Mind-Body-Spirit Articles

Attracting new clients is an ongoing challenge for fitness and wellness professionals. Keeping clients motivated long-term can be even harder. A client might begin training with a strong intention to lose 40 pounds, run a 10K or reverse her prediabetic condition. But the best intentions may not be enough to sustain exercise interest and intensity over time.

Rather than choosing a method of meditation simply because it is popular, people should select a style that motivates them to continue to practice, says Adam Burke, PhD, MPH, professor of health education at San Francisco State University. “Because of the increase in both general and clinical use of meditation, you want to make sure you’re finding the right method for each person,” says Burke. If people do not select a style that they enjoy, the risk is that they will quit practicing before they realize any benefits.

Brain fitness and programs to promote it are often in the news. Are you or your facility offering any programs to improve mental fitness, or are you educating clients about the cognitive health benefits of exercise? For example, are you teaching mind-body movement (e.g., yoga, Pilates or tai chi) or other forms of fitness (e.g., indoor cycling or weight training) and specifically highlighting the mental components of training? Please tell us about your program ideas and marketing efforts that target mental fitness. Share your responses with editor Sandy Todd Webster, swebster@ideafit.com.

Breathing is one of the Pilates principles and a foundation for movement. Lateral breathing focuses on expanding the rib cage laterally “while maintaining a consistent inward pull of the deep abdominal muscles during inhalation and exhalation.” newsletter_teaser: Breathing is one of the Pilates principles and a foundation for movement. Lateral breathing focuses on expanding the rib cage laterally “while maintaining a consistent inward pull of the deep abdominal muscles during inhalation and exhalation.”

The growth of public interest in and training of teachers for meditation and mindfulness practices is spreading worldwide. Are you or your facility integrating these practices into programs? For example, are you teaching a yoga and meditation class or emphasizing the mindfulness aspect of Pilates? Please tell us what you are doing to meet growing demand for meditation and mindfulness across all age groups and how your clients are responding. Share your responses with editor Sandy Todd Webster, swebster@ideafit.com.

An innovative wheelchair tai chi program is motivating individuals who are wheelchair bound to become active and to feel empowered.

Picking up a pair of dumbbells may be an effective prescription for improving mental fitness. New research suggests that twice-weekly strength training can boost brain power in older women with mild cognitive impairment more effectively than either aerobic or balance training. Researchers from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver recruited 86 women, aged 70–80, who had subjective memory complaints and probable mild cognitive impairment. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three training groups: resistance, aerobic, or balance and toning.

To change how you feel, all you may need to do is change how you think. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine researchers studied 214 people who suffered from chronic face and jaw pain and found that chronic pain sufferers who dwelt less on their issues were likely to sleep better and experience less day-to-day pain.

There is good news for those who want to enjoy meditation’s benefits but who find committing to a meditation practice overwhelming. Benefits from meditating regularly can be realized in as little as 2 weeks from practicing for just 30 minutes at a time, 5 days per week.

When you look at classic pictures of Joseph Pilates performing the hundred, it’s hard not to notice that his form isn’t quite what we see today in many studios or classes. newsletter_teaser: When you look at classic pictures of Joseph Pilates performing the hundred, it’s hard not to notice that his form isn’t quite what we see today in many studios or classes.