Archive for August 2006
Music and the Mind-Body Connection
Fitness professionals have long known that the right music can either rev up or relax their participants, but new research has revealed the depth of music’s power. As a result, healthcare professionals now use music to stimulate motor function in patients whose nerves have been impaired by stroke or Parkinson’s disease. Some farmers even play music to increase milk production …
Read MoreMeditation and Modern Psychology:Meditation and Modern Psychology: East Meets West
“The history of science is rich in the example of the fruitfulness of bringing two sets of techniques, two sets of ideas, developed in separate contexts for the pursuit
of new truth, into touch with one another.”
—J. Robert Oppenheimer
“The Meeting of Meditative Disciplines and Western Psychology,” published in the Ame…
Read MoreNo Words Necessary
Perhaps the greatest professional satisfaction a coach can feel is when he sees the radiant joy of his athlete achieving a personal best. No matter the athlete’s age, sport or level of ability, that person has reached a pinnacle that both she and her coach have worked countless hours to attain. The moment of personal victory is sweetly savored, tucked away not far from reach and tak…
Read MoreRural Rewards
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 of view. What if you were a participant who didn’t have the option of going to a group fitness class? Not because you didn’t have a car or the motivation, but because you lived in a rural area and th…
Read MoreTourist Town Trials and Tribes
Getting Started. Diana Rochon was an avid sports enthusiast growing up in Canada. “I was fortunate enough to have two awesome coaches. Besides encouraging me to be the best athlete I could be regardless of where I ranked among my competitors, they imparted the idea of turning it around someday and giving it back,” she says. Rochon did just that as…
Read MoreThe Language of Lifestyle Choice
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 recent results. The statewide review found that of 240 physicians, more than 90% admitted they needed to learn more about skills and strategies for communicating with kids and parents about …
A Fall Prevention Program
Falls can be serious at any age, often causing ligamentous sprains or injury to bones and soft tissue. In addition, the inevitable decrease in overall physical activity during the recovery period can lead to other unfavorable consequences. The temporary inactivity may be a minor setback for young people, but for seniors it can result in losses in muscle mass, endurance and functional rang…
Read MoreSplash Start
Water warm-ups are similar to land warm-ups in that the purpose is to raise the body’s temperature and to practice movements before working out. This is where the similarities end. Water warm-ups require additional consideration owing to the element’s viscosity, temperature and buoyancy.
This warm-up is divided into two parts: buoyancy and cardio. The sections each la…
Seven Secrets for Totally Outrageous Teaching
Are you ready to take the next step in truly making a difference in people’s lives? Have you thought about ways you can elevate your teaching and professionalism?
Several years ago I attended a seminar where I learned how to identify what people want and expect in the way of customer service. The reason for doing this was simple—once you identify what people wa…
The Franklin Method
The Franklin Method®, a form of mind-body movement that relies heavily on the use of imagery, is growing in popularity among a wide variety of health, fitness and bodywork professionals. The method focuses on using imagery to increase mental engagement and ease of movement, on experiential anatomy (based on how bones actually move during physical activity) and on the use of touch to inc…
Read MoreBrain Fitness for Total Well-Being
“Basically, whatever’s good for your heart is good for your head,” Lawrence Whalley, MD, told HealthDay News (2006; April 30). Whalley, author of The Aging Brain (Columbia University Press 2003), is a psychiatrist and professor of mental health with the School of Medicine at Scotland’s University of Aberdeen. “[The] factors that everyone know…
Read MoreInjury Prevention: Indoor Cycling (Sample Class)
Indoor cycling’s popularity is due to a combination of many factors. Almost anyone can do it—regardless of fitness level, age or body type. Recreational cycling’s popularity fuels interest in the indoor option. And indoor cycling allows you to work extremely hard (at a high intensity) with very little impact, which provides a great alternative to other, higher-impact workouts such as running.
Read MoreHelping Upper-Trapezius Pain
Does your upper back ever feel tight, as though you have “knots” in it? You may have an upper-trapezius strain, a common repetitive stress injury (RSI). An RSI is a condition usually caused by placing too much stress or strain on a joint or musculoskeletal tissue. RSIs are often associated with performing recurring motions, whether on a computer, on the telephone or in a sports a…
Read MoreSet Yourself Free
“I spend my days just surviving and getting from one appointment to the next. It seems there are never enough hours to get all the work done and still have some time for me! I feel hassled, hurried and agitated. How do I restructure my life to make it one I really want?”
This is a cry I often hear from my coaching clients, and maybe you find yourself feeling the same f…
Healthy Working Relationships
In any company, relationship issues are bound to surface between staff members and clients—or among staff members themselves—at one time or another. Even service-oriented companies like the Ritz Carlton and Nordstrom sometimes have to deal with upset clients or disgruntled team members. But world-class organizations have a detailed plan for minimizing the risk of problems…
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