Archive for April 2008
The Value of Training New Fitness Managers
In today’s health club environment, most organizations recognize their best personal trainers and group instructors by promoting them to be managers of their departments. However, in many instances, this move sets up these outstanding employees for failure.
That’s because no matter how good these rising stars are at training or instructing clients, they are usually not a…
Read MoreCorporate Wellness—Programming for Profit
There doesn’t seem to be much dispute
about healthcare costs being a burden on employers and employees. Chronic
disease alone costs the United States more than $1 trillion annually. The U.S.
spends an additional $277 billion per year just to treat seven of the most
common diseases (cancer, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart disease,
pulmonary conditions and menta…
Eating for Fertility
In a
perfect world, a couple’s desire to conceive a baby would be enough to
guarantee a positive pregnancy test. Unfortunately, many would-be parents find
themselves challenged by infertility. Now a new movement says that diet can
play a helpful role in increasing fertility. But can the foods we eat really
make a difference to our ability to reproduce, or is t…
Grilled Mahi Mahi With Avocado-Chile Salsa
It’s almost
summertime, and the living will soon be easier. Fish are jumping, and the
barbeque is turned up high. Try this quick and healthy recipe on the first
balmy evening this season:
Salsa Ingredients
1
ripe avocado, cut into ¼- to /s…
Lifelong Learning
The department of kinesiology at
California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), serves approximately 500
undergraduate students in eight options, 250 pre-major students and 150
graduate students in 10 options. According to its mission statement, the department’s
purpose is to “facilitate wellness among individuals through the study and
application of human m…
Tranquil Moments
It’s common for the end of class to get
hijacked. You run out of time, participants leave early, or you have to prepare
for the next class. You can, however, learn to command, tame and direct energy
and positively impact students. Use the following script to treat them to a
reclining meditation designed to elicit deep relaxation.
p cla…
Read MoreSample Class: Metabolic Magic
If you are looking for a plateau buster
to challenge your students, this class has been designed for you. It’s intended
as an occasional class to help participants adapt to a higher level of strength
and endurance through progressive overload. “Overload” is an amount of
resistance (stimulus) necessary to further improve fitness; “progressive”
refers to a gradual app…
A Class for Every Reason
IDEA member Melanie Johnson, in New
Haven, Connecticut, created PowerFlowCIRCUIT for
her more advanced Pilates apparatus clients (up to nine students). According to
Johnson, the class “alternates between 15–20 minutes each of a choreographed,
fast-paced reformer workout and a classic Pilates mat class. Each client also
does an exerci…
Mind-Body Medicine: A Balanced Approach
“My goal has always been to promote a
healthy balance between self-care approaches and more traditional
approaches—medical and surgical interventions that can be magnificent and
lifesaving when appropriate. However, self-care is immensely powerful in its own
right. The elicitation of the Relaxation Response, stress management, regular
exercise, good nutrition, a…
Developing Active Listening Skills
In an age of advanced communication
technology, we believe we are communicating more than ever before, but are we
communicating effectively?
You may be armed with your cellular network and all the latest technology, but
that won’t help if you haven’t mastered the art of act…
Postactivation Potentiation: A Brief Review
The goal of many researchers, strength
and conditioning professionals and personal trainers is to enhance the acute
and chronic effects of resistance training on a person’s overall athletic
performance. To that end, many resistance training methods, strategies and
ergogenic aids have been investigated. Some of the underlying mech…
Exercise May Improve Sex Hormone Levels in Sedentary Older Males
Androgen
deficiencies, including a reduction in testosterone levels, are often
acknowledged as a natural aspect of aging among males; however, the vast array
of treatments being offered to avoid decreased function indicates that men have
significant interest in maintaining youthful vigor.
What works? While testosterone
repl…
Understanding the Ego-Income Relationship
Being in this industry requires an entrepreneurial spirit, flexibility and a drive to achieve. Personal trainers aren’t just selling a service; they’re selling themselves as the purveyors of that service. This can lead to the perception that success in gaining clients equates with success as a person. And since there is often an undeniable relationship between ego and income, …
Read MoreShow a Little Class
Group exercise directors face a variety of challenges and are often forced to make tough decisions. Case in point: choosing which instructor gets to teach a particular class. Many instructors do not have a clear understanding of the director’s decision-making process, and their confusion may lead to hurt feelings, animosity and tension among the team. This article will look at both …
Read MoreBattling Bacteria
Bacteria. Germs. Superbugs. These are some of the countless terms for the hazardous micro-organisms that can be found in your business at any time. The fact is, any crowded communal space is a breeding ground for microbes. The club environment is at increased risk owing to the unavoidable dynamics, from dripping sweat to locker room moisture to the normal hygiene challenges associated…
Read MorePhysically Active Individuals Age Less Quickly
Do you have
clients in search of the fountain of youth? Tell them they can find it in the
gym! Scientists have recently discovered that people engaging in regular
physical activity appear biologically younger than their sedentary living
counterparts.
The study, published in the
January 28 issue of the Archives
of Internal Medicine/…
ICAA Predicts Active-Aging Trends for 2008
The
International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) has determined that Baby Boomers
will continue to reshape the landscape of aging and has released its list of
“eight trends that will define active aging in 2008.” According to ICAA chief
executive officer Colin Milner, “active aging means staying involved in life,
and the Boomers are planning to do that. This a…
Hot Tap Water Alert
When it comes
to your health, drinking hot water straight from the tap may get you into,
well, hot water. While it can be tempting to simply drop a tea bag into
piping-hot tap water instead of going to the trouble to boil your brew, don’t
do it.
The reason you should avoid
hot tap water is because it dissolves contaminants more quickly than co…
Spring Onions
Like the first
flowers appearing out of the snow, the first spring onions are peeking out of
produce bins right about now. Spring onions are basically more developed than
the green onion, but not as mature as a regular onion. These spring shoots tend
to be milder in flavor and more tender than full-grown onions. Here’s how to
pick the best of the bunch.
…
Keeping Kids’ Weight Off
Much has
been made of the different approaches used to maintain weight loss in adults.
However, there is scant data on how to help children keep off the pounds over
time. A report published in the October 10, 2007, issue of The Journal
of the American Medical Association sheds some light on the best
short- and long-term mainten…