By Joy Keller
Weight Training With Yoga Principles is offered by the Mirbeau Inn & Spa in Skaneateles, New York. This “personal training experience” combines the benefits of...
By Joy Keller
Students go on an intense ride in Tabata Trek Spin, offered by the Boston College Flynn Recreation Complex in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. This class “combines intense ...
By Joy Keller
How good does it feel when your clients start seeing results? An educated personal trainer who knows how to put together the perfect program is a metabolic magician. When clie...
By Joy Keller
Do you find it hard to stay mindful when there are so many technology options to take you away from the present moment? Do your yoga students struggle with keeping their smart...
By Joy Keller
Yoga and indoor cycling fusion classes are popular on many group fitness schedules. Case in point: Namaste Cycle, offered by the University of Maryland Campus Recreation Servi...
By Joy Keller
The Sports Center at Chelsea Piers in New York City offers its running enthusiasts a chance to excel with Warp Speed. This drill-oriented class includes sprinting, hurdles, re...
By Joy Keller
How many times does the staff email blast urge you to “talk up other classes on the schedule?” It’s a good idea, but by the time you get to the studio, cue t...
By Joy Keller
The Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston has Fanatic Friday on its schedule. This “very high intensity training session” gives participants different...
By Joy Keller
Osteo Impact is “a truly valuable class,” according to the McLean, Virginia–based McLean Racquet and Health Club’s online schedule. This low-impact cla...
By Joy Keller
Legacy Gym in Los Angeles recently launched SKORE Cross Conditioning, a semiprivate group training program. SKORE fuses Spinning® and Kranking for a “complete upper ...
By Joy Keller
Wendy LeBlanc-Arbuckle, director of the Pilates Center of Austin, is a pioneering voice for Pilates. From her start in yoga in the early 1970s, she plunged into Pilates during...
By Joy Keller
The Sanford Health and Wellness Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, reminds members to bump against their edges with No Limits. This athletic-based cardio/strength class is &...
By Joy Keller
When was the last time you got excited—really excited—about the programs you design for your clients? There was a time when you paid lavish attention to detail. Fr...
By Joy Keller
The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh has many targeted classes on its schedule, among them Silver Strut. This 45-minute cardio/strength class is “for active...
By Joy Keller
What if you walked into a fitness studio and it was lined wall-to-wall with trampolines? That’s what awaits participants at the Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park in Rockli...
By Joy Keller
Indoor cycling participants at Virginia Commonwealth University recreational sports, in Richmond, get the opportunity to ride to rich cinematic memories in Spinning to Disney....
By Joy Keller
The Melrose Family YMCA in Melrose, Massachusetts, doesn’t candy-coat the multifunction Wicked Exercise. This class offers several “core” exercises that util...
By Joy Keller
Fantasy Fight, offered by The Village of Niles group fitness department in Niles, Illinois, caters to participants who are looking for fighting flair in their workouts. Th...
By Joy Keller
The Twin Lakes Recreation Center in Bloomington, Indiana, offers Happy Hour to its members. This class is “instructor’s choice.” “It’s kind of li...
By Joy Keller
Equinox in New York City spices up its pool-based programming with Brazilian Body Surf and Hydro Dance Party.The former is “a combination of cardiovascular and muscle co...
By Joy Keller
Eric Taylor, owner of Taylor Made Training in St. Simons Island, Georgia, says he is “blessed with a good following of hardcore clients who dearly love, or love to hate&...
Tanya Colucci, MS, already has a firm grip on personal training theory, programming and business. But because the Washington, D.C.–based fitness professional and co-founder ...
By Joy Keller
The Vaughan Athletic Center in Aurora, Illinois, offers Bootcamp Spin for its members who are looking for something other than the “traditional” indoor cycling exp...
By Joy Keller
The William G. White Jr. YMCA in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, “warns” members that they will definitely get results with Metabolic Effect, which includes 30 minu...
By Joy Keller
Boogie Box Fitness rolls cardiovascular training, core balance and strength training into one program by utilizing the principle of “applied muscle resistance.” Th...
By Joy Keller
Hoopilates is a new Pilates-based workout created by Brooklyn, New York, resident Jen Bleier. The hybrid class combines the Hula-Hoop with Pilates moves. According to the webs...
By Joy Keller
EastSide Centre in East Peoria, Illinois, gives its members a blast from the past with Retro-Cardio. The schedule touts the 60-minute timeslot as “an aerobics class from...
By Joy Keller
Joann Melgar, founder of Exceptional Body Pilates Studio in Abingdon, Virginia, created Pilates Pump for her more “hyper” students.
By Joy Keller
The St. Paul Jewish Community Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, offers its members B.L.A.S.T. (body locomotion and strength training). According to the online schedule, the inter...
By Joy Keller
The University of Florida Department of Recreational Sports gets executive with its class descriptions for Upper Management and Lower Management. Both classes
focus on build...
By Joy Keller
FACTS Fitness, a fitness company based in suburban Philadelphia, offers a program called C.L.I.M.B. (Creative Ladder Intervals and Mega BootCamp). “This class is a high-...
By Joy Keller
. . . a heart monitor that uses sensors woven into the fabric of underwear to warn people before they have a stroke; . . . new television reality shows likeThe Biggest Lo...
By Joy Keller
Walking the talk is the name of the game in Western Pennsylvania. For the second consecutive year, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield has awarded $125,000 in grants to nine area ...
By Joy Keller
Your business is growing slowly but steadily, and you’ve reached the point where you’d like to rely less on accounting software and more on an actual accountant. A...
