Archive for February 2008
Hormonal Responses to Resistance Exercise Variables
Hormones, secreted by endocrine glands in the body,
are substances that regulate the function of body cells, tissues, organs or
systems. Hormones are released from a number of “traditional” glands, such as
the pituitary, testes, ovaries, pancreas and …
Eating Disorders Among Athletes
Almost everyone wants to lose weight and drop that extra 5 or 10 pounds. But some people take that desire to extreme measures and will literally starve themselves to be thinner. While we usually associate eating disorders with sedentary clients, the truth is that more and more elite athletes are falling prey to unhealthy eating and e…
Read MoreFed Up: Who’s Ensuring America’s Food Safety?
There seems to be a new food scare every
day. Headlines blare: Multistate
outbreaks of Salmonella
associated with raw tomatoes! Chili sauce linked to botulism cases! Local
stores recall beef patties in fast-food restaurants!
…
Read MoreNutrition: To Advise or Not?
Sound nutrition is an essential element in every person’s overall wellness blueprint. You can do everything else right—as far as exercise, rest and body-mind harmony go—but if you’re not fueling your body sensibly, it will eventually catch up with you. In fact, we think nutrition is so important to wholeness and balance that we devote a full CEC issue to the topic …
Read MoreLabyrinth: Walking the Path of the Heart
On the messy road of life, it is often challenging to determine what your next step will be, what direction you will take, which way you will turn. Perhaps that is one reason why walking a labyrinth as a meditation is so appealing: the journey is clearly marked, unobstructed and in full view. Although it twists and winds its way to the center (you do have to pay attention if you don’t …
Read MoreCEC Course Nutrition
Creamy (but Healthy) Pasta Casserole
Who doesn’t
want some “comfort food” after a hard day of working and exercising? Trouble
is, most traditional comfort foods tend to be full of unhealthy fats and
refined carbs. This delicious casserole is a departure from that: Not only is
it quick to prepare, but it is made with healthy soy product…
Protect Your Voice With Food and Beverages
Fitness professionals,
especially group instructors, exercise their vocal cords almost as much as they
exercise their muscles. Here are some sound tips from speech pathologists to
keep your voice healthy:<...
Is Your Face on Facebook?
To be successful in business, who
you know is often more advantageous than what you know. For fitness
professionals, a strong personal and professional network is helpful in
building clientele. In an industry where sp…
Fitness Handout: Exercise Prevents Disease
You probably know that exercise is good
for you, but did you know that it can both improve the quality of your life and reduce the risks of developing diseases? Regularly
participating in moderate physical activity can reduce the risk of coronary
heart disease, hypertension, some cancers and…
“How Many Times a Week Should a Client Exercise? Why?”
I advise every client to exercise in some form most days of the week. Diabetes and obesity are prevalent in this country in epidemic proportions because of lack of exercise. Additionally, most clients seem to carry high stress levels every day, indicating the need for daily exercise. I urge clients to get in a minimum of 30 minutes daily, preferably 45 minutes or more, of cardiovascula…
Read MorePeople Are Talking About
ÔǪ ÔǪ Speedminton, …
Read MoreCreative Cross-Training
IDEA member Kimberlee Jensen Stedl and
her husband, Todd, created a workshop, Yoga for Scuba Divers,
which is also the title of their book. The workshop is practiced on land (not
in water) and teaches poses, breathing exercises, visualization te…
Fitness Forum
Digital IDEA Fitness
Journal Feedback
I noticed your
article on medical fitness (December digital IDEA Fitness Journal) in the “best of” list. You did an excellent
job, and I still believe that it is the wave of the future. Years ago, medical
nutr…
Sample Class: Mindful Fusion Fitness
The popularity of yoga and Pilates has
spawned several fun and effective fusion offerings. This particular class,
“Mindful Fusion Fitness,” uses “traditional” fitness-based exercises as the
foundation and then layers on Pilates moves and yoga postures. This approach
allows instructors and participants to begin with familiar exerc…
Good Nutrition for the Golden Years
As more people approach their 65th birthdays, healthy aging has emerged as a public health priority. Thanks to Baby Boomers and longer lifespans, by 2030 there will be an estimated 71 million older adults in the U.S.,…
Read MoreEducating for Wholeness
The physical education program at DePaul University in Chicago offers students a choice of two majors: teaching or fitness management and wellness. The latter concentration is unique in that it prepares students for a career managing or developing fitness programs…
Read MoreReal-World Fitness
Subject: Annette Lang, MS
Company: Annette Lang Education Systems
The Spark. When Annette Lang first entered into the fitness industry, personal training as a career was still very much under the radar. A fitness enthusiast, she was quick to notice that she seemed to sail through l…
Read MoreThe Blends Justify the Means
Research continues to validate the need for effective cross-training and frequent changes in the way we train. Biomechanically, the more we train the muscles in the same way, the less they respond (Kravitz 1997). This research bolsters the case for “hybrid,” “combination” or “fusion” classes, which flood the neuromuscular system with…
Read MoreCore Design
There are seemingly endless issues to consider regarding exercise selection, execution and class design. Abdominal/trunk/core exercises tend to receive a lot of attention because people are usually more concerned with how their mid sections look rather than, say, their shins. As a result of this hyper awareness, numbers in core-theme…
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