Archive for December 2014
If There Were One Thing You Could Change In The Fitness Industry, What Would It Be?
In a recent “Tricks of the Trade” column, IDEA asked some of its members: If there were one thing you could change in the fitness industry, what would it be? Here are a few of their answers. What is the one thing you would change? Share your answers in the comment box below.
Read MorePrehabilitation Strengthening Exercises for Knee and Hip Arthroplasty
Fitness professionals may work in concert with a physical therapist to encourage a client to engage in “prehab” to maintain or enhance his strength preoperatively for knee or hip arthroplasty. (Shakoor et al. 2010). Pain is often a limiting factor, and it may be difficult for the client to participate in even the most basic daily activities. Below are a few suggested exercises.
KNEE ARTHROPLASTY
Isometric quadriceps sets. Lie on back with legs extended. Tighten quads and push knee into mat/surface. Hold 10 seconds. Do 10 repetitions, 5 times per day.
Benefits of Reiki
Some fitness professionals have found that offering Reiki (ray-key), a Japanese healing technique intended to reduce stress and promote relaxation and healing, not only helps clients reach their fitness goals but also provides a safe space for wellness to thrive.
Benefits of Reiki
While the evidence of Reiki’s benefits is anecdotal, this list highlights some of the outcomes reported by people who have had Reiki treatments:
Read More5 Tips on Obtaining Physician Referrals
5 Tips on Obtaining Physician Referrals
Many fitness professionals may not know where to begin when attempting to build a career in medical fitness. These five communication strategies can help fitness professionals obtain physician referrals:
Read MoreWhat Lack of Sleep Does to Your Body
Eating a Better Breakfast
The alarm rings and you press “snooze” one time too many. By the time you roll out of bed, you think it’s too late for break- fast so you don’t eat. While some people do skip breakfast on a regular basis, it’s not a good idea. The potential perils include a more sluggish metabolism as the body shifts into starvation-response mode. Couple this with a tendency to become ravenous and binge later, and weight gain can happen. Cognitive abilities can also suffer: You may get headaches, feel fatigued and be less able to concentrate.
Read MoreTaking Investor’s Perspective to Leveraging Fitness Technology
In 2014, we saw numerous mobile health and telehealth acquisitions as larger companies ramped up their digital health strategies (Comstock 2014). These moves are more than business news headlines—they represent broad trends that are increasingly relevant to fitness and wellness professionals.
Read MoreKids in Motion Are Happy Kids
Kathleen Tullie, director of social purpose at Reebok International, is the cofounder and executive director of BOKS (Build Our Kids’ Success). The physical activity program aims to jump-start children’s brains, improving academic performance and overall health by promoting exercise and nutrition knowledge. The program is run by moms, dads, teachers and volunteers, 2–3 days a week before or during school.
Read MoreCreative Ideas That Inspire
At Hot Feet Fitness in Burien, Washington, members break a sweat with Hot Feet Fitness. ThThis 21-minute, high-intensity class takes place in a 100° Fahrenheit room with 40% humidity.
Located in West Hollywood, California, Best U Studio offers a unique circuit class that blends Pilates, barre, dance and a weighted U bar. Best U focuses on strength, breathing, control and centering. The weighted bar also helps attendees improve their balance and coordination.
Read MoreSample Class: Creative Core & Cardio
Group fitness participants can’t seem to get enough of creative core and cardiovascular exercises. If you need innovative ideas to challenge your students, this class is for you! Target core muscles while introducing unique variations of familiar moves. Round out the routine by torching calories with high-intensity interval training exercises.
Creative Cardio and Core Details
GOAL/EMPHASIS: core strengthening and HIIT
TIME: approximately 60 minutes
Read MoreSun Salutation Solutions
Traditionally performed in the morning to greet the new day, the yoga sun salutation series warms up the body and prepares it for practice. While this flow successfully targets large muscles and brings the mind to a singular focus, it does so primarily in the sagittal plane. When you add movements that address the frontal and transverse planes, sun salutations become a functional warm-up for any class, including circuit, step, dance and strength. Bare feet are not required!