By Joy Keller
Findings from a recent study indicate that young black girls prefer sedentary behaviors over active ones. The study, published in the October issue of American Journal of Prev...
By Joy Keller
The National Institutes of Health invested $378.6 million for obesity research in 2003 and $400.1 million in 2004. The plan is to spend $440.3 million in fiscal year 2005....
By Joy Keller
AARP and the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) have joined forces to educate each other’s members. ICAA will help improve knowledge about active aging among t...
By Joy Keller
Older men who walk more than 2 miles a day are less likely to experience dementia than those who are more sedentary, according to a study in the September 22/29 issue of the J...
By Joy Keller
Custom programs for specific age groups are holding steady, according to data from the 2004 IDEA Fitness Programs & Equipment Survey. Respondents from facilities set up to...
By Joy Keller
How did your club fare during the spring of 2004? If a recent survey of 13 U.S. health and sports clubs is indicative of overall industry growth, not badly. The survey, condu...
By Joy Keller
“Anything in life is possible. What the mind can conceive, the body can do.”
—Jack La Lanne, 1986 IDEA Lifetime Achievement Award winner, quoted in the Reut...
By Joy Keller
New research suggests that a woman’s level of physical activity is a better sign than body weight of existing coronary artery disease and future heart problems. The stu...
By Joy Keller
The next time your client complains that lactic-acid buildup is keeping her from doing her best, take it with a grain of salt. According to the August 20 issue of Science (200...
By Joy Keller
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $2 million in grants to the national office of the YMCA. The grants are part of the Steps to a Healthier...
By Joy Keller
There are numerous studies published on the effects of stretching on exercise performance. If you haven’t had time to read and cross-reference them all, you may be inte...
By Joy Keller
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has published a report that tackles the childhood obesity epidemic. Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance, commissioned by Congre...
By Joy Keller
The city recreation department in Strongs-ville, Ohio, offers S....
By Joy Keller
IDEA member Melanie Johnson, in New
Haven, Connecticut, created PowerFlowCIRCUIT for
her more advanced Pilates apparatus clients (up to nine students). According to
Joh...
By Joy Keller
When it comes to training clients and teaching classes, how far will you go to stay on the cutting edge? Where does your learning labyrinth lead? Last month, attendees at the ...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
The Nintendo
Wii is being marketed as a way to “get people off the couch and into the
action.” But does it really have significant fitness value? Justin White, a
fo...
By Joy Keller
Healthways’ SilverSneakers fitness
program has introduced YogaStretch and SilverSplash
to help add variety to older-adult programming. The former
uses a chair for sup...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
According to
an article in the January 15 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism (2008; 59 [1], 84–91), neck pain is
now the second most common musculoskeletal disorder a...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
According to a Consumer Reports survey, some
pricey national health club chains don’t fare as well as private yoga, dance or
Pilates studios. Gyms at local community c...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
Fitness professionals
have long advocated the use of pedometers to measure and improve daily physical
activity, and now there is solid evidence to back this up. A study publ...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
While many
professionals advocate the inclusion of varying ranges of motion and grip
widths to improve strength and muscular hypertrophy, new evidence suggests that
suc...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
Lawmakers in Illinois are trying to
support fitness initiatives for children. House Bill 4408 was introduced in the
Illinois House of Representatives on January 11 and wou...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
Should your doctor prescribe exercise to you?
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Medical
Association (AMA) think so. Toward that end, the or...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett is on a
mission. After his city made the Forbes.com top-20 list of America’s most obese
cities, Cornett decided it was time for a ch...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
Your
older-adult client’s fitness level may be more important than his or her level
of body fat, according to a study in the December 5 issue of The Journal of the Ame...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
Core
conditioning has become a staple of many workout programs in hopes that
strength improvements will result in better overall function. What about
cyclists? Scientis...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
According to the National Institutes of Health
(NIH), prostate cancer took the lives of more than 27,000 men last year, and an
estimated 220,000 new cases were identifie...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
Have you ever wondered if there really is a difference between fixed
and freeform resistance equipment when it comes to improving strength? Data
collected for the Januar...
By Joy Keller
Since introducing the Inspire the World
to Fitness® initiative in 2003,
IDEA members have sent in numerous motivational accounts of how they’ve helped
bring about po...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
Leslie Geddes,
a biomedical engineer at Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Indiana, has
developed a new way to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This CPR
...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
Researchers are spending more time
finding out what kinds of things will make children more likely to move their
bodies. One recent study, conducted at the University of...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
Did you build your own website from a template, and are you now wondering where all your visitors are? According to Yodle.com, an “online lead generator,” trying to build ...
By Joy Keller
IDEA member Pam Skinner, who lives in
Huntington Beach, California, has always thrived on coming up with novel
approaches to motivating her clients and participants. The...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
In an effort to bridge the gap
between the medical and fitness professions, Club Fit in Westchester County,
New York, has created “HelpRx,” a physicians’ referral ...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
Map Your
Route
Are your
clients ready to get off the treadmill and hit the road after a long winter?
Here’s an online tool that will help them track their runni...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
A study
published in the November 12 , 2007, issue of Archives of Internal Medicine (2007; 167 [20], 2192–2200) offers
encouraging news about exercise and fibromyalgia...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
… … Speedminton, ...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
It takes a
certain amount of self-awareness to realize you are resting on your laurels. If
you’ve been teaching the same combinations in slightly different ways for th...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
While the American College of
Sports Medicine recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week
for “significant health benefits,” emerging research su...
