doesn’t feel easy.

The studio also incorporates balance and cognitive training to help clients maintain stability and coordination as they age.

“We don’t need to accept a casual decline of muscle mass. We can keep it up with the right level of intensity and the right frequency,” said Geiser.

For anyone who’s fallen out of an exercise routine, Geiser has a simple invitation.

“You might be surprised what your body can still do. We invite you to give it a shot,” he said.

The Exercise Coach studio at 8425 Seasons Parkway in Woodbury, Minnesota, opens Friday.

One-on-one coach-led training is $35 to 45 dollars per session.