Covid-19 Updates
Sample Class: Mindful Restoration and Recovery
High-intensity interval training has been all the rage for a while now, but participants are finally starting to recognize the benefits of recovery. During this restorative phase, the body repairs itself, which leads to optimal training improvements. The following class supports the recovery process by exploring mindfulness, relaxation and breathing techniques. It also addresses body awareness, muscle tension and myofascial trigger points. Make this a stand-alone 60-minute class or condense it to a 30- or 15-minute session.
NEAT Exercise for the Brain
Have you heard that prolonged sitting can be as bad for health as smoking (Owen, Bauman & Brown 2008)? The good news is that movement can help, and it doesn’t have to be a marathon. One avenue worth exploring is nonexercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). NEAT encompasses the calories burned while living life: walking to work, fidgeting, typing, folding clothes, washing dishes, running errands and so on; only sleeping, eating and sports are not included (Levine & Yeager 2009).
Get Your Business Out of Debt in Three Steps
What if you walked into your facility tomorrow and everything was paid off?
What if there were
no weight equipment or treadmill payments due;
no payments due for a rubber floor or a state-of-the-art sound system; and
no loan bills due—that is, no bank requesting its piece of your pie plus interest?
What if instead of paying the bills (aka “your debts”) every month, you could put all that money into a savings account and begin to build true wealth? Does this sound like a fairy tale?
Creating Healthy Habits
Have you ever tried to drink more water or stop eating fast food, but just not been able to sustain the new habit? Derrick Price, MS, programming officer at the Institute of Motion and adjunct faculty at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, explains the anatomy of a habit and gives you strategies to create new behaviors.
Exercise for Seniors
Certain types of exercise for seniors can lessen the chance that you develop more severe problems from the physical challenges of aging.
Sample Class: Kids’ Beach Boot Camp
Kids don't usually line up to do squats and lunges, but they'll happily walk like a crab or run faster than a wave! Trick your littlest clients (aged 3—12) into getting a great workout with this quick–moving format packed with cleverly themed exercises.
Kids' Beach Boot Camp Details Goal: to engage kids and keep them moving while they have fun and feel successful Total time: 55—60 minutes Equipment needed:
How Facebook Groups Can Build a Fitness Community and Boost Business
It’s no secret that a crucial component of long-term business success is to build a base of loyal customers.
Is Your Training Space Repelling Potential Clients?
Have you ever considered that your personal training space is the reason your business suffers?
You sit there, scratch your head and think, “My programs are great! Clients love them and get results from them. So why isn’t my schedule full?”
Is it lack of marketing? Nah. You’ve got social media down pat.
Is it lack of experience? Nah. You have more certifications that you can count on two hands.
Is it lack of confidence? Nah. You’ll talk to anyone, including the empty, echoing walls you currently face.
Coaching the Whole Family
An adolescent with a parent who demands he "clean his plate" may lose his ability to respond to hunger cues and end up battling excess weight gain all his life. A working parent with a spouse who prepares calorie-dense, nutrient-poor meals for family dinners will struggle to maintain a healthy eating plan. But a child who grows up in a family where both parents are highly physically active is much more likely to be active himself.
Why Culture Matters and How to Build It in Your Facility
It’s no longer enough to offer the latest fitness equipment and amenities in your gym. People crave connection and community.
How to Help Kids Be More Active
Cedric X. Bryant, PhD, chief science officer at the American Council on Exercise, says today’s youth are largely considered physically “illiterate.” He defines physical literacy as “the ability, confidence and desire to be physically active for life.”
How do you improve a child’s physical literacy? Following are Bryant’s suggestions for inspiring our youth to be active:
Pros and Cons of Virtual Fitness Classes
Technology is rapidly changing how the fitness industry delivers services. In addition to wearables, apps and countless other options, technology offers—at the touch of a screen—almost any type of prescheduled or on-demand group exercise class at any venue that has Wi-Fi. This is
virtual fitness,
exercise programming that is carried out, accessed or stored by means of a computer, especially over a network.
Digital Detoxing
Cellphones, computers, tablets. All of these are important tools. But technology can seep into every moment of your life and take over. Do you need to step away from email or give your smartphone a rest from time to time? Digital detoxing is becoming increasingly popular as a response to tech overload. Discover the benefits of setting limits around technology and strategies for doing so, courtesy of April Durrett, IDEA contributing editor and writer in Sunnyvale, California.
Take More Steps to Ward Off Sickness
Good news for regular exercisers: The more active you are, the less likely you are to get sick. At least that’s according to data compiled by Jawbone®, a manufacturer of wearable tracking devices.
The company wanted to determine a person’s likelihood of becoming sick, so it compiled a variety of self-reported data pulled from the Jawbone UP app. Based on that information, data analysts developed a sickness likelihood score. Here’s a rundown of what Jawbone learned:
How to Build a Better Brand on a Budget
Your brand is far more than an expensive logo and a flashy website—it’s your complete identity. Learn how to develop a solid and effective brand that sends the right message and attracts business without breaking the bank.
10 Ways Fitness Pros Can Help Kids Build Physical Literacy
Health and fitness professionals who join the physical literacy movement can play a powerful role in helping children become active for life. Here are several ways you can get started:
Personal Transformation Practices
Use a three-pronged approach to help frail participants move better, get stronger and improve their balance.
Do you strive to be a leader in your life? To successfully lead others with authenticity, you must first acquire the tools to lead yourself. Self-mastery and self-?management are fast becoming valued attributes in our outer-directed society. How do you manage your thoughts and practice mindfulness from moment to moment?
How to Help Employees Get Through Personal Crises
One Saturday afternoon, Bill Sonnemaker, MS, 2007 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, watched a newly hired personal trainer lead a group of new members on a tour of Atlanta-based Catalyst Fitness. Sonnemaker—the facility’s owner—noticed that throughout the tour the trainer was receiving text messages to his cell phone.
Once the tour was completed, the trainer checked the messages, which alerted him that an emergency had taken place. He responded to the text: “What’s wrong?”
10 Steps to Starting a Successful Business
Many would-be entrepreneurs fail to realize their dreams because the thought of starting a new business seems too overwhelming. Make the process easier by breaking it down into small steps.
