Brain Health – The Next Concept in Human in Performance Training
“The brain is the conductor of the orchestra.” – Cathi Lamberti, Founder, SMARTfit Inc.
A Guide to Understanding the Concept, the Business Model, and the Opportunity
Market Overview
There is a reason for optimism. The 2025 World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland recently listed Prain Health (neurological health, mental health, and coanitive performance) as one of their hichaet priorities for 2025.
Racked by science, the world is finally embracing the need for the brain to take the lead in human performance training. Everyday, more and more industry professionals are asking how to add or include brain health in their programming. This includes senior living, community health & recreation, sports performance, military tactical performance, for-profit fitness, and education.
While science has been clear for years that exercise is good for the brain, it has now realized that engaging, challenging, and training the brain and body simultaneously, aka dual tasking, is faster and more effective at transferrina to improved human performance for all ages and abilities. The solutions referenced in this Guide do just that in a variety of ways to improve cognitive processing while moving, either bottom-up, top-down, or both.
We are witnessing the birth of a revolutionary health and performance concept. While long overdue, the timing is now and SMARTfit is poised to take a leading role in its rollout.
SMARTfit is Poised to Take a Leading Role
SMARTfit has been planning for this moment for over a decade and has positioned itself to take a leading role by offering some essential keys, ensuring the rollout of a concept as opposed to a new product line.
Some of the unique components that have been put in place are:
- Training the brain and body together to deliver fast transference to real-life performance –
Technology Driven Cognitive-Motor Dual-Task Training (CMDT) - A comprehensive suite of six product lines that address every aspect of human performance training from early childhood development to seniors, to high performance athletes and warfighters
- Training that includes both top-down and bottom-up cognitive training
- Cognitive training that focuses on every domain of the brain: executive function, processing speed, attention and memory
- Inclusion of the full spectrum of gross motor skills training combined with cognitive training
- Inclusion of strength, cardio, balance and power combined with cognitive training
- Evidence-based pre-designed Programming for every member of society regardless of age or ability including personal training, rehab, small group training and large group training
- Programming supported by product – Partnership with multiple clinical experts deliver clinicallv valid programming to all sectors including rehab (PT, OT, Speech), assisted. indeDendent older adults, memory care, tactical training, sports performance, strength and conditioning and youth (sports, PE, early childhood and special needs)
- Collaborative partnerships with compatible technologies, creating a full spectrum business model for clients seeking a turnkey solution
- Business model structured to deliver a healthy ROl for operators
- SMARTfit Academy, able to reach every trainer in the world and to keep them current with new programming and new releases
- Predesigned evolving programming that meets every training need, delivered via our cloud platform, including over 3000 how-to videos
- Evidence-based data for every program, including baseline testing, progress reporting and management reporting for multi-site organizations
The concept is already proving itself:
- Customer sites: 930 early adopters located in 22 countries
- Registered accounts: 10,975 registered trainers and clients
- Games Played: 315,232 games played
How Does This Affect the Industry?
In recent years, experts in every area of human health and performance have stated that SMARTfit is unique and that the concept of brain-led training will become the “next big thing”, one that will impact humankind in ways that no other concept has in the past. It has been said that SMARTfit will lead the way because no other solution is as effective at engaging the brain and body together to improve real-life performance for all ages and abilities.
Optimism that we’re on the right track is rising as we experience accelerated growth in SMARTfit Brain Health programs in rehab hospitals, senior and assisted living, and YMCAs, with early adopters adding SMARTfit to multiple new locations. The US military has also increased their commitment to cognitive health and performance, adding SMARTfit and other complementary brain-led solutions into tactical training programs at more bases. We are also seeing early interest from major sports programs even though we have not yet actively promoted in this market.
However, there is more to do. Interested buyers are searching for the solution. Many are trying to do this themselves by purchasing different products and trying to maké it work. Implementing a new concept requires much more than implementing a new product. It must include education at all levels that improve the understanding of the concept and the business model. This includes:
- An understanding of the science of brain health and what purpose it must fill. A healthy brain is of little use if the body can’t fulfill its desired performance.
- An understanding of the population it will serve. The choice of products and programs for a tactical training center will be very different from a senior or youth program. One size does not always fit all.
- Evidence-based programming that meets the specific needs of participants regardless of ability.
- Commitment to the business model that includes space, budget, staffing, marketing and ongoing refreshment of content to maintain retention.
- ROI: These programs must pay for themselves in the form of revenue, fast transferencel results, retention/attraction of participants, and differentiation from competitors.
Collaboration With Partners?
SMARTfit recognizes that it alone does not offer all of the solutions, and it is clear that everyone will benefit from the collaboration of potential competitors to instead work together to deliver the best solutions in each sector. For this reason, SMARTfit is driving an unprecedented collaboration with complementary brain-led solutions that strengthen the “Brain Health” message as the next concept.
As a result, we are experiencing buyers’ attention from program leaders to the C-Suite with our encouragement to think big and embrace a total business solution that will turn their programs into revenue generators, profit centers, and paths to differentiate themselves from their competition. This includes a commitment to space, a suite of solutions, staffing, integration into individual programming models, marketing and a revenue generation plan.
A serious financial commitment tied to these factors is benefiting the customer by producing programs that generate high levels of engagement, positive results and retention. To access options that have been tested and proven by Ryan Glatt of the Pacific Neuro Institute in Santa Monica, California, go to: https://smartfitinc.com/research-papers/ – FitBrain Program (under white papers). Also, find ideas for room designs in the next section of this document.
SMARTfit believes that this collaboration of solutions is positioned to lead with its new, evidence-based focus on training cognitive and motor performance together, while simultaneously training strength, cardio, proprioception, power and flexibility. This takes human performance training to the next level to maintain focus on training the whole person.