Archive for October 2005
Baby Boomers Face Heavy Arthritis Risk
Baby Boomers are still the generation in the spotlight, but here’s some attention they might prefer to do without. Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have found that Baby Boomers suffer from obesity-related arthritis more than the previous generation.
The study, which appeared in the September issue of the American Journal of Public Health, concluded that …
Sample Class: Sport Step
I’ve heard from fitness directors all over the world that numb…
Read MorePhysical Activity Improves Survival After Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Do you have a client who has just been diagnosed with breast cancer? There is evidence that continuing an exercise program may improve her chances of survival. A study published in the May 25 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (2005; 293 [20], 2479–86) found that women with breast cancer who participated in physical activity equal to walking 1 or more hours pe…
Read MoreMultiple Answers About Multivitamins
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Read MoreCircuit Training for Groups
Subject: Shawna Kaminski
Company: Kaminski Fitness Consulting, Calgary, Alberta
Types of Clientele. Kaminski has a variety of clients ranging in age from 12 to 70. The majority of them are women aged 30–50.
Offering Small-Group Workouts. Kaminski specializes in conducting circuit training classes. Why? “Most people would …
The First Step
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Read MoreIt Starts With You
Veteran fitness industry professional Kymberly Williams-Evans, MA, might be educating your next batch of instructors, so be nice when you see her at the IDEA World Fitne…
Read MoreBariatric Surgeries Up 400% in 5 Years
Do you find that you are running into more potential clients who have had weight loss surgery? According to a study in the July 12 issue of Health Affairs (2005; 24 [4], 1039–46), the number of Americans having bariatric surgery more than quintupled between 1998 and 2002—from 13,386 to 71,733. Hospital costs for treating these patients during the same period increased from $…
Read MoreManaging Healthcare Costs Through Wellness
United States businesses are increasingly turning to wellness programs to get a handle on rising healthcare costs, according to a survey released by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions and the ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act) Industry Committee. That’s good news for fitness pros wanting to manage or work for corporate wellness programs.
Among the 365 leading co…
Resources for Home-Based Businesses
You’ve got your office space set up in the spare bedroom (or closet!) and your home-based business is officially a go. The large details are accounted for, but what about those small, nagging office-supply needs? Online retailers offer cost savings that your local shop can’t match. Allbusiness.com suggests the following vendors the next time you need a printer, a computer or just a …
Read MoreEnd the Year on a High Note
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 engagements. There always seems to be something going on, and the added pressure makes the winter days even shorter. Personal trainers and group fitness instructors have seen this cycle again and again. They wait…
Read MoreAcupuncture Reduces Tension Headaches
Acupuncture effectively relieves headaches, according to a controlled, randomized trial published online, July 29, in the British Medical Journal (2005; 10.1136/bmj.38512.405440.8F). The study’s aim was to determine whether acupuncture could ease headaches and should qualify for routine reimbursement by health insurance companies in Germany.
Researchers tested three options: …
Running for Life
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 fitne…
Read MoreYoga Helps Manage Weight in Midlife
People in midlife who regularly practice yoga are less likely to gain weight than those who do not practice yoga, according to a study published in the July–August issue of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine (2005; 11 [4], 28–33).
Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle studied 15,550 adults ages 53–57 years from 2…
Pilates Exercise: Lessons From the Lab
When Joseph Pilates originally set out to teach his unique exercises to German internees during World War I, little did he know that one day hundreds of fitness professionals would teach his techniques, and infomercials would sell products based on his methods. But as popular as Pilates exercise has become over the last two decades, until now no research has been conducted to scientifically va…
Read MoreA Studio Society
Step into almost any fitness facility and you’ll likely be overwhelmed by the vast array of high-tech equipment available to members. With so many options, why are people still interested in group fitness? Put simply, it’s the opportunity to participate and share in an experience.
Traditionally, businesses focus on selling goods or services. Yet a truly positive…
The Global Fitness Village
In August our family had the wonderful opportunity to visit China and Thailand. In addition to absorbing the rich culture of these countries, we were welcomed by several IDEA members and toured a number of fitness centers while we were there.
Our first stop was Beijing, a frenetic city of nearly 15 million people, where we visited two clubs: CSI Bally Total Fitness Club and Beiji…
IDEA Member’s Study Shows Yoga Benefits Older Adults
Leigh A. Milne, IDEA member, yoga teacher and personal fitness trainer, conducted a small study in Vermont to assess how older adults might benefit from a 12-week yoga class. Milne and her team recruited 16 female subjects with an average age of 78 to participate either once weekly or twice weekly in 1-hour Iyengar yoga sessions.
Before and after the study, an independent physic…
Exercise Good for Chronic, Not Acute, Low-Back Pain
Who hasn’t experienced some type of back pain? Whether it’s acute and hits suddenly, or it’s chronic and comes and goes over time, back pain is a fairly common complaint. Research fellows at the Institute for Work & Health in Toronto examined 61 studies of more than 6,000 adults with low-back pain. Results were published in the May 3 issue of the Annals of Internal M…
Read MoreStudy Evaluates Exercise Capacity in Women
Exercise capacity decreases with age—this is something most fitness professionals already know. But until recently, scientists did not know how much exercise women should be able to do relative to their age. Researchers answered this question in the August 4 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (2005; 353 [5], 468–75) by creating a nomogram, which is a graph…
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