July 2014 - IDEA Health & Fitness Association

A New Paradigm of Health and Wellness

By IDEA Authors | July 25, 2014 |

Welcome to your first issue of IDEA Mind-Body Wellness Review!
We are excited to launch this e-newsletter for mind-body fitness professionals, health coaches, nutritionists, chiropractors and other allied health and healing professionals. Our goal is to support you and help you explore transformative health practices so you can inspire your clients to optimum wholeness.

Fitness Facilities Go Green

By Cathie Ericson | July 24, 2014 |

Fitness facilities are in the business of making members healthier, and for some that commitment extends to the environment. The shades of green vary widely. For example, some facilities have done a complete retrofit . . .

Tabata in Deep Water

By Irene McCormick, MS | July 24, 2014 |

Tabata training is a popular high-intensity interval training format consisting of 20 seconds of all-out, intense work followed by 10 seconds of passive recovery, totaling 4 minutes of very strenuous exercise. HIIT protocols such as Tabata are effective and promising for time-crunched exercisers whose goals are weight loss and performance enhancement. Deep-water exercise is a…

Loaded Movement Training: The Missing Link?

By Michol Dalcourt | July 24, 2014 |

Back in Canada, when my colleagues and I developed strength and fitness programs for hockey athletes, we began to notice something fascinating: Farm kids had distinct advantages when their “farm strength” was transferred to the ice. These young athletes were stronger on the puck, stronger in front of the net when battling their opponents, and…

What’s the Impact of Digital Distraction?

By Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA | July 24, 2014 |

Electronic gadgets are essential to most of our lives; however, if unmanaged, they can undermine our ability to pay attention to one task for more than a few minutes. For wellness professionals, whose livelihoods depend on helping clients achieve results, this makes it more difficult to accomplish objectives. The task of motivating people is enhanced by biofeedback devices and programs but, on the other hand, complicated by the need to capture the attention of an increasingly fragmented and inattentive clientele.

Eight Fascinating Facts About Fascia

By Derrick Price, MS | July 24, 2014 |

Fascia has been enjoying the limelight in the fitness industry as one of the hottest topics in recent fitness conference programming, workshops and publications. However, after the dust has settled, will fitness and wellness professionals still be scratching their heads and wondering, “Okay, great, it’s important, but what do I do with it?”

Plant-Based Power Players

By Lourdes Castro | July 24, 2014 |

My New Year’s resolution is to stop juicing. My juicer extracts the juice of fresh fruits and vegetables, leaving behind a woolly mess of skin, seeds and rinds that I carelessly toss out. As a chef and nutrition expert I should know better, but I do it anyway. However, this year I am committed to keeping foods as whole as possible and eating as many parts of a vegetable as I can.

How to Use the PERMA Model With Older Adults

By Elaine Tarantin O'Brien, MAPP | July 24, 2014 |

PERMA-based fitness training can pack a positive punch for fitness and wellness professionals looking to contribute to the well-being of our fast-growing population of active older adults. PERMA is devoted to developing social and mental strength, which can be very helpful in motivating older exercisers.

Recovering From a Broken Pelvis

By Jennifer Curry Wingrove | July 24, 2014 |

It was just like any other day. Renee was leaving for work, tote in one hand and lunch bag and coffee in the other, when she stepped over her dog gate and onto her flight of stairs. But this time, she missed her footing and fell down 15 flights of stairs.

The Importance of Size Sensitivity

By Megan Senger | July 21, 2014 |

Business owners attempting to entice overweight clients should hold size-sensitivity training for their entire staff, says weight management expert Rochelle Rice. Indeed, size-friendly facilities are often a good fit for fitness professionals who have experienced significant weight loss first hand. “But there are also trainers, no matter the size, who have the compassion, knowledge and expertise to work with the fuller body,” Rice adds.

Adopting a “Don’t Tell” Stance With Kids and Healthy Food

By Sandy Todd Webster | July 21, 2014 |

Whether eating carrots will improve eyesight or consuming spinach will build Popeye-like strength is immaterial to children. In fact, telling them such things as a way of coaxing them to eat certain foods actually repels them, according to a forthcoming study in the October issue of Consumer Research.

Male Participation in Yoga and Pilates

By Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA | July 9, 2014 |

While overall yoga and Pilates participation changes yearly, the ratio of men to women in yoga is holding fairly constant, while the percentage of Pilates practitioners who are men is increasing. Currently, of the estimated 23.3 million Americans who do yoga, approximately 26%, or 6.0 million, are male. Of the estimated 8.5 million Americans who practice Pilates, 16%, or close to 1.4 million, are male (Sports Marketing Surveys USA 2013a, 2013b).

Legislating Good Nutrition: Can Laws Promote Healthier Decisions?

By Elizabeth M. Ward, MS, RD | July 9, 2014 |

Many health experts believe that limiting portion sizes, providing nutrition information and taxing highly desirable ingredients such as sugar may prove effective for reducing calorie and sugar consumption. However, it remains to be seen if it’s possible to mandate good nutrition.

5 Self-Care Suggestions for New Fitness Pros and Managers

By Alexandra Williams, MA | July 9, 2014 |

Based on wisdom gleaned from experience (sometimes the hard way), a few veterans share their thoughts on how new pros can safeguard self-care early on in their careers.

Challenges That Affect Fitness Pros

By Alexandra Williams, MA | July 9, 2014 |

Like others who pursue helping careers, those of us who are trainers and instructors are professional givers, and the issues that affect this group are unique, varied, and sometimes even detrimental to our own health. lack of self-care has many consequences. This list of the challenges that fitness pros may encounter was derived from our experts’ own experiences.

Possible Adverse Outcomes:

What to Look for in Fitness Technology

By Ted Vickey, MBS | July 9, 2014 |

When suggesting fitness technology to your clients, consider these three factors:

Ease Of Use

If the device isn’t easy to use right out of the box, then you have a problem. Your client shouldn’t need a PhD in engineering to use it. Some devices are great concepts but lack real-world, easy-to-use features. Your clients have enough excuses not to be physically active. Don’t let substandard technology give them another one.

A Bright Future for Fitness Technology, From Start-Ups to Wall Street

By Ted Vickey, MBS | July 9, 2014 |

Companies providing integrated health/fitness technology solutions continue to grow. The market for fitness technology is estimated at $1.6 billion in 2014 and expected to grow to over $5 billion in 2016. That is close to a 230% increase in just 24 months (Gartner 2014).

Health Coaching vs. Life Coaching

By April Durrett | July 9, 2014 |

Coaching is not a new field. “The general consensus is that personal life coaching evolved in the early 1990s out of the coaching techniques being used to motivate business executives in the 1980s,” says Mary Bratcher, wellness coach and co-owner of The Biomechanics Method in San Diego. “The application of life coaching to the health and fitness sector began to happen in the early 2000s.”