By Joy Keller
IDEA member Kimberlee Jensen Stedl and
her husband, Todd, created a workshop, Yoga for Scuba Divers,
which is also the title of their book. The workshop is practiced on ...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
Exercise may
reduce, and even reverse, bone loss caused by hormone and radiation therapies
used to treat localized prostate cancer, according to a study presented last
...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
A recent study out of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore found evidence that at least 522 lives can be saved annually in the United States and Canada...
By Joy Keller
As the fitness industry grows and ages, many people have noticed a gap between “veteran” instructors, who have been teaching for 10 years and longer, and “newbies,” ...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
Giving kids health information is not enough to get them in better shape. However, programs that provide active guidance specifically aimed at changing eating and exercise beh...
By Joy Keller
IDEA member Chris Kelly, personal fitness trainer and owner of CK Wellness in Manhattan, New York, can trace his enthusiasm for fitness back to his childhood, when he helped h...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
Here’s some positive news about the average American’s ability to lose weight and keep it off. In a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ...
By Joy Keller
Yoga 360, created by IDEA member Desiree Bartlett, MS, uses a special circular yoga mat (called the 360 Degree Mat) that "optimizes feminine energy." The 75-minute m...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
From flashy sports cars to name-brand clothing, when the numbers on the price tag skyrocket, it is often assumed that value follows. Not necessarily true for running shoes, sa...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
According to an article from Fortune Small Business magazine, reprinted online by CNNMoney.com, a Midwestern hospital operator assesses $5 per paycheck in extra insurance copa...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
How much exercise does it take to make a difference in blood pressure readings? A small study in the August issue of Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health (2007; 61, 77...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
In a survey conducted by the Society for Women’s Health Research, a Washington, DC–based advocacy organization, 79% of women knew how much they weighed in high sch...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
When crafting your corporate wellness programs, consider adding a monetary incentive for participants. A study in the September 2007 issue of the Journal of Occupational &...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
According to an article published in the September 18 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine (2007; 147 [6], 357–69), previous studies of the effectiveness of exercise...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
A recent systematic review published in The Cochrane Library has found that, for patients suffering from hip or knee osteoarthritis, doing cardiovascular and stretching exerci...
By Joy Keller, Ryan Halvorson
Patients undergoing hemodialysis to manage end-stage renal disease (ESRD) generally experience significant muscle wasting, which can impair strength, muscle mass and quality o...
By Joy Keller
American women have gained weight as it has become more socially acceptable to do so, according to a paper published in Economic Inquiry (2007; 43 [3], 571–91). Co-authored ...
By Joy Keller
Did you make a New Year’s resolution to improve your professional services and Inspire the World to Fitness®? Plan now to attend IDEA Fitness Fusion—Chicago™, April 3...
By Joy Keller
Cardiovascular health has improved in older obese people in the United States, according to a study in the November 7, 2007, issue of The Journal of the American Medical A...
By Joy Keller
Members at 12th Street Gym in Philadelphia can play their favorite (or not so favorite) childhood game whenever they want with Drop-In Dodgeball. The class is held on the fa...
By Joy Keller
When IDEA member Nancy Norris was 4 years old, her mother did something that set her life in motion, literally. “She enrolled me in a dance school, and I fell in love with d...
By Joy Keller
You’ve heard it before: choosing the right location for your personal training facility or your fitness and wellness studio may be one of the most important business decisio...
By Joy Keller
What’s the best type of exercise to reshape a “flabby” heart? According to recent research, cardiovascular exercise is best for people with stable heart failure, literal...
By Joy Keller
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the increase in the number of overweight children, and their related health and financial problems, present daily challe...
By Joy Keller
With all the talk about obesity and the very real health issues that stem from it, life expectancy rates in the United States are still at an all-time high, according to a rec...
By Joy Keller
Former college football player and New York City firefighter “Coach” Rich Carroll considered staying fit part of his job description. Exercise came easy to him, and he oft...
By Joy Keller
Fitness Through Conscious Movement® is just one of many classes Stephanie Herman’s Esprit de Danse® offers to help people get in touch with their inner selves. This partic...
By Joy Keller
Your clients’ friends may be making them fat. A study published in the July 26 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine (2007; 357 (4), 370–79) found that when indiv...
By Joy Keller
The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) has signed a new agreement with the National Basketball Athletic Trainers Association (NBATA) that establishes NASM as the offic...
By Joy Keller
In the September issue of IDEA Fitness Journal, IDEA announced its partnership with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. The common goal: to increase physical activity opp...
By Joy Keller
Group fitness instructors: Do you think there’s a difference between saying, “Work hard to feel good” and saying, “Work hard to get rid of that tummy?” A new study s...
By Joy Keller
Is it really necessary to spend a half day learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in groups, waiting for your turn on the manikin? University of Texas Southwestern Medic...
By Joy Keller
To help people learn better ways to run, IDEA member Mindy Solkin created a sports and conditioning class she calls Runditioning™ at The Running Center LLC, in New York City...
By Joy Keller
A sense of “ah” permeated the ballroom at the La Quinta Resort & Club, near Palm Springs, California, on September 6–9, as the intention for the second a...
By Joy Keller
Linda Dunn, MA, became a fitness professional by default. The Tuscaloosa, Alabama, resident couldn’t find a local group fitness class she liked after her regular teacher mov...
