Yoga and Pilates Lead in First-Time Participants

Mind-Body-Spirit News:

Yoga, Pilates and cardio kickboxing have the highest percentages of first-time participants, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association’s [SGMA’s] Sports Participation in America 2010 report. Overall numbers showed a 2.6% decline in Pilates participation between 2008 and 2009, continuing the trend first seen in the 2009 report. Core participation, however, increased 8.7%, indicating that people committed to Pilates have been sticking with the program. Overall participation was reported as 8.653 million. In contrast, yoga participation continued to grow overall, showing a 13.2% increase from 2008. Core enthusiasts increased by 21.9%, and total participation stood at 20.109 million for 2009. Core participants are defined as people who participate in an activity at least 52 times per year. For more information about the report, go to www.SGMA.com.

The 2010 IDEA Fitness Programs & Equipment Trends report, reflecting responses from IDEA business members, found that 90% of facilities offered Pilates in 2010, as opposed to 70% the year before. Yoga was also on more schedules—with 82% of facilities offering it in 2010, up from 62% in 2009. Pilates and yoga fusion likewise gained ground last year, rising from 43% of facilities in 2009 to 59% in 2010.

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Shirley Archer, JD, MA

IDEA Author/Presenter

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Shirley Archer, JD, MA, was the 2008 IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year and is IDEA’s mind... moreShirley Archer, JD, MA, was the 2008 IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year and is IDEA’s mind-body-spirit spokesperson. She is a certified yoga and Pilates teacher and an award-winning author based in Palm Beach, Florida, and Zurich, Switzerland. Two of her books, The Walking Deck and The Strength and Toning Deck, are now featured as iPhone apps. Contact her at www.shirleyarcher.com. less

IDEA Fitness Journal, Volume 8, Number 1

January 2011

© 2011 by IDEA Health & Fitness Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited.

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