Health Club News....New iPod Nano, equipped with video camera, might not be welcome at Twin Cities gyms

Posted September 25, 2009 6:14 pm by admin

When Brandon Layland works out at Life Time Fitness in Wayzata, he often carries his iPod Nano. Like many other gym rats, he regards his ultracompact Apple music player as essential workout gear.

But Layland, 18, might have a problem if he upgraded to the newest Nano, recently released with a video camera. The video-taking capability has forced Chanhassen-based Life Time to restrict Nano use in its 84 facilities in 19 states for privacy-related reasons. Other fitness centers in Minnesota are considering similar Nano restrictions.

Compact camera-equipped devices, such as cell phones, have been gadgets non grata at health clubs for years. The Life Time chain, for instance, has long forbidden their use in locker rooms because of the potential for compromising photos or video footage to be distributed online.

And with the new Nano fitting this category, its use in locker rooms for any reason is forbidden, said spokesman Jason Thunstrom. Discerning whether someone is taking video or just queuing up a music mix can be difficult.

The new Nano’s use for music listening would be tolerated in workout areas, Thunstrom added, but shooting videos with it while exercising is a no-no. As other Twin Cities health clubs learn about the Nano’s video features, they are beginning to formulate rules regarding its use. The YMCA of Greater St. Paul and YMCA of Metropolitan Minneapolis restrict photography to the lobbies except during family events monitored by staffers, said Bette Fenton, vice president of marketing and communications. At other times, photo- and video-capable gadgetry must be kept in lockers or gym bags, she said. The new Nano likely would fit into this category, she said.

Likewise, the YWCA of St. Paul this week began studying the Nano and how it would fit into its gadget-using rules. All cell-phone use is restricted to YWCA lobbies and parking areas, partly because of concerns about photography and also to encourage good gym etiquette, said Tamara Burch, director of health and fitness. The use of photo and video devices in locker rooms is prohibited, she said.

“We want to make sure (patrons) aren’t taking pictures that invade someone’s privacy,” Burch said.

How health clubs can curb Nano use remains to be seen. The new Nano is indistinguishable from its camera-less precursor, especially when tucked into a protective case.

Nicole Palacios, of Vancouver, British Columbia, has long been accustomed to slipping her Nano into a silicone protector and strapping it around her arm while at her gym. Her beloved iPod was recently stolen, though, so she likely will get the camera-equipped Nano, which she will promptly slap onto her arm to fire up her hip-hop mixes while working out. “I wouldn’t use the camera,” said Palacios, a health writer and fitness instructor. Some health club patrons will be eager to use the new Nano because of another first-time feature in an iPod — an FM tuner, which lets patrons use gym TVs with preassigned FM frequencies.

While the Nano looks to be a concern at big workout facilities, it is less of an issue at small Twin Cities health clubs. SweatShop Health Club in St. Paul, for instance, has a general policy of discouraging electronics and encouraging face-to-face interaction among its clientele, president and owner Gayle Winegar said. The club has no TVs, she noted, and exercise machines are arranged in circles to foster conversation.

In this intimate environment, where patrons know each other, shenanigans involving cameras are highly unlikely, Winegar said.

Likewise, The Firm in Minneapolis “is not a typical big-house club” with extensive locker room facilities that would encourage patrons to linger and possibly use recording devices on the sly, said founder Kelly Miyamoto.

“We’ve had no trouble thus far,” she said. “Our clients tend to police themselves very well, and we are thankful for that.”

Camera use in changing areas is not a concern at 1,200 Anytime Fitness facilities in 48 states because the small rooms can be used by only one person at a time, said Mark Daly, spokesman for the Hastings-based company.

Julio Ojeda-Zapata can be reached at jojeda@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5467. Get more personal tech at twincities.com/ techtestdrive and yourtechweblog.com. Follow twitter.com/jojeda.

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