By Joy Keller
An investigational weight loss study is using cell phone–based prompts and the Internet to help 12- to 16-year-olds avoid type 2 diabetes. The program, called PACE (Patient-...
By Joy Keller
. . . a custom split-belt treadmill that may help people with brain injuries walk better (one side moves one foot backward while the other foot moves forward); . . . Tiger Woo...
By Joy Keller
Video Game Ups Ante on Active Play Nintendo has taken Donkey Kong up a notch or two. One of the company’s latest product concepts, revealed during the E3 Media & Busine...
By Joy Keller
How long has it been since you’ve practiced your cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills? Recent findings show that the majority
of people untrained in CPR, and eve...
By Joy Keller
Pregnancy is an ideal time to start an exercise and fitness program, particularly for women who are obese. This is one conclusion of a small pilot study published in the June ...
By Joy Keller
Overweight adults are significantly more likely to sustain injuries that require medical treatment than their normal-weight peers, according to a study in the May/June issue o...
By Joy Keller
It’s been 3 months since all
fitness facilities and studios in California were required to have an automated external defibrillator (AED) program in place (the impleme...
By Joy Keller
Which is better for reducing fat: long bouts of exercise, or breaking physical activity into smaller sessions with an added rest period? According to a stud in the Journal of ...
By Joy Keller
If you train clients who have multiple sclerosis (MS), your programming may be a primary way to help them avoid coronary artery disease (CAD). Researchers found that during an...
By Joy Keller
Core conditioning has quickly become a major component of many athletic training programs; however, recent research questions the validity of claims that it enhances athletic ...
By Joy Keller
Nintendo has taken Donkey Kong up a notch or two. One of the company’s latest product concepts, revealed during the E3 Media & Business Summit in July, might just pu...
By Joy Keller
Fitness professionals understand firsthand the transformat...
By Joy Keller
A small study published in the June 5 issue of Neurology (2007; 68, 2003–2007) found that individual strength training programs should be designed for people with early-stag...
By Joy Keller
IDEA member Nancy Trock, director of
T-Renegade Fitness in Oak Park, Illinois,
created Stress Busters Experience. The offering
enables her to share her academy
martial art...
By Joy Keller
As a child, IDEA member Sonya Bruton,
who lives in Apex, North Carolina, distinctly
remembers buying clothes from
the “chubby” section at Sears department
store, and h...
By Joy Keller
Chi-Cycle is “cranking” at Maryland SportFIT clu...
By Joy Keller
Older-adult fitness is booming. Once considered a specialty niche, older adults are entering fitness facilities in throngs, looking to regain function, prevent injury an...
By Joy Keller
Cooking Light magazine has taken a look at American attitudes to lifestyle. More than 1,000 adults across the country responded to the 2007 Cooking Light Insight survey, which...
By Joy Keller
The way in which group fitness instructors obtain music for classes has changed immensely over the past 5–10 years. The online music marketplace offers diversity and eas...
By Joy Keller
Although we’re almost at the halfway mark in 2007, it’s not too late to factor in National Health Observances. Health observances are days, weeks or months devoted...
By Joy Keller
Although those who offer classes that
fuse yoga or Pilates with other
modalities expect these types
of sessions to grow, so far
they have not taken off.
Pilates and y...
By Joy Keller
Fitness professionals are already in the business of health promotion. A recent report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Merck Company F...
By Joy Keller
Can a fat, green ogre send millions of children the message that movement
is healthy? Yes, and he has a full cast
of characters to help him. The U.S. Department of Health ...
By Joy Keller
The impact of land-based running can often have significantly debilitating effects
on the body. Yet running is one of the most popular cardiovascular activities, and
enthu...
By Joy Keller
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em! That’s the attitude Mayo Clinic researchers took when they measured how much
energy kids expended playing video game...
By Joy Keller
The results of a new international study may support your efforts to design programs for clients who have experienced heart failure (and who have a doctor’s release). Th...
By Joy Keller
Almost a decade ago, IDEA member (21 years and counting) Molly Lynn had a pivotal discussion about the specialized health and fitness needs of people in her age group (mid to ...
By Joy Keller
Isis Yoga in Burnsville, Minnesota, offers Wise Woman Yoga to its clientele. The class is for “those fabulous women, 40 and over, who are so busy they might not take tim...
By Joy Keller
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training is a requirement for reputable fitness certifications and has been recommended by the American Heart Association for healthcare pr...
By Joy Keller
Several states are taking positive steps to combat the nation’s obesity epidemic, especially as it affects children. The University of Baltimore Obesity Initiative&rsquo...
By Joy Keller
If you work with obese children, you may need to become more aware of how their condition is affecting their feet. Doctors with the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons...
By Joy Keller
inspire the world to fitness...
By Joy Keller
Pilates Your Way in Madison, Wisconsin, combines Pilates principles with cardiovascular training in its Piladio class. “We have a number of combinations,” says own...
By Joy Keller
Health ministers from 53 countries approved the world’s first anti-obesity charter in November. The charter was drafted by the World Health Organization in consultation ...
By Joy Keller
If you’re thinking about going into business with a friend, you might want to heed some advice from the National Federation of Independent Business. Before you let your ...
By Joy Keller
If you train athletes, you may want to know about the validity of prescreening. In 1982, Italy introduced a mandatory nationwide screening process to reduce the incidence of s...
By Joy Keller
Careers tend to start slowly. Somewhere along the way, the groove sets in and patterns are established. This leads to veteran status, which often comes with a measure of respe...
