by Shirley Archer, JD, MA
Stress triggers many physiological changes in the body through the “fight or flight” response. When stress levels are high, levels of the hormone cortisol released into the bloodstream are also high. Studies confirm that chronic stress is associated with increased fat in the abdominal area, higher concentrations of blood sugar and insulin, higher blood pressure and higher levels of cho...
Silver Age Yoga is a unique yoga discipline designed for seniors that combines hatha yoga and principles of gerontology. The program was developed by seasoned yoga instructors in cooperation with scientists—many of them yoga practitioners—from the University of California at San Diego (UCSD); the Stein Institute for Research on Aging, a department of UCSD; and physicians affiliated with Scripps...
The first annual Inner IDEA gathering, held 2 years ago, embodied mindfulness from the opening ceremony to the close. This wellness conference included fitness opportunities and was more like a retreat than a convention. Where other industry events were primarily action oriented, the Inner IDEA Conference emphasized inner wellness along with movement, encouraging participants to ta...
On the messy road of life, it is often
challenging to determine what your next step will be, what direction you will
take and which way you will turn. Perhaps that is one reason why walking a
labyrinth as a meditation is so appealing: the journey is clearly marked,
unobstructed and in full view. Although it twists and winds its way to the
center, there are no tricks...
by Valerie Applebaum, MPH
Treadmills, free weights, resistance training machines—your facility has it all. You offer everything anyone could want in terms of achieving an optimal physique. And certainly, physical fitness is vital to overall health, but it is not the whole story. Multiple factors affect well-being. By embracing them, you can transform your facility into more than just a place to work out. Speci...
by Amy Nestor
Are you interested in exploring moves but not ready to teach an entire class of them? Cool-downs are a great opportunity to introduce mindful exercises to students. The following movements will increase flexibility and help students feel relaxed as they head back into the “real world” outside the group exercise room. Connection TransitionThe cool-down slowly...
by Rick Devereux
Whoever isn’t focused on capturing Baby Boomers over the next two decades isn’t focused well on the future. In the coming 20 years, boomers will inherit estates worth over 10 trillion dollars—that’s more than the value of the entire New York Stock Exchange today. And every year, 4 million Boomers turn 50 and 4 million turn 60. So what does this huge, affluent, aging populati...
by April Durrett
For some people, the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is the highlight of their year. They look forward to cooking turkeys, buying presents, singing carols and spreading the spirit of the holidays to everyone they meet.Then there are the rest of us. We’re not exactly Scrooges, but for us, celebrating the holidays can be a monumental effort often filled with stress. If the hol...
by Jim Gavin, PhD
Runners and swimmers, dancers and gymnasts, bodybuilders and bowlers. None of them are likely to be described as body-mind fitness types. In books on the topic (Iknoian 2001; Seabourne 2001), membership in the “body-mind fitness club” is largely reserved for those who practice yoga, tai chi, Pilates, qigong or some martial art. To borrow Susan Powter’s (1995) phrase, we simply have to “s...
by Linda L. Freeman
When approaching the warm-up for a
kickboxing class, many instructors think
of it only as a way to physically prepare the
body. But what about warming up the
mind? You can also get your students
mentally prepared and in the moment.
This helps them benefit maximally from
the workout and is an essential ingredient
in the recipe for kickboxing success. By
taking th...
