by Mary Monroe
Fitness professionals should be at the forefront of the campaign for a healthy planet, say group exercise pioneers Phillip Mills and Jackie Mills, MD, who are on a mission to increase awareness about the link between fitness and eco-health. Authors of the book Fighting Globesity: A Practical Guide to Personal Health and Sustainability (Random House 2007), the Millses have decided to combine their fervor for ecological health with their many years of innovation in the fitness industry.
by Mary Monroe
Call it a destination, a haven, a
community or even a resort—but the one thing you won’t be calling Life Time
Fitness is just a gym. With attractions ranging from indoor/outdoor water parks
to hair and nail salons, basketball courts to rock climbing caverns, a kids’
computer center to a full-service spa and café, Life Time Fitness creates a
complete family wellness ...
In the late 1980s, an orthopedic doctor told Gin Miller to step up and down on a milk crate as rehabilitation for a knee injury. Miller was inspired to turn the idea into step training, which quickly became one of the biggest phenomena in the fitness industry and is still a mainstay for group exercise around the world.
“I remember thinking that step would probably go for a couple of years,” laughs Miller. “But 20 years later, I look back and see how many people have been helped by step training, and I’m proud of that.”
In the late 1980s, an orthopedic doctor
told Gin Miller to step up and down on a milk crate as rehabilitation for a
knee injury. Miller was inspired to turn the idea into step training, which
quickly became one of the biggest phenomena in the fitness industry and is
still a mainstay for group exercise around the world.
“I remember thinking that...
by Mary Monroe
“Mind-body science has shown us that it
doesn’t make sense to treat the human body like a science fair project anymore.
Now we know that our health isn’t just about a system of anatomical parts—it’s
an integration of the mental, physical and spiritual. It’s determined by our
attitudes and belief systems, as well as our genetics a...
by Mary Monroe
“We didn’t get into this because we thought Pilates would be a big business,” remembers Moira Merrithew, executive director of education for STOTT PILATES, who co-founded the company with her husband, Lindsay G. Merrithew, president and chief executive officer. “In 1988, we were at the right place at the right time. When we started, Pilates was very much a cottage industry. Our goal was simple—...
by Mary Monroe
Michael Jacobson, co-founder and executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), may well be the world’s leading advocate for healthier eating habits. Today, after more than 30 years of fighting to change the way unhealthy foods and portion sizes are marketed and made available to consumers (including kids), Jacobson has a stronger resolve than ever to improve nutrit...
by Mary Monroe
He vows he will still teach fitness classes “at the Pearly Gates,” and it’s not hard to picture Richard Simmons convincing a few angels to do a little cardio. Whether he is joking onscreen with David Letterman or Ellen DeGeneres, appearing on the Today Show or speaking to fans on his 3-hour Sunday talk show on Sirius satellite radio, Simmons’ entertaining powers of charm and persuasion are evid...
Jacki Sorensen is credited with originating one of the most significant fitness movements in history: aerobic dance—the combination of fitness and dance that swept the world in the ‘70s before evolving into the multifaceted group exercise classes of today. Thirty-eight years later, Sorensen still lives and breathes choreography, crea...