By Joy Keller
Fear of strangers and lack of green areas discourage children from walking more, suggests research published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood (2007; 92, 29–33).
...
By Joy Keller
p>Do you live near any of the following schools, ranked the fittest colleges in the United States by Men’s Fitness magazine?
1. Dickinson College (Pennsylvania)
...
By Joy Keller
Many older adults are already used to getting at least one prescription when they visit the doctor. Two scientists have been asking what if,
in addition to prescribing medic...
By Joy Keller
Have you seen an increase in demand for dance-based group fitness
formats? Popular television programs like Dancing With the Stars have piqued the interests of many wanna-be...
By Joy Keller
Valgus knee movement in women is considered a major contributor to the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, according to an article published last fall in t...
By Joy Keller
To help its members unwind during the 2006 holiday season, Neighborhood Pilates NYC introduced DeStress December. According to IDEA member Lauren Rosenfeld, the class ta...
By Joy Keller
Do you have a client who’s having trouble fitting exercise into her daily routine? Does she claim she doesn’t have enough time to work out continuously for 30 minu...
By Joy Keller
Do you have an overweight client who also has knee osteoarthritis? Here’s a bit of encouraging news that might bolster your efforts to help him lose weight and keep it o...
By Joy Keller
One-third (34%) of those who responded
to the 2006 IDEA Fitness Programs & Equipment Survey offer lifestyle coaching, and of those, 48% are personal fitness
trainers. ...
By Joy Keller
The American Council on Exercise (ACE) recently announced its top fitness trend predictions for 2007. According to ACE, 2007 will
bring programming to special
populations,...
By Joy Keller
inspire the world to fitness
by Joy Keller
A Better Life
By helping herself first, Joy Wagner created a fitness program that enabled people with multiple sclerosis to enjoy ...
By Joy Keller
Les Mills International has added BODYVIVE™ to its range of group fitness programs. Geared for Baby Boomers, BODYVIVE™ is a low-impact, 55-minute class that incorp...
By Joy Keller
Faced with an unhealthy future, consumers are heeding warnings about their dangerous sedentary habits and seeking out advice. And if recent trends are any indication, there w...
By Joy Keller
People Are Talking About . . .
...Low-Car Diet Challenge, a campaign in which 30 Washington, DC, residents quit driving for 1 month and pledged to use public transportation, ...
By Joy Keller
Colorado Curves® franchise owner Carole Bergeman is forging into new territory. Two years ago, after updating her exercise equipment, Bergeman was unsure what to do with t...
By Joy Keller
If you have older-adult clients or class participants who are afraid to exercise because of mild high blood pressure, a Johns Hopkins study may ease their concerns. Research r...
By Joy Keller
San Diego–based exercise equipment manufacturer and IDEA World Fitness® exhibitor efi Sports Medicine has been lending its muscle to men and women in the armed force...
By Joy Keller
Here’s some updated information about the status of physical education (PE) in U.S. schools from the latest Shape of the Nation Report: Status of Physical Education in t...
By Joy Keller
If you’re a woman and you own your own professional-service business, chances are you tend to charge less than your male counterparts, according to a research paper exam...
By Joy Keller
Most Walkable Cities
If you’re traveling for the holidays, see if your destination is on AAA’s list of North America’s Top 10 Most Walkable Cities and, if...
By Joy Keller
A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Trends in Strength Training—United States, 1998–2004,” delivered good news ...
By Joy Keller
Men who participate in sports activities in their late teens enjoy bone-building benefits that stick around for years. This is the case even if they stop training, according ...
By Joy Keller
The lights were soft in a hotel banquet room prepared for a convention crowd. People filed in, lightly chattering among themselves, fully present in the Sunday evening space. ...
By Joy Keller
No crystal ball? No problem. The best insider information comes from experienced professionals who are in the field on a daily basis. The 2006 IDEA Health & Fitness Awar...
By Joy Keller
How do you tell children and teens that they are overweight
or obese? This question is receiving new attention in light of the California Health Interview Survey’s r...
By Joy Keller
Do you ever get frustrated because of poor attendance in your group exercise classes? Stop and think for a moment about what it would be like from a completely different point...
By Joy Keller
IDEA member Sheldon Wesley from Belmont, California, created Footworks™ as an alternative to conventional step training. Footworks blends customized step, tap and dance ...
By Joy Keller
If you have clients with arthritis, you may already know that pain is one of their barriers to exercise. Making clients understand that exercise can help them not only with th...
By Joy Keller
The health and socioeconomic status of American adults aged 65 and older continues to evolve. If you’re interested in working with this growing population, then you may ...
By Joy Keller
Do children really need to sit at desks while they learn? Not necessarily, say some forward-thinking researchers. In fact, the classroom of the future may even incorporate mov...
By Joy Keller
Safety Seats in Short Supply for Obese Kids
Although child safety seats are required by law, there aren’t nearly enough seat types for the increasing number of obese ch...
By Joy Keller
Relay Race to Fun &
By Joy Keller
Fitness
Fast-forward to the marriage of two of Haft's life passions: jumping rope and punk rock."I grew up listening to the Ramones, the Se...
By Joy Keller
IDEA member Debra Orringer spent most of her life overweight. She once led an “extremely sedentary” lifestyle and tried “every fad diet and weight loss regim...
By Joy Keller
Sugary sodas are going to be much harder to find in America’s schools by the beginning of the 2008–2009 school year. The Alliance for a Healthier Generation—...