Read MoreReiki & Fitness: A Winning Combo?
It doesn’t take long before many fitness professionals realize that teaching and training clients involves much more than simply counting sets and reps. The perfect exercise program falls short if the client practices poor nutrition, for example, or is experiencing chronic stress, which can take a toll on mental and physical health. Approaching clients from…
Read MoreGarlicky Spinach & Watercress for Winter
Professional chef, cookbook author and nutrition instructor at New York University Lourdes Castro, MS, RD, brings dark-leafy greens to life in this delicious and easy dish. In addition to providing intense aromatic flavor, garlic is rich in antioxidants. Here, Castro pairs it with watercress and sautés them both with spinach to tame the intense flavors.…
Read MoreSports Conditioning for Skiers
Skiing is a thrilling sport, providing majestic views of the mountains and a vigorous workout. If you haven’t seen the famous Disney cartoon starring Goofy, you must! Go to video.disney.com and type “the art of skiing” into the search box. After you have had a good laugh at Goofy’s antics on the slopes, come back…
Read MoreRecipe for Health: Zuppa di Carote & Finocchio
Italian cooking is simplicity defined. This soup makes the most of easily accessible winter vegetables and blends them into a delicious, hearty lunch or dinner that will warm and cheer you and your family on a cold winter night.
Chef Gina Stipo is an Italian-American whose enthusiasm for the cuisine and wines of Tuscany inspired her to make Siena the base from which to pursue her culinary passions. Her cooking classes in Tuscany are taught in English and are accompanied by the history and anecdotes of the Siena area.
Read MoreCalifornia’s Drought Pushes Food Prices Higher
The Golden State is in the midst of one of its worst droughts on record. Food econo- mists are forecasting the continued rise of food prices and predicting shortages of other foods across the U.S.
Professor Timothy Richards of the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University has researched which crops are likely to be most affected and what the price boosts might be.
Read MoreFrom Heirloom Seeds to Heirloom Breeds
People around the world are getting more thoughtful about their food and are seeking quality, sustainability and big flavor on the plate.
Largely driven by chefs, microbakers, microbrewers and small-operation farmers, the growing trend for reviving our culinary history includes dogged pursuit and then loving cultivation of near-extinct heirloom crops and livestock. Dedicated artisans are bringing back some foods from the brink of extinction.
Read MoreFrom Farm to Doorstep With a Click
The supply is there, and so is the demand, so why not shop local farms and farmers’ markets from your laptop?
Good Eggs (www .goodeggs.com) brings local groceries right to your doorstep. Order online from the best local farmers and food makers, and your groceries will be picked and prepped to order. So far, only residents of the San Francisco Bay area; Brooklyn, New York; the Los Angeles area; and New Orleans can enjoy the service, which includes aggregating, packing and delivering goods to your door—for free (or you can pick them up). Expansion plans are underway.
Read MoreAsk The RD
Question: I keep reading articles that refer to the polyphenol content of superfoods. Are polyphenols simply antioxidants?
In a word, yes, but since polyphenols seem to be powerful antioxidants, it’s worth understanding them better. A phenol is an organic compound that contains an aromatic ring (Figure 1). Polyphenols, which are compounds found in plants, are distinguished by the pres- ence of more than one phenol (Figure 2). Many polyphenols are powerful antioxidants that can remove free radicals from the body and reduce inflammation.
Read MoreAppetizers
There’s a good reason hospital food has a bad reputation. Tired, insipid-tasting menu items like orange Jell-O and iceberg lettuce salads have languished on hospital dining trays for decades. That’s all changing, at least for the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio. With help from The Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio, the Goldsbury Foundation and H-E-B Grocery Company, the hospital recently launched a new culinary health and education program aimed
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