Any successful gym owner or sports retailer can testify that fitness is good business. In 2011, the Bonney Lake Chamber of Commerce will embark on a campaign to show that fitness is also good for business.

The campaign is called Get Fit Bonney Lake, a health-centric umbrella program for triathlon training, general wellness, and business wellness that will launch in 2011 and is planned to have its run through the end of the year.

A chamber-sponsored fitness program has been discussed for several years, Executive Director Lora Butterfield said, but the current program evolved from her own promise to compete in the 2011 Labor of Love Triathlon.

“At the last triathlon (in September), I was watching the people come in (to the finish line), I saw their happy faces and … I thought it would be cool to participate,” Butterfield said. “We’ve had growing participation in the triathlon in recent years. I thought I would throw my hat in the ring. It’s a challenge for someone like me, who has been on the couch for a year. But the fun thing is getting others involved.”

Butterfield made a YouTube video about her own start into triathlon training and her challenge to others to train for next fall’s triathlon. It was dubbed the Couch-to-Tri Challenge. That video won the Washington Chamber of Commerce Executives “Best Idea” award at the 2010 conference in Spokane. And while she jokes in the video about being locked into the program because she made the mistake of “thinking aloud where other people could hear,” she has stuck with her own training for more than a month, and brought other chamber members along for the ride, swim and run.

The Get Fit Bonney Lake Program will officially kick off at the January meeting of the Chamber of Commerce. Each meeting will feature a guest speaker to tackle business issues from a health perspective, whether it’s a literal interpretation, such as encouraging employee wellness, or a metaphorical take such as encouraging healthy business maintenance.

To provide an example of how health will be incorporated into the seminars, Butterfield mentioned one person on the speakers wish list is Melanie Roach.

“She’s not only an athlete, but she’s a business owner with a strong, healthy business that grew Roach Gymnastics from something small into what it is now.”

Butterfield’s efforts in organizing Couch-to-Tri and Get Fit Bonney Lake have forced her to run the gamut of Bonney Lake’s fitness oriented businesses, such as NCS Personal Training, Fleet Feet and Prime Fitness’ Hot Yoga program. Other chamber members are throwing their own specialties into the program, such as Wendy Woodyard of Dinners Done Right, who is developing healthy meal plans.

The Get Fit program will also inspire an entirely new event: a spring business expo with an emphasis on health and fitness, according to the November/December chamber newsletter.

The chamber luncheon will take place on Jan. 20. For information about the location, contact the chamber of commerce at 253-222-5945.