Archive for June 2006
Stand Up Strong
A strong and stable core is the best foundation for improved strength, endurance, balance and agility. No matter what type of class you teach, you’ll enhance the experience by helping students engage their cores more effectively. These simple exercises can be used in any type of class because they’re performed while standing and do not require equipment. Try them in your warm-up …
Read MoreInspiring the Inspirers
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Read MoreArthritis Sufferers Don’t Exercise Enough
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 their pain but also with their function is sometimes a challenge. But at least your clients are trying. A study in the May issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that people with arthritis don’…
Read MoreMedia Morsels
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 children, according to a study published in the April issue of Pediatrics (2006; 117 [4], 1197–1202). Researchers estimate that a total of 283,305 children 1–6 years of age would have a diffi…
Go With the Flow
We want every class we teach to be well-rounded and efficient, and yet we often shortchange participants by neglecting the much-needed cool-down/flexibility segment. Let your students know how important it is to gradually cool the body. Keep them focused all the way to the end with creative variety. The following cool-down keeps things interesting by combining rhythmic movement, balance a…
Read MoreFairway Safety and Performance
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Read MoreFunky Step Beginnings
Want to get your classes started with high energy and fun, but not sure how to make it happen? Light the fire with this funky, straightforward step combination. How do you add funk? Use snaps, claps, shimmies, and hip and body rolls to jazz up traditional moves. Don’t forge…
Read MoreHow Have Lifestyle Coaching Services Impacted Your Personal Training Business?
The relationship that develops between client and personal trainer is vastly enriched when the trainer assumes the role of mentor and coach. Understanding the important role that coaching plays in the client success model, we felt it was imperative to add coaching to our list of …
Read MorePeople Are Talking About . . .
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 exercise bikes wired to video games; . . . Endorphins Baby, a 30-second public service announcement in California that introduces youth to the “secret high found in endorphins—the all-natural hig…
Read MoreReport Offers New Snapshot of Older Adults
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 want to heed the trends surfacing in the report 65+ in the United States: 2005, released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Here are some of the more relevant findings:
The U.S. population aged 65 and over is…
Lovin’ Those Good Vibrations
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Read MoreHigh Cholesterol and Prostate Cancer Linked
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 April 12 online edition of Annals of Oncology. Participants who had prostate cancer, particularly older men, were twice as likely to have high cholesterol as those without prostate cancer.
Study authors noted…
Building Revenue Through Kids’ Camps
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Read MoreU.S. Life Expectancy Improving
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 are some additional highlights from the report:
The life expectancy for women in the United States is 80.4 years; for men, it is 75.2 years.
The gender gap is narrowing; the 5.2 year…
Not About Self Improvement
“Meditation is not a matter of trying to achieve ecstasy, spiritual bliss or tranquillity; nor is it attempting to become a better person. It is simply the creation of a space in which we are able to expose and undo our neurotic games, our self-deceptions, our hidden fears and hopes.”
—Chogyam Trungpa (1939–1987) was a Tibetan Buddhist monk, a master…
Breast Cancer Survivors Benefit From Weight Training
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, the study found that 6 months of twice-weekly exercise that improved strength and body composition was enough to benefit patients’ overall physical and emotional condition. (The study …
Read MoreEstablishing a ‘Brand’ for Your Business
Nothing can take your personal training program or facility to t…
Read MoreTransforming Goals Into Action!
At this point in our series for new fitness managers, you have learned how to make the best impression possible on your staff, managers and members. You have also learned your club’s essential business practices and worked hard to determine the needs of your department. Finally,…
Read More2006 IDEA Fitness Programs & Equipment Survey
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Read MoreJuggling & TrackingYour Fitness Certifications
our fitness director at the club just called with a reminder that one of your primary fitness certifications is about to expire. Somewhere in a pile of papers, you have the renewal notice sent by the certifying board. You meant to track your renewal, but somehow it just got away from you. Now you might be pulled from working with clients unless you hurry to update that primary certification.
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