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IDEA World Convention
Career Advancement for Everyone

Thousands of fitness professionals consider the IDEA World Convention to be the best investment they can make to further their careers. That’s largely because the event delivers robust, multilevel education covering all facets of the industry. But there’s more to it than that, according to fitness industry veteran and this year’s IDEA Jack LaLanne Award recipient, Jay Blahnik.

The 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&reg World Convention in Anaheim, June 26–30.

Where Your Career Goes From Great to EPIC

The IDEA World Convention means a lot of things to different people. For some, it’s primarily about updating their skill sets and knowledge to maintain a competitive edge. For others, the connections and relationships they build at the fitness event are priceless in advancing their careers and enriching their lives. Whatever stands out for each individual, one thing unites allIDEA World attendees: an intense desire to create a career that thrives.

Making Connections That Boost Career Success

Learn, Connect and Thrive at the IDEA® World Convention

Education is the foundation of the IDEA World Convention, but this fitness event offers plenty more than stellar instruction. For Jonathan Bernath, publicist-turned-personal-trainer, it’s where he discovered the “fitness family” that would guide him in his new career.

How to Fortify Your Purpose and Bolster Your Business

It was 2014 and Jill McKay was at a critical juncture. For the past decade, she had thought of herself as "just a mom," yet recently the idea of founding a fitness organization had begun to consume her. The problem? McKay lacked both confidence and the know-how to get started. Soon, however, she'd find her first step—and the catalyst to fulfilling her aspirations—underneath the Christmas tree.

Educate Yourself, Evolve Your Business

The most successful entrepreneurs know that education is a cornerstone of building a strong business. Your chance to elevate your game is right around the corner at IDEA World Fitness Convention™.

“What’s the Best Piece of Fitness Industry Advice You’ve Ever Received?”

The best fitness advice that I have received is: Don’t be afraid to be creative. I was nearing the end of my education in the fitness field. The advice was just what I needed before returning to my hometown to start training a full client list. I was at a “hands-on” retreat to get practical experi- ence in training.

Nutrition Coaching Primer
Nutrition Coaching: A Primer for Health and Fitness Professionals

Fitness professionals should discuss nutrition with their clients. 


Historically, many fitness pros have either avoided nutrition
discussions for fear of straying outside their scope of practice or gone
overboard by exceeding their scope of practice—recommending nutritional
supplements or individualized meal plans. 


There is a better way: Staying within scope of practice while adopting a
coaching philosophy that uses proven methods of behavior change. 


Corporate Fitness Wellness Programs to Experience Growth

Have you thought about throwing your hat into the corporate wellness ring? Perhaps now is the right time to get involved.

According to the research company IBISWorld, the U.S. gross domestic
product is expected to rise 3.9% per year over the next few years. That means corporations could be allocating extra funding toward health and wellness program- ming, suggests the research organization. IBISWorld believes that, as a result, the corporate fitness and wellness industry will see marked financial growth. Here’s
a rundown of the findings:

“The Super Bowl of Fitness”

With over 12,000 personal trainers, group fifitness instructors, mind-body professionals, business owners and managers, and experts from every corner of the globe, the IDEA World Fitness Convention has been called “the Super Bowl of Fitness.” Fitness pros who attend gain valuable education and strategies to expand their skill sets; they discover diver- sity that evolves their careers or businesses; and they establish expert connections that open doors and offffer new opportunities.

Educate Yourself, Elevate Your Business

SEducation is a cornerstone of a profitable business. Whether you’d like to update your coaching skills, learn new ways to manage staff or learn how to work smarter and not harder, the 2015 IDEA Personal Trainer Institute has everything you need to build a better business.

Health Coaching vs. Life Coaching

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.”

Cert by Selfie

Surf around on any of the major social media networks these days—Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and especially Instagram—and you’ll likely get an eyeful of fitness selfies: photos of chiseled physiques or people staging “caught in the moment” snapshots of themselves at the gym or just after they’ve finished exercising. Social media’s eye-candy culture has become a perfect platform for fitness pros and enthusiasts to inspire others to get in shape and show off the physical outcomes of exercise with “selfies.”

Ask The RD

Question: I’m working toward a career change to health and wellness, and I have a particular interest in nutrition. My interests are in coaching individuals to adopt healthier eating patterns (I’m currently an ACE-certified health coach) and lose weight, and in working with people whose doctors may have suggested “lifestyle changes” to help prevent cholesterol or blood sugars from creeping up further, but who have not yet become diabetic or developed serious heart issues.

Fitness Certification
Certification Update

There is much talk about certification, accreditation and licensure in the fitness industry today. As you start your career, it is important to have a grasp of this trio of topics because they can affect your ability to get hired and work legally. Just the terms themselves and their word cousins can be very confusing-—so confusing, in fact, that this article includes a glossary to help you navigate through and clearly understand the differences among them.