Inactive Market/Inspire the World to Fitness Articles

Corporate wellness is the “elephant in the room” in our industry. You can ignore it. You can dance around it and say it’s not your thing. newsletter_teaser: Corporate wellness is the “elephant in the room” in our industry. You can ignore it. You can dance around it and say it’s not your thing.

Encouraging sedentary and inactive individuals to exercise can be a challenge. However, according to a recent study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2011; doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e31821e4ff2), even minor bouts of physical activity can improve cardiorespiratory fitness. Researchers from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, wanted to determine whether “incidental physical activity,” or acute bouts of movement, is associated with cardiorespiratory fitness.

After his brother was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, Chad Leathers and his two friends Brendan Hanrahan and Bobby Gill decided to help. Two years ago, the trio founded Cupid’s Undie Run, a fundraiser for the Children’s Tumor Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to end the disease. On February 9, 2013, more than 8,000 people will hit the streets of 17 cities in the United States for a 1.5-mile run in, you guessed it, their underwear. Individuals and teams will work to fulfill the goal of raising more than $1 million for the foundation.

Athletics have long been a cornerstone of the collegiate experience. One school in Atlanta has decided to terminate all sports programs in favor of a focus on fitness. Spelman College, historically a black women’s college, has reallocated the $1 million dedicated to its sports programs to a campus-wide health and fitness program. The minimal participation in sports—only 80 students, or 4% of the student body, were involved—helped solidify the decision. According to Spelman President Beverly Daniel Tatum, PhD, the new program could help all 2,100 enrollees.

You know your next client, Doug, really well. He’s been working with you for 2 years, he’s committed to his fitness program, and while his body is already well-conditioned, he is determined to keep improving. His session will focus mainly on intense weightlifting, and Doug is used to “psyching himself up” before each set—he finds it helps—but you’ve both observed that it’s getting harder for him to make real gains. How can you help?

The future of health care is becoming reality at a faster pace than any of us could have imagined. Over the next 30 years, accelerating advances in medicine and technology will allow the industry to radically recalibrate its focus toward health and wellness strategies. Fitness and wellness professionals will have front-row seats for this game-changing trend. With that in mind, IDEA Fitness Journal asked leaders in the fields of science, medicine, business and fitness to explain how the evolution of health care will affect our industry in the coming decades.

On October 6 and 7, during San Francisco Fleet Week, 24 Hour Fitness and TRX teamed up to offer fitness challenges and classes to honor U.S. military personnel. Workouts were open to the military and the San Francisco Police Department. Nearly 250 personnel participated, making it the largest TRX workout to date.

client: Ray | personal trainer: Julie Lombardo, owner, Sweet Success Personal Training | location: Chino Hills, California Making the switch. In 2005, now 80-year-old Ray suffered a hemorrhagic stroke that resulted in numbness on the left side of his body. Interested in improving function and fitness, he sought the guidance of physical therapists. Eventually, he was forced to give up treatment because his insurance coverage had reached its maximum.

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games showcased the world’s fastest sprinters. Unfortunately, many of those watching the games are doubtful they could successfully complete one of the Olympic Track & Field’s major events. According to a survey conducted by Slimming World, a United Kingdom–based weight loss company, and YouGov®, nearly 50% of U.K. adults feel it’s unlikely they could run 100 meters—one of track’s shortest events—without stopping.