Optimal Aging

How do you market your gym and services to a specific audience? How do you get prospects into the gym for a sales talks – and then how do you turn them into members?

Well, Sherman Merricks and I get into it on this episode – who do you want, how do you talk to them, and why you need to sometimes stop talking and get comfortable with pauses in a conversation!

Sherman’s the co-founder of Lasso Framework, a marketing and consulting firm for gyms that he started after running his own gym for 13 years in Florida. With the over-50 market in particular, longevity is a keyword, and the marketing copy and images need to reflect who you want.

Anticipate the questions that can derail a sale, and don’t be afraid to lead the prospect to where he or she needs to be.

I enjoyed this conversation with Sherman, and I know you will, too. 

Topics Covered:
✅ Importance of Targeted Messaging and Imagery
✅ Sales Strategies for Gym Owners
✅ The Power of the Pause in Sales 
✅ Retention vs. Acquisition in Gym Memberships

Connect with Sherman Merricks here:
• Website: https://www.lassoframework.com/
• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sherman.merricks/photos
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shermanmerricks5/

Connect with Jay Croft here:
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primefitcontent
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/croftjay/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaycroft

For more tips reaching the over-50 fitness market, subscribe to The Optimal Aging Podcast or visit www.primefitcontent.com.

Email: [email protected]

Thanks for listening!

Trainers often ask me for advice about taking their businesses mobile, how they can bring their fitness equipment and coaching to clients over 50 in the clients’ homes. Well, on this episode, I’m talking to a trainer who has figured it out and sharing all his tips.

Benjamin Villalon has been training people at home for a while with Benefitnessnow in Houston.And just last year, he and his wife, Claudia, and their team of trainers began developing Agestrong Fitness for the over-50 market.  

Benji reports things are going great, and I couldn’t be happier for them – especially since they’re about to welcome their first baby.

I met Claudia last year at the Functional Aging Summit in Los Angeles, and they’ve been Prime Fit Content subscribers ever since. I love the messaging they share on their website, which I can’t claim any credit for. It says, “Empowering active adults 50+ to stay fit, strong and independent. Specialized training for balance, strength, and mobility.”

That’s so smart and, obviously, effective. It takes more than good training and smart marketing to build a mobile training business anywhere, especially in sprawling Houston. I know you’ll enjoy learning how they’ve done it.

Topics Covered:-

✅ Why traditional gym settings don’t always work for the 50+ age group
✅ How in-home personal training provides a customized, accessible fitness experience
✅ The business opportunity in catering to the 50+ fitness market
✅ The biggest challenges and misconceptions about fitness for older adults

Connect with Benjamin Villalon here :

• Email : [email protected]

• Website : www.benefitnessnow.com

Follow Jay Croft here:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primefitcontent 

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/croftjay/ 

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaycroft 

For more tips reaching the over-50 fitness market, subscribe to The Optimal Aging Podcast or visit www.primefitcontent.com. 

Email: [email protected] 

Thanks for listening!

In this week's episode of the Optimal Aging Podcast, I’m joined by veteran fitness trainers Shebah Carfagna and Nate Wilkins, who are finding new ways to help more people live fit, healthy lives. 

Shebah, 67, and Nate, 71, share their fitness journeys, personal health challenges, and news about a couple of new partnerships, including their selection as two of five sponsored AARP athletes nationwide. 

They’ve been in the game a long time and created the Ageless Workout Method to help improve longevity, health span and overall wellbeing. And I love a distinction they make between using the word “movement” over “exercise.” 

You’ll enjoy spending time with this dynamic couple. 

Topics Covered:- 

✅Using Zoom and other new platforms to help people move more 

✅’There is no judgment’ – Why they use the word ‘movement’ instead of ‘exercise’ 

✅How to help clients practice self-care and see aging in a different way 

✅Free training on Zoom through Age Bold; partnering with AARP 

This show is for fitness, health and wellbeing professionals who want to grow their businesses with more people over 50. We share insight on communications, content, and making powerful connections with this large, lucrative demographic. Subscribe for more insightful interviews and expert advice on how to grow your business with people over 50. 

🔗 Check out Panache Fitness: https://panachefitness.com

🔗 Connect with Shebah and Nate on Facebook:

 / shebah.carfagna   

 / nathaniel.o.wilkins   

Follow Jay Croft here: 

• Instagram:  

 / primefitcontent  

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/croft

About a year ago, I had Nick Garrity on the podcast for the first time. Back then, I had just started helping him with his newsletters and other content marketing, and he had 2 Alloy studios up and running here in Atlanta, with a third on the way.

Now, a year later, all three of Nick’s studios are doing great. In fact, on the day we did this second interview you’re about to hear, Nick and his team were celebrating a big milestone: They had reached their membership goal for one of those studios, after a steady, consistent effort of building partnerships, reaching out to the market, and providing excellent results for their members.

