Archive for March 2019
Empowered Entrepreneur Podcast: Tricia Murphy Madden
Like many other fitness professionals, Tricia Murphy Madden has experienced both failure and success. On this episode of Empowered Entrepreneur, Madden, the director of education for Savvier Fitness and co-creator of Barre Above ®, shares the lessons she has learned from her failure and how that experience helped her find success in other areas of the fitness industry.
Read MoreMeet an IDEA Team Member: Matt Taylor
Imagine standing in line with hundreds of fitness pros to pick up your registration at the IDEA® World Convention and the internet fizzles out. Or envision walking into a session room where all you see are BOSU® Balance Trainers for a class you thought was about myofascial release. This is the stuff of pure panic for unseasoned trade show operations people, but not for Matt. He takes these moments in stride, solves the problem quickly and moves on without drama.
Read MoreRest, Recover, Repeat
For the health- and fitness-minded, discipline and behavior change are key tenets of keeping ourselves on a strong physical track. Whether it’s literally scheduling our workout time, thoughtfully planning and preparing our meals, or tracking our daily activity, we are pretty consistent about making these things happen.
Read MoreHyped on the Hypothalamus
The hypothalamus occupies little real estate in the brain, but it houses nuclei critical to many of the body’s regulatory functions. Situated just beneath the thalamus, it keeps the body in homeostasis by controlling the sleep-wake cycle, body temperature, hunger and thirst, sex drive, fluid balance, emotions, blood pressure, and heart rate (Johnson 2018).
Read MoreSimple Exercises to Improve Posture
Did you know that good posture helps minimize stress on tendons, joints and ligaments? Plus, better posture can have a significant impact on your quality of life. Good posture may improve your job prospects, verbal communication, self-confidence and mood and enhance how others see you.
Ryan Halvorson, chief content officer for Fit Scribe Media and a TriggerPoint® master trainer, explains exercises that can help you improve posture.
Read MoreSample Class: Let’s Have a Ball!
“Have a ball” with your class using this fun format, which incorporates exercise balls into cardiovascular and strength intervals. Each 8-minute round uses either a stability ball or a medicine ball, 4 minutes of high-intensity cardio training (combined), and about 4 minutes of strength-focused work (combined). For those who also enjoy a core challenge, this class delivers.
Read MoreWarm Up With Rhythm
Dancing is a great workout that delivers as many smiles as it does full-body benefits. To share those benefits with participants, however, you don’t need to teach a whole dance class. A dance-inspired warmup will help patrons prepare for specific movements while setting a perfect tone for class.
In general, a good warmup includes
Read MoreNo-Equipment Outdoor Workouts
It’s that time of year when springtime reinvigorates clients and participants, coaxing them to come out of hibernation and play. Why not leave the fluorescent lights behind and take class outside? Parks, fields, even parking lots are great places to lead outdoor workouts. There are options for everyone—and you don’t have to lug around a bunch of equipment, either. Maximize your time and space by incorporating simple, effective body-weight exercises that improve strength, speed, power and flexibility.
Read MoreThe Key to a Prolific Career
Soccer great Pelé once said, “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and, most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” This concept forms the foundation of everything you will experience at the 2019 IDEA® World Convention in Anaheim, June 26–30.
Read MoreFit for Change
CLIENT: Sam Garman
PERSONAL TRAINER: Kali Stewart, MS
LOCATION: Milagros Fitness/Online Coaching, San Diego
Read MoreWhy Hydration Should Be on Your Mind
People who like to work up a sweat should definitely have proper hydration practices on their mind. A review in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found strong evidence that athletes who lose more than 2% of their body weight in fluids—all too common in prolonged bouts of sweaty exercise—suffer noticeable declines in mental performance.
Read MoreAsk the RD: Why Is Lettuce Linked With E. Coli?
QUESTION
I keep hearing about people getting E. coli from lettuce. I thought E. coli came from beef. Can you explain what E. coli is and why lettuce is a problem?
Higher Vitamin D Levels Linked To Better Fitness
There’s another reason to make sure you’re getting enough of the sunshine vitamin: High levels of vitamin D in the blood are now linked with better fitness, according to research from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine.
Read More5 Habits for Eating to Beat Diabetes
The numbers are startling: More than 100 million American adults have diabetes or prediabetes, meaning they have poor blood sugar control, which, if untreated, often leads to type 2 diabetes within a few years. It’s therefore not surprising that a great deal of research is trying to suss out how eating habits affect diabetes risk. Here’s what the white coats have uncovered of late:
Read MoreLower-Carbon Diets Healthier and Good for the Planet
A new Tulane University study examining the carbon footprint of what more than 16,000 Americans eat in a day has good news for environmentally conscious consumers—diets that are more climate-friendly are also healthier.
The research, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is the first to compare the climate impact and nutritional value of U.S. diets using real-world data about what Americans say they are eating (Tulane University 2019).
Read MoreHiring the Nutrition-Fitness Hybrid Pro
What are consumers looking for when they come to your gym or studio? Sure, they want great workouts and access to the latest equipment in a welcoming, fun environment. But above all, they really want to attain their health and fitness goals.
Read MoreMindful Water Fitness in the Pool
The sensory-rich pool environment—soothing and simultaneously challenging—is an ideal setting for mindful movement and a welcome respite from digital stress. It’s also a place where people of all ages and ability levels can thrive. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that aquatic exercise posted the third-greatest growth among group exercise and training protocols in the 2017 IHRSA Health Club Consumer Report, with 12% facility member participation last year, up from 7% in 2014.
Read MoreCycling + Off-Bike Strength: Combo Class
Indoor cycling remains one of the hottest formats; it’s still credited with being a turnkey class that introduces men to the group exercise schedule. One reason indoor cycling is still viable is that it’s always reinventing itself. Over the past 20 years, it has evolved and survived many changes: new bike options, top-line educational programs and metric technology, to name a few. Currently, fusion classes are trending, and boutique studios are marketing their unique claims to a total-body workout.
Read MorePreparing Clients for Active Vacations
Do your over-55 clients or class members want to travel for pleasure but need more strength, stamina and mobility? Do they worry they’ll miss seeing the world because they lack physical ability?
Read MoreSleep Deprivation: You Are How You Sleep
Spending a third of our lives horizontal, hallucinating and paralyzed may sound like something from a scary sci-fi movie—but, in reality, these are good things. It’s all about sleep, and getting enough of it is essential.
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