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Become a Music Master

If youโ€™re like most group fitness instructors, having current and motivational music has always been a priority. The right tunes can make a big difference in your classes. Luckily, good songs have never been more accessible. Whether you need an entire CD of indoor cycling songs or just one track for your cardio cool-down, downloading music from the Internet may be the way to go.

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Yoga, Pilates & Golf

Tight chest muscles. Reduced flexibility in the torso. Strained shoulders and a sore back. Unfortunately, thatโ€™s the description of many amateur and weekend golfers. Golfers habitually bend and twist, bend and twistโ€”all the while straining their backs and shoulders, forming muscle imbalances and inviting injury.

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Baby Boomers Not Being Heart-Smart

According to โ€œBoomer Coalition Reality Check: When Boomer Optimism Becomes Denial,โ€ a new survey conducted by RoperASW on behalf of the Boomer Coalition and the American Heart Association, Baby Boomers in the United States are very aware of cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately this knowledge is not spurring them to take action to combat the disease. For example:
Only 47% of survey respondents eat a
healthy diet each day.

Only 55% exercise more than three
times each week.

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Public Speaking Rx

Just a few months ago, an 8-year-old boy had a 2-year-old bike collecting dust in the garage. His motherโ€™s efforts to get the boy to ride were met with much resistance. So many other things came more easily for him; he simply was not eager to try this challenging activity. His mother was convinced his first wheels would be those on a car.

The boy became more frustrated every time his mother encouraged him to try riding. She too began to get apprehensive. If he fell, the mishap was of course all her fault.

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Restaurants Not Responsible for Obesity

Responding to Americans who oppose holding restaurants legally liable for obesity, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act (called the โ€œCheeseburger Billโ€ by some) in March. The bill is meant to protect restaurants and food service companies from litigation.

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Exercise and Bone Strength

As a personal trainer, you probably know that exercise has been shown to increase bone strength, as measured by bone mineral density (BMD), in people of all ages. But did you know that the degree to which exercise improves BMD depends on a variety of factors, including age, reproductive hormone status, nutritional status and the nature of the exercise?

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Boosting Your Body Image

When was the last time you heard an infant say she couldnโ€™t come out to play because she was having a bad hair day? How many toddlers do you know whoโ€™ll refuse an ice-cream cone because they want to squeeze into their โ€œskinny jeansโ€? We are not born with a body image. The way weโ€ฆ

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Yoga, Pilates and Golf

Take the strain out of golf by expanding your repertoire of sports conditioning exercises.

By Catherine Fiscella, MS, PT, and Jill Johnson, MS, PT

Yoga, Pilates & Golf

Tight chest muscles. Reduced flexibility in the torso. Strained shoulders and a sore back. Unfortunately, thatโ€™s the description of many amateur and weekend golfers. Golfers habitually bend and twist, bend and twistโ€“all the whilโ€ฆ

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The Shoulder, Part III

SUGGESTED EXERCISES The rotator cuff muscles are not balanced in their ability to internally or externally rotate the humerus. The external rotators, which are significantly weaker than the internal, should be exercised through range of motion (ROM). However, some of the exercises listed are specifically designed to encourage the stabilizing mechanics of the rotator cuffโ€ฆ

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The Shoulder, Part III

The arm (upper limb) rotates medially and laterally about a vertical axis (through the long axis of the humerus). This motion is produced by contraction of the rotator muscles along with other muscles of the upper limb.

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ACSM on Exercise and Hypertension

If you train clients with hypertension, youโ€™ll want to check out the new position stand of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) on โ€œExercise and Hypertension.โ€ (It replaces ACSMโ€™s 1993 position stand โ€œPhysical Activity, Physical Fitness, and Hypertension.โ€) ACSMโ€™s latest stand views exercise as a cornerstone therapy for the primary prevention, treatment and control of the disease.

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Understanding The Female Athlete Triad

With Olympic gold in her sights, gymnast Christy Henrich trained over several years with a goal of achieving contender status on the U.S. Olympic Womenโ€™s Gymnastics Team. But then a judge at a national competition told the 95-pound Henrich that if she expected to win Olympic gold, she would have to lose weightโ€”โ€œadviceโ€ that eventuallyโ€ฆ

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Motivating Your Sales Staff

idea fitness manager

Cash does motivate, but did you know that lots of other incentives do the same thing?

Gift Certificates. For the social type, give certificates to professional sports games or restaurants. For the practical person, present certificates for items he or she can really use, such as tools or small home appliances.

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The Shoulder, Part III

fine anatomy

by Susan L. Hitzmann, MS

The Shoulder, Part III
Studying the rotator cuff, and medial and lateral rotation.

T

The arm (upper limb) rotates medially and laterally about a vertical axis (through the long axis of the humerus). This motion is produced by contraction of the rotator muscles along with other muscles of the upper limb. Arm rotation about its long axis can occur in any posโ€ฆ

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