By Joy Keller
There may be an association between high cholesterol and prostate cancer, according to Italian researchers. About 3,000 men participated in a 9-year study, published in the Ap...
By Joy Keller
Strength training significantly enhances the quality of life of women recently treated for breast cancer, according to a new study. Published March 27 online at www.cancer.org...
By Joy Keller
According to data from the National Center for Health Statistics, an American can expect to live to be 77.9 years old. This projection is higher than it has ever been. Here ar...
By Joy Keller
Body by Brandy 4 Kidz, a Roxbury, Massachusetts, gym for children that features pint-sized elliptical trainers, weight machines that “max out at 50 pounds” and ex...
By Joy Keller
Are any of your female clients or participants exercising solely to lose weight? A recent study out of the University of Michigan indicates that this mindset is detrimental to...
By Joy Keller
Indian culture meets cardiovascular groove with Masala Bhangra. Masala means spicy in Hindi, and Bhangra is a traditional Indian folk dance. Combine the two and you get an &ld...
By Joy Keller
Among the wide range of choices on the schedule at the 12th Street Gym in Philadelphia is Piloga. This fusion class flows from Pilates mat work into yoga postures. The focus i...
By Joy Keller
After September 11, 2001, the New York area just didn’t...
By Joy Keller
Weston Fitness in Philadelphia gets the most out of its equipment stash with Pump Slide Workout. This 30-minute class features high-intensity, low-impact interval slide traini...
By Joy Keller
When Omar Burgos is confronted with a challenge, his mind goes into creative overdrive. The 20-year fitness veteran from Bogotá, Colombia, sees a pyramid of possibiliti...
By Joy Keller
Personal training is the haven of older exercisers who want guidance to begin or continue an exercise program. Over half of personal training clients are 45 years or older, an...
By Joy Keller
If you live in Oregon, you can be proud that you and your fellow citizens held the weight scales steady last year. According to “F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Fa...
By Joy Keller
The obesity threat only looms larger as we age, according to findings from a study in the October 4 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine (2005; 143 [7], 473–80). Researc...
By Joy Keller
Sport & Health Clubs, with 26 locations in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC, has started a campaign to fight obesity in and around the nation’s capital. Togethe...
By Joy Keller
What impact does obesity have on America’s bottom line? Researchers at RTI International and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a study to record c...
By Joy Keller
The New York Health & Racquet Club orients members to strength and cardiovascular benefits with Plyo-Box, which combines boxing, kickboxing, tae kwon do, Hapkido and plyom...
By Joy Keller
During his welcome inspiration address at 2005 IDEA Fitness Fusion—Chicago® last April, Jay Blahnik,1996 IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year and senior education con...
By Joy Keller
What do parents say is the main reason their children are overweight? According to an AP-KOL poll on attitudes about childhood obesity (October, 2005), of the 21% of parents s...
By Joy Keller
In the quest to stave off childhood obesity, schools may want to modify traditional physical education classes to be more fitness and lifestyle oriented. That’s the tak...
By Joy Keller
Musculoskeletal pain is a common complaint, especially as age encroaches. A recent study in the September 19 issue of Arthritis Research & Therapy (2005; 7 [6], 1263&ndash...
By Joy Keller
It’s that time of year when gym members hobble in with wrenched backs from shoveling snow. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 2004 more than 44...
By Joy Keller
According to a Men’s Fitness and Princeton Review survey conducted in early 2005 of nearly 10,000 students from more than 660 colleges, some campuses fall prey to the &l...
By Joy Keller
If you’ve ever asked an employee to do something pertinent to her job only to have her counter, “That’s not in my job description,” you know how import...
By Joy Keller
When Hillel Katzeff signed up for a series of personal training sessions with IDEA member Crystal Powers, fitness and wellness director, personal trainer and group fit...
By Joy Keller
East Side Athletic Club in Clackamas, Oregon, offers Karma Kidz yoga class to its littlest members. In this special brand of yoga, children ages 3–6 imitate animals and ...
By Joy Keller
As the holiday season approaches, many fitness professionals prepare themselves for smaller classes and frazzled clients who cancel sessions to make time for various pressing ...
By Joy Keller
Bryce Jackson was on his soapbox. Again. His wife, Jennifer, listened patiently as Jackson, IDEA Master Personal Fitness Trainer and owner of Real Fitness in Portland,...
By Joy Keller
Inspire the World to Fitness™
IDEA’s campaign unites our members with those of other organizations in a joint effort to reach out to nonexercisers. Our commitm...
By Joy Keller
Major Moves is a mind-body class that focuses on stretching, ...
By Joy Keller
When Rebecca Yount looks up during one of her circuit trai...
By Joy Keller
A study published in the January issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (2005; 53 [1], 2) found that functional exercise was more effective than resistance ex...
By Joy Keller
Each year millions of adults become sick—and more than 50,000 die—from diseases that are completely preventable. Don’t be a statistic: Know your personal ris...
By Joy Keller
Ai Chi is a water exercise and relaxation program that combin...
By Joy Keller
By the time they are 6 years old, children of overweight mothers are more likely to be obese than children of lean mothers, according to a study in the January issue of the Am...
By Joy Keller
You’ve spent many years gathering contacts and doing research to make your business the best it can be. It didn’t happen overnight. Trade secrets, pricing formula...
By Joy Keller
Do you want to express your opinion on the president’s proposed budget cuts? Thanks to the World Wide Web, it’s easier than ever to contact members of the U.S. Hou...
By Joy Keller
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels may be lower in obese men, which could lead to inaccurate screening and delays in cancer diagnosis.
A study published in the March issu...
By Joy Keller
The concept of “pay for performance” has been a favorite in human resources for some years. Within pay for performance, staff members receive financial bonuses or...
By Joy Keller
The next time a company asks you how much money it can save by implementing your wellness program, share the following success stories:
Motorola’s wellness program ...
By Joy Keller
Interest in attending planned exercise programs appears to rise and fall depending on age. The chart below shows the average age of members and clients, according to IDEA busi...
By Joy Keller
Pretrained postmenopausal women gain more strength from multiple-set protocols than from single-set training, according to a study published in last November’s Journal o...
By Joy Keller
An edited version of Super Size Me: A Film of Epic Proportions is now headed for classrooms. The educationally enhanced® version of the film is targeted for grades six th...
By Joy Keller
Wouldn’t an incentive to lose weight be nice? Say, a nice check in the mail? Well, as of February, most private Florida insurers and HMOs are now required “to se...
By Joy Keller
. . . Y-Flex, a new bicycle created by Brigham Young University engineers and made of carbon fiber intertwined with Kevlar string, making the bike lighter and more aerodynami...
By Joy Keller
Members at the Athletic Garage in Pasadena, California, line up ...
By Joy Keller
Cindy Brooks entered the fitness profession at a good time. In 1...
By Joy Keller
Public Transportation Campaign Gets L.A. MovingIf you live in a sprawling city like Los Angeles—and spend most of your time commuting—how do you lose weight, save ...
By Joy Keller
People who come to the United States from other countries tend to be as obese as U.S. natives after 15 years, according to an article in the December 15 issue of JAMA (2004; 2...
By Joy Keller
Pounds of Pennies
Next time you are trying to convey to your clients the repercussions of an unhealthy lifestyle, break the topic down into dollars and cents. Here’s ...
By Joy Keller
Pain is a regular part of life for millions of people—and they frequently rely on prescription and over-the-counter remedies. While popular COX-2 inhibitors were shown l...
By Joy Keller
While getting married again may quell a man’s need for companionship, it may also make him pack on pounds. However, this may not be a bad thing in the big picture. Accor...
By Joy Keller
Race may play a part in determining a client’s obesity and fitness levels, according to a study in the December issue of CHEST (2004; 126, 1962–68). African-Ameri...
By Joy Keller
. . . Cardio Canine, a hands-free harness and dog leash “for an active lifestyle”; . . . Weight Watchers On-the-Go™, a program for Palm-based devices that sy...
By Joy Keller
Kate Buffett, president of invenTEAM in Bend, Oregon, created AeroAbs while recovering from a torn ACL. She now teaches it in group classes. AeroAbs is an abdominals-focus...
By Joy Keller
With increasing publicity given to the health conditions that a ...
By Joy Keller
Getting enough sleep can sometimes be a challenge for people as they grow older, setting the stage for declined cognitive function. This can be a frustrating problem, but ther...
By Joy Keller
The spate of circuit training clubs, along with the subsequent needs of their owners, has led to the formation of the Association of Hydraulic & Fitness Clubs. According...
By Joy Keller
Women who go through most of their lives obese are more likely to lose brain tissue, according to a study in the November 23 issue of Neurology (2004; 63, 1876–81).
S...
By Joy Keller
What motivates people to keep exercising? One or more training partners and enough knowledge to be successful. How do you use staff resources efficiently? One instructor teach...
By Joy Keller
According to the November issue of the Harvard Health Letter, researchers at Georgia State University in Atlanta have found that when people eat with others, they consume 44% ...
By Joy Keller
Every step counts on the journey to better health. If your clients rely on pedometers to gauge activity, you may want to double-check their accuracy—especially if th...
By Joy Keller
Tax season can be rife with extra headaches, especially if you still have problems hanging over you from last year. Every-one needs a little help from time to time. Why shoul...
By Joy Keller
The 14th Street Y in New York City offers Punk Rope, a high-intensity jump rope–based fitness class set to punk rock music. Designed by IDEA member Tim Haft, Pun...
By Joy Keller
If you’re offering your services to local schools, here’s a new argument to add to the PowerPoint presentation. University of Illinois researchers have found &ldqu...
By Joy Keller
The U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA) is giving more than $5.1 million to help older adults maintain a level of independence in their communities. Most of the grants (16 new ...
By Joy Keller
Now it’s possible to get a college degree as a personal fitness trainer. Starting in the 2005 fall semester, Purdue University in West LaFayette, Indiana, will offer und...
By Joy Keller
When Caroline Forsberg had to retire her seeing-eye dog of 11 years, Anise, she presumed she would be paired with another guide dog soon. After all, that was the way it ha...
By Joy Keller
What kid doesn’t like the circus? Instead of sitting in rapt attention in the audience, students from Chicago’s Ogden School and Cicero’s Roosevelt Elementar...
By Joy Keller
Here are just a few highlights from this year’s Tracking the Fitness Movement (2004 edition), a study conducted for SGMA International by American Sports Data Inc.:
...
By Joy Keller
Do any of your clients have asthma or some other type of chronic pulmonary condition? You may want to schedule their next sessions later in the day. A study presented in Octob...
By Joy Keller
. . . physical therapists using Botox® to “decrease tone or unwanted spasms in a specific muscle or muscles”; . . . the Powerseed®, a tiny electronic &ld...
By Joy Keller
More and more, the American workplace is in need of wellness intervention strategies. A study in the December 2004 issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medic...
By Joy Keller
According to a report in the November 3 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2004; 96 [21], 1635–38), obesity and low physical activity are strong, in...
By Joy Keller
TaikoFit™, invented by group fitness instructor and personal fitness trainer Michelle Unrau, PhD, from Port Moody, British Columbia, combines Japanese-inspired taiko...
By Joy Keller
If the first ever Surgeon General’s report on bone health accurately predicts the future, your client landscape could look very different by 2020. That is the year, the...
By Joy Keller
In the past, outbreaks of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have been mainly connected with healthcare institutions. Recently, however, physicians have been s...
By Joy Keller
IDEA members have embraced the collective mission to Inspire the World to Fitness with heart and enthusiasm.
By Joy Keller
Cholesterol Peaks in Winter
People may benefit from having their cholesterol screened during both the summer and winter months. According to a study in the April issue of the...
By Joy Keller
Is the corporate fitness program you offer not being well received by local businesses? Here’s a new selling point.
By Joy Keller
Many experts acknowledge that burning calories is the way to maintain a healthy weight. According to the July issue of the Harvard Heart Letter, burning an extra 700–2,0...
By Joy Keller
Grants were awarded to 50 nonprofit organizations that offered innovative programs designed to improve nutrition and fitness among young people ages 2–20.
By Joy Keller
If you believe that health starts at home, you may be wondering what your state government is doing to help control obesity.
By Joy Keller
Programs that target childhood obesity are popping up everywhere in America, but are they effective?
By Joy Keller
A home-based, moderate-intensity walking program may help prevent fatigue
in men undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer, according to a study
published in the Au...
By Joy Keller
The 92nd Street Y in New York City offers Spiral Gymnoyoga to its members. The class uses “spiraling circular exercises and deep breathing massage” to warm the mus...
By Joy Keller
Like many fitness professionals, IDEA member and presenter Carrie Ekins, MA, was born to move. Since she can remember, she has been involved in exercise, sports and dance&mdas...
By Joy Keller
NCEP Updates Treatment Guidelines for Cholesterol
The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) has updated its treatment guidelines for cholesterol, suggesting that pe...
By Joy Keller
media morselsHow much fat can a nation lose in 1 month? The International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) and the Healthier Families Foundation created the “Get Ameri...
By Joy Keller
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has announced a new Medicare coverage policy that could make it easier for beneficiaries to receive weight loss treatm...
By Joy Keller
Exercise Decreases Risk of Depression in Kids
Middle-school students who increase their physical activity have fewer symptoms of depression, according to a study published in...
By Joy Keller
Hypertension and Hyperlipidemia Go Hand in Hand
Disadvantaged
Dilemma
73% of adults in poor
families do not engage
in periods of vigorous physical activity during leisu...
By Joy Keller
A flag made of weighted fabric is the main prop in Flag Dancing. Offered at Philadelphia Sports Clubs, the class takes participants through a choreographed dance routine set t...
By Joy Keller
Older Adults Benefit From Doctor Referral Program
The International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) have formed a relati...
By Joy Keller
Report Highlights Human Poundage
If you’re among those who believe that simply stating body mass index (BMI)
isn’t enough to shock Americans into action, the re...
By Joy Keller
Despite evidence that older adults are becoming more active, many still shy away from exercise. In a survey published in the
May issue of Age and Ageing (2004; 33[3], 287&...
By Joy Keller
In 1999, Philadelphia was rated by Men’s Fitness magazine as the fattest city in the nation. The city’s mayor, John Street, established a special program that moti...
By Joy Keller
Fourth- and eighth-grade students in Texas are among the fattest in the country, shows a study published in the June issue of American Journal of Public Health (2004; 94 [6]...
By Joy Keller
Breast Cancer Increasing Among Men
Although breast cancer in men is still a
rarity, the incidence is increasing, according to a study published in the May 24, 2004, online ...
By Joy Keller
Acknowledging obesity as a global epidemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) endorsed its Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health at the annual Health Assembl...
By Joy Keller
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has launched a new program to support health and physical activity for the 6 million American children and youth who h...
By Joy Keller
Do Americans know they’re fat? According to a recent Associated Press (AP) poll, many are in denial.
The poll, conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs between May 17 and 19,...
By Joy Keller
Liposuction Doesn’t Improve
Metabolic Risk Factors
In their quest to lose weight, more people than ever are turning to cosmetic surgery. According to the American S...
By Joy Keller
IDEA member Kim Ruby, a Los Angeles–based personal fitness trainer and yoga instructor, works with many overweight and obese clients who also have various health concern...
By Joy Keller
New exercisers may show moxie by trying out strength equipment on their own, but a study in the May issue of Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2004; 18 [2], 324...
By Joy Keller
Yomenco combines yoga movements and breathing exercises with flamenco dance rhythms. Program creator Bruce Van Horn, chief executive officer of Yoga for Business Inc. in Sprin...
By Joy Keller
Are you looking to launch or expand a business but need more resources? Not sure what forms you need to file your taxes? The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) just ma...
By Joy Keller
There are about 40 days left before the 2004 IDEA World Fitness Convention® opens shop in San Diego. By now you’ve probably made your travel arrangements and signed ...
By Joy Keller
High cholesterol is a dangerous contributor to coronary heart disease. The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Guidelines from the National Institutes of Health stat...
By Joy Keller
When Michele Silence, MA, stands in front of her group fitness class, it isn’t unusual for her to pretend she’s a dinosaur. She’s not demonstrating a new d...
