Surprise! Melanoma is not good for you
What if we told you that outdated technology—proven to carry adverse health effects—is still found in 75 percent of American “health clubs”? Why would businesses that are built to improve health have equipment shown to be unhealthy?
On the face of it, this seems like it simply couldn’t be true. Yet, remarkably enough, it is.
Indoor tanning may be slightly less popular than it was in the 1990s and early 2000s, but participation is still significantly higher than you may think. In a study published in the December 2019 issue of the JAMA Network Open, researchers surveyed three of the largest fitness gym chains in the United States: Planet Fitness, Anytime Fitness, and Gold’s Gym. The team found that more than 75 percent of their locations offer tanning beds for their members use. That amounts to 4,660 tanning beds spread across 1,347 gyms.
If you’re appalled by this, you’re in the company of the researchers as well. They wrote, “It would be outrageous if they installed cigarette machines. It should be just as outrageous that they have tanning beds.”
It’s 2020. Certainly, anyone who tans in an indoor tanning bed knows that it’s unhealthy and poses a well-documented risk to their long term health. This is America; that’s their choice. But when the largest players in the fitness industry claim to have brands centered around health improvement, it is completely hypocritical to offer a product that is proven to dramatically increase melanoma risks. Skin cancer kills 7,200 Americans each year.
FitMe Wellness has been told by some prospective members, “If you just had tanning beds, we would join.” Sorry, not sorry! We’re not willing to sell out our mission to help our members live a life well-lived just to get a few extra bucks.
