Help Make Fitness More Affordable in NJ

From youth sports fees and rec sports fees and equipment to yoga and martial arts...from competition fees and fitness classes to personal trainers and health club memberships...fitness costs add up. Here's how you can take less than a minute to help get a new law passed to make fitness more affordable.

The Atlantic Club is launching a grassroots effort to get new federal legislation passed that would make fitness expenses more affordable. It's called The Personal Health Investment Today Act (PHIT), and it was introduced into both houses of Congress on March 1st, 2017. It would allow you to use pre-tax dollars (health savings accounts or flex savings accounts) to pay for fitness expenses.

Pat Laus, Owner and CEO of The Atlantic Club, says that PHIT would create a financial incentive to make it easier for you and your family to be physical fit and get more exercise. Under the proposed law, you would be allowed to spend up to $1,000 ($2,000 for married couples) on youth sports fees, recreational sports fees and equipment, competition fees, active transportation, fitness classes, personal training, martial arts and yoga, and health club memberships.

If your fitness expenses could be paid for out of pre-tax money, the hope is that it would encourage NJ residents (and all Americans) to practice healthy habits by providing more affordable opportunities for physical activity. In fact, PHIT could save you 20 - 30% annually on health and fitness expenses!

The Atlantic Club is calling on the you to support PHIT by contacting Congress and asking them to co-sponsor the bill. Kevin McHugh, COO of the Atlantic Club, says that this is an important issue for people in our state because obesity-related medical costs total an estimated $4 billion a year in our state alone! This number could be greatly reduced if people are better able to access fitness products and services.

PHIT has been introduced in both the Senate and the House, so NJ residents should contact both Sentaors Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, and their House representative, and ask them to support the bill. OR...just click on the link below to take care of signing the petition right here! It takes less than 45 seconds!

CLICK HERE to sign the petition!

When you sign the online petition, it will tell you the name of your area representative, which many of us think we know but may have forgotten! As Pat Laus says, lets "take a stand for our local community and the country. American needs to get PHIT!"

CLICK HERE to find out more about PHIT.

The Atlantic Club has been around since 1977 and provides a full spectrum of fitness programs and activities for the health, education and recreation needs of its members and the community in NJ. With locations in Red Bank and Manasquan, the club offers state-of-the-art fitness facilities and services, including group exercise classes, mind-body programs, personal training, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis and racquetball courts, hiking trails, hot tubs, steam rooms, and a cafe. Children are welcome to participate in a variety of summer camps. For more info, CLICK HERE.