How’d they do it? What’s the secret to growing a fitness business that’s aimed at helping people who are older than the typical fitness market?

Well, those are questions we address this week on Optimal Aging, the show that’s for fitness, wellbeing and health professionals trying to grow their businesses with the "quote-unquote" older market.  

Overall, the Alloy Personal Training franchise is growing like crazy, with about 100 locations now open or close to it, and about 300 sold. It’s small group personal training with a focus on people 40, 45 or so and older, and I’ve been fortunate in the last year to work with a growing number of Alloy franchisees.

Whether you’re with Alloy or an independent, you’ll learn a lot from this conversation with Nick. 

The biggest social media channels in the world have been in the news a lot lately. And it has renewed my belief in the power of email for marketing your small business and exercising the greatest control over your communications.

Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t use Facebook or any of the others — they’re still powerful tools, of course. And I’m not getting into the controversies around any of it.

But I want to refocus your attention on email newsletters to grow your business. I’ll create a new episode about it shortly, but this week I want to revisit an episode from two or three years ago. It covers a lot of the reasons why you shouldn’t rely on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or anyone else to be your primary communications channel with prospects and members. Look for that upcoming episode soon. Now, enjoy this encore edition.

#fitover50 #contentmarketing #emailnewsletters 

Why is there still a stigma around Botox and other simple cosmetic procedures? And what role does skin health play in healthy aging?

These are topics I discuss on this episode with Atlanta dermatologist Dr. Mary Alice Mina. You know, it’s funny. We don’t think anything about working out and looking better… but we raise a skeptical glance at the possibility of Botox, fillers, or peels. What’s the difference between them and, say, dying your hair?

I find Botox to be an entry topic for the more relevant subject of skin health, cancer screenings, and the like. 

I'd been hoping to have a dermatologist on the show for a while. I know you'll enjoy this conversation.

It’s an exciting time for the fitness industry, with broad trends coalescing around topics like longevity, wellness, preventive care and others that are particularly resonant for fitness over 50.

So what does the new year hold for all of this?

Well, I’m lucky today to share a conversation about all of this with one of the people behind the Connected Health & Fitness Summit, which is planned for February in Los Angeles.

The event’s website says its mission is to “redefine healthcare by placing fitness, wellness, and technology at its core. We’re driving the next wave of innovation by bringing together 450+ C-Suite leaders to shape how we move, recover, and live healthier lives.”

It’s interesting stuff, and I know you’ll enjoy this look head.

Resources
Connected Health & Fitness Summit 2025
Cara Fautley on LinkedIn
Discount Code to Summit: PODCAST10 for 10% off individual admission

Prime Fit Content

What role does fitness play in preventive healthcare after 50? I believe it's a big one, as does my guest this week on the Optimal Aging podcast, the show all about getting more mature adults to live healthier lives.

New York urologist Dr. David Shusterman says more mature adults are understanding the relationship between exercise and healthy living -- and they want to make the most of their lives, regardless of age.

We talk about changing hormones, prostate health, sex, Botox -- and, yes, the importance of staying physically fit. 

It's a helpful conversation and provocative in the best way. I hope you enjoy it. And please subscribe to Optimal Aging, leave a review, recommend us to a friend.

Resources
Modern Urologist, the doctor's practice
Prime Fit Content, my site to help gyms reach more people over 50

Curious about how small group personal training can revolutionize your fitness business and attract clients over 40? Join us as Vince Gabriele, an acclaimed gym owner, Fit Biz coach, and marketing expert, shares his transformative insights from his latest book, "The Ultimate Guide to Small Group Personal Training." Vince reveals why small group training is a win-win for trainers and clients alike, offering financial benefits and unique advantages tailored to an older demographic. You’ll walk away with actionable strategies for creating a cohesive training environment that keeps clients coming back, including those in the coveted "older" market, over 40 or 50 years old.

Online Resources
Get Vince's latest book here for free, "The Ultimate Guide to Small Group Personal Training"
Vince Gabriele's website
Prime Fit Content – Engage the over-50 market

Imagine if your job was to review restaurants, test recipes, and hobnob with the foodiest of the foodies in a major American city.

Well, my friend Jill Silva has had that job for decades. She was the Food editor of the Kansas City Star for more than 20 years and now has a PR business focusing on food and dining.

Now, at 60, Jill has a new passion: Powerlifting.

Jill’s is the kind of story you need to be sharing with your prospects, clients, and communities. It’s relatable and inspiring. She says she feels, moves, and looks great, and she’s finding new confidence — even a little swagger, if you ask me. 

“I might never be that skinny young thing again, but that’s OK,” she says. “I’m strong, I feel great, and I won’t need to use a walker when I’m 80.”

Find Jill Silva on LinkedIn
Prime Fit Content