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FAQs About Cardio Training

Q. Why is it important to know your heart rate when exercising?
A. Monitoring heart rate during exercise provides an excellent measurement of intensity. Intensity, or how hard you are working, is an important factor in determining if you will improve your fitness level. Heart rate training takes the guesswork out of how hard you should be working to ach…

Feedback From the Field: My Pilates Reformer

In a previous issue of Inner IDEA Body-Mind-Spirit Review,we asked: "What is your favorite and least favorite thing about working with the Pilates reformer? How would you describe your relationship with this piece of equipment?"

How to Evaluate and Purchase Quality Home Fitness Equipment

The good news is, today’s home exercise equipment is better constructed and more effective—and offers you more options—than ever before. With choice, however, can come confusion . . . especially since equipment now comes in so many shapes, sizes and types, and is often marketed through glossy direct mail packages and sophisticated infomercials. Prices can range from $50 to $5,000 and up.
…

2008 IDEA Fitness Programs & Equipment Survey

According to industry definitions, “multipurpose” health clubs have fitness facilities and racquet courts. “Fitness-only” health clubs have fitness (group exercise and/or a fitness center with equipment), but no racquet courts. Either type of club may have a swimming pool or a gymnasium.

Respondents wer…

Tips for Exercising on the Ball

The fitness ball is a popular and widely available tool you can utilize to help clients get results. Try these suggestions to freshen up and make the most of their workouts on the ball. 

Incorporating Pilates Principles
To enhance any exercise on the ball, use Pilates principles such as breathing, concentration, control, balanced muscular development, rhythm/flow, w…

Sports Stretch on the Ball

Mobility and stability are essential elements of functional performance. An athlete may have acquired exceptional skill and be able to perform at an elite level; however, if the athlete hasn’t enhanced her foundation of mobility and stability to keep pace with the developing skill, performance m…

Pilates Equipment Liability and Safety, Part 1

Pilates continues to be among the fastest-growing exercise trends in the United States. All signs indicate that the Pilates fire will continue to spread. Typically, Pilates is practiced under a qualified instructor’s close supervision, and this has helped limit the number of Pilates-related accidents.

A Ball for All

The stability ball has been used by physical therapists for years, and the fitness industry has fully embraced this tool for group exercise and private training. The stability ball creates an unstable surface and can be used for strength, balance, coordination, agility, core work and flexibility. Some of my favorite exercises challenge both balance and core strength. For review purposes,…

Mom, I’m at the Gym Doing Homework (Really!)

IT is 5 p.m. on a Tuesday and Victor Cal and Suliman Sharif, both 14, have already taken Overtime Fitness in Mountain View, Calif., by storm. They hopped wildly on the flashing lighted squares of an In the Groove dance pad, rode stationary bikes, shared cellphone pictures, chatted with a personal trainer and played a rousing game of table tennis. The pair, friends since seventh grade, once spen…

Latest Trends on Health and Fitness

IDEA Health & Fitness Association, the leading membership organization of health, wellness and fitness professionals worldwide with more than 21,000 members in over 80 countries, has announced the findings of its annual IDEA Fitness Programs & Equipment Survey. In its 12th year, the survey revealed an increasing range of activities and gear that are specially targeted to meet the diverse n…

AEDs Required in California Fitness Facilities

It’s been 3 months since all
fitness facilities and studios in California were required to have an automated external defibrillator (AED) program in place (the implementation date was July 1). If this requirement applies to you, are you up to code? If you don’t live in California, visit www.ncsl.org/programs/health/
aed.htm to see if your state
requires …

Meeting the Challenge: Variety, Activity for All

A major component of the fitness professional’s job is to inspire people to become more active and to continue a program of activity throughout their lives. As obesity and hyperkinetic disease rates continue to climb, we are constantly challenged as an industry to promote and motivate healthy living.
The 12th IDEA Fitness Programs & Equipment Survey shows that the fit…

Survey Finds Personal Training on Top; Aerobics on Decline

SAN DIEