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Creative Ideas that Inspire

At Studio KTM in Pacific Palisades, California, members improve their cardiovascular fitness and strength with K Training™. Each participant gets his or her own “K station,” which uses cable resistance and a variety of functional moves to improve balance, stability, strength, flexibility and endurance.

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Step Up to Warm Up

Step training has been a staple in the fitness industry for a quarter of a century. Although participation started to wane a few years ago, it has resurged thanks in part to the fusion of traditional and newer classes. Whether choreographed, stylized or athletic in nature, step training remains a great form of exercise.

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Creative Class Design

You’ve worked hard to become the best instructor you can be. You now have a “following” and, while you no longer feel the need to prove yourself, you some- times worry about how to keep your classes enticing and effective. It requires great effort and planning—not to men- tion talent and skill—to be an effective group fitness leader. But don’t let your- self get bogged down in the “admin- istration” aspect, which can zap all the creativity and fun out of the experience.

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Food Focus: Nopales

If you live in the American Southwest, you’ve very likely seen these bright-green “beaver tail” cactus paddles stacked at your local farmers’ market or in your grocery store. Nopales (plural for nopal, the type of cactus from which they are derived) and their succulent counterpart—the prickly pear fruit—are both abundant and healthful.

Popular in predominantly Mexican and Central American cooking cultures (but also found around the world), and eaten fresh or preserved for centuries, nopales boast many medicinal and nutritional benefits.

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Ask the RD

Lourdes Castro, MS, RD, is an adjunct professor at New York University’s department of nutrition, food studies and public health; she earned her master’s degree in nutrition from Columbia University. She is the author of three cookbooks: Simply Mexican; Eat, Drink, Think in Spanish; and Latin Grilling. She is also the director of the Biltmore Culinary Academy in Miami. Visit her website at www.slicethin.com. Send your questions for Lourdes to swebster@ideafit.com.

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Recipe for Health: Skillet of Roast Mushrooms & Tomato-Stuffed Peppers With Garlic and Fresh Thyme

Recipe for Health: Skillet of Roast Mushrooms & Tomato-Stuffed Peppers With Garlic and Fresh Thyme

This time of year delivers a harvest of abundance and flavor as summer crops start to boom. What better time to try a hearty plant-based meal or side to see how filling and delicious a dish of vegetables can be? It’s good for you, and it’s good for the planet.

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Question of the Month

Do you eat alone? Do you prefer it?

According to June Jo Lee, Hartman Group food ethnographer and vice president of strategic insights, 47% of all eating occasions today happen when we are alone. A recent report by Lee describes how this solo-dining trend underscores how profoundly our eating culture has changed. Many say they prefer this alone time to catch up on email, social media or a good book. Many watch television. Do you prefer to eat alone or with others? If you eat alone, how often do you do so? Pros? Cons?

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Resveratrol Does Not Impact Health

If you’ve been feeling health-smug about sipping your moderate daily glass of red wine and letting that luxurious 85% dark chocolate melt on your tongue, this may be unwelcome reading.

In one of those scientific twists that leave us wondering what to believe about nutrition, a new study published in the May 12 online edition of JAMA Internal Medicine (doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.1582) showed that the antioxidant resveratrol—found in grapes, chocolate and red wine—was not associated with longevity or the incidence of cardiovascular disease, cancer and inflammation.

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Appetizers

Food deserts in St. Johns County, Florida, were recently transformed by an innovative mobile oasis that delivers fresh produce where it’s needed most. The Farm to Family truck is made possible by county farmers who grow produce and stock the truck, which reaches 5,900 families in seven identified food deserts in the county. Offerings are seasonal and change each week; shoppers can go online to see what to expect. The organization’s website also provides recipes and resources.

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Sales of Organic Foods Surge

Are you one of the many American consumers who helped sales of organic products in the U.S. increase by 11.5% last year?

According to a recent survey conducted by the Organic Trade Association, organics leapt from $31.5 billion in 2012 to $35.1 billion in 2013, marking the sector’s fastest growth rate in 5 years. With no tapering in sight, the OTA predicts that comparable or even greater expansion will occur over the next 2 years.

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Smooth Sailing Toward Specialization

When I noticed the trend toward specialization building in the fitness industry a few years ago, it struck me as the answer to the professional slump I was in. After teaching and training for more than 20 years, I had hit a wall. Specializing seemed to hold the promise that I could raise my training fees and enjoy a wider variety of professional opportunities.

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Restoring Physical Confidence in an Older Adult

Introduction. Two years ago, Mary Ann DeMello sat in the kitchen of Joan, aged 85, discussing the possibility of training together. The two were introduced by Adelle, one of DeMello’s clients, who would often bring Joan home-cooked meals.

“Joan is very thin, and Adelle was trying to fatten her up!” says DeMello. “Adelle thought it would be a good idea for me to work with Joan, building her muscles and teaching her fall prevention exercises.”

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2014 IDEA World Fitness Awards

People everywhere want to live healthfully but oftften lack the drive to get offff the couch. Luckily, qualifified fifitness professionals can show them how to bridge the gap from thinking about good health to living it. Our nine IDEA World Fitness Award fifinalists have dedicated themselves to impacting their communities, their fitness collegues and even people aroudn the globe. Please join us in honoring these top-notch program directors, personal trainers and fitness instructors.

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Secrets of the Masters Athlete

The world of athletics is considered the territory of young people; sports news headlines are littered with 20-somethings making waves in their competition of choice. Once they’ve reached their prime, retirement is often considered the next step. However, there is a sub- set of competitors who buck the norm and refuse to hang up their sneakers and race bibs. Known as masters athletes, these inspiring individuals choose not to age quietly. ThThe six athletes featured in this article are world champions and record holders—and they are proof positive that age is simply a number.

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Sorting Out Supplements

Should your clients take them, or shouldn’t they? Supplements, that is.

One day the news media are report- ing that dietary supplements don’t pre- vent disease and may actually threaten our health; the next day another study says that supplements can help to thwart disease or can fill nutrient gaps in our diets. What should health and fitness professionals tell clients when asked about supplements?

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Improving Chronic Neck Pain With Pilates

Pilates exercises may provide relief for clients struggling with chronic neck pain. Neck pain is among the four most common pains affecting Americans (following back pain); it’s also the second leading cause of work absences (Pleis, Ward & Lucas 2010; Albright et al. 2001). The problem occurs most often in middle age and affects women more often than men (Binder 2008).

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