Archive for May 2009
A Pilates Success Story
Greg arrived at my studio in pain, and in a wheelchair. Thirty years ago he broke his back during a “night jump” in Vietnam.
Read MoreTraining Tips for Vegetarian Athletes
What exactly is a “balanced, varied and adequate” vegetarian diet, and how hard would it be to follow and maintain such a pattern of eating?
Read MoreTraining Tips for Vegetarian Athletes
What exactly is a “balanced, varied and adequate” vegetarian diet, and how hard would it be to follow and maintain such a pattern of eating?
Read MoreFlow to Health and Happiness, Part One
The more flow we experience, the happier we are.
Read MoreThe Empowerment Series: Lesson Two, Energy
The benefits of yoga go beyond more flexible hamstrings, a stronger core, or less back pain.
Read MoreCore Training Duo
How do you transition students quickly from the main part of class to the core-conditioning exercises? With larger classes and limited space and equipment, you may want to add creative partner-based moves.
Both single and partner-based core-training exercises should target specific muscle groups. The core consists of many different muscles that stabilize the spine, pelvis and shoulder and provides a solid foundation for total-body movement. A strong core distributes weight-bearing loads and helps protect the low back.
Read MoreProgression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults
The new report from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) regarding progression models in resistance training for healthy adults adds to the previous 2002 position stand, which established a structure for guiding healthy adults to develop muscular fitness (i.e., muscular strength, hypertrophy, power and muscular endurance). This latest review defines and
Read Morewhite bean & citrus fruit salad
Here’s a crowd-pleasing dish that is high in nutrients, simple to prepare and just sweet enough to lure your kids to the table. This salad can be served as a light lunch or as a side dish when grilling salmon or chicken on the “barbie” this summer. Cannellini or great northern beans can be used in this recipe.
2 tablespoons (tbs) orange juice
4 tbs fresh lemon juice (about half a lemon)
1 clove garlic, finely minced or crushed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Creative Programs That Inspire
The St. Paul Jewish Community Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, offers its members B.L.A.S.T. (body locomotion and strength training). According to the online schedule, the intermediate-to-advanced workout is a combination of low-impact cardio and strength training. The facility challenges its members and guests to “have fun exploring some nontraditional exercises that challenge your strength, balance and dexterity.” The St. Paul JCC also offers Logrolling throughout the year.
Read MoreWhat Yoga Research Shows
Do you practice yoga? Did you know that despite the challenges of researching the health benefits of yoga, many good-quality studies are beginning to emerge, and the results are interesting. Lee Lipton, MA, PA-C, a yoga teacher and instructor trainer for over 15 years, describes selected studies and what they mean.
Read MoreRefine Your Cuing
Regardless of our roles within the realm of fitness, communication unites all of us. Defined in Neuro-Linguistic Programming™ (NLP™) circles as “the response you get regardless of your intention” (Andreas & Faulkner 1996), communication takes place in the verbal, visual and kinesthetic arenas. It can be broken down to approximately 7% words, 38% tone and 55% body language (Bandler & Grinder 1975). The following refresher will help you hone your communication skills in these key areas.
Read MoreSweet Facts About High-Fructose Corn Syrup
Have you seen this ad on TV? Two moms are standing in a kitchen, where Mom Number 1 is pouring juice for a gaggle of kids in the background. Mom Number 2 looks shocked and warns her that the juice in question contains high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Mom 1 looks up and says, “So?” Cut to Mom 2, who suddenly realizes that she can’t defend her objection to HFCS. Mom 1 then goes on to assure everyone that HFCS is “natural and safe” for the children, who all presumably go on to live happily and healthily ever after.
Read MoreSample Class: Wall Yoga
Most yoga instructors know how to use straps and blocks to guide students through challenging poses or to teach alignment. Some instructors, however, may not have access to props or, if they do, there may not be enough to go around. There is one piece of “equipment,” however, that often gets underused, and that’s the wall.
Wall Yoga Details
Format: yoga
Total Time: approximately 60 minutes
Equipment needed: mats
MUSIC: not applicable
Read MorePockets of Hope and Good Guidance
I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for a fantastic conference [2009 IDEA Personal Trainer Institute™]. The response and involvement from the delegates were excellent. I really enjoyed sessions by Justin Price, Anthony Carey, Nicki Anderson, Cody Sipe and Fraser Quelch; and the panel discussion [“How to Maximize Your Business in a Tough Economy”] was
informative, applicable and particularly upbeat, which I feel is just what was required at this time. The programming and content were excellent, making this a truly comprehensive conference.
Reinventing Your Personal Training Career
When Lindsay Del Rossi, a personal trainer in Pomona, California, lost her job this past year in the economic downturn, she didn’t look at it as a defeat. Instead, she saw it as an opportunity. With two degrees, a history of being a top performer in her job classification, experience as a senior director and almost a decade of fitness industry experience, she knew that this time was her opportunity to make a positive change.
Read MoreMarathon Training 101
In 490 BC the ancient Greek hero Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens to announce the Greeks’ victory over Persia in the Battle of Marathon. When the modern Olympic Games began in Athens in 1896, a running race named after the Greek town of Marathon was introduced to commemorate Pheidippides’ legendary run. Now there are more than 300 marathons just in the United States each year, with hundreds of thousands of people running them. Chances are that one or two of your clients want to do one. So how do you train them for a marathon?
Read MoreA Perfect Fit
Client: Thom
Personal Trainer: Holly Kouvo, owner of Fitting Fitness In™
Location: Stow, Massachusetts
Read MoreInsights Into Israeli Fitness
The most popular fitness classes in Israel are body conditioning, core training, stability ball, yoga, step and dance-based formats, notes Yoav Avidar, international fitness presenter from Tel Aviv, Israel, who has been working in the fitness industry for 12 years. “In general, and especially during these days of economic hardship, popular equipment-based classes are ones that use the equipment the club has!” he says. “Clubs and studios are very hesitant to buy new equipment, especially if it’s relatively expensive.
Read MoreResistance and Cardiovascular Exercise Combination Best for Older Adults
Have you ever wondered which exercise method is most effective for helping older adults improve functional capacity and reduce insulin resistance? A study published in the January issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine (2009; 169[2], 122–31) suggests that a combination of cardiovascular and resistance exercise is best for health improvements.
Read MoreExercise Eases Anger in Kids
Although research continues to emerge regarding the many mental and emotional benefits of exercise, much of it focuses only on adults. A study published Pediatric Exercise Science (2008; 20[4], 390–401) has determined that structured exercise may help reduce anger expression in healthy, overweight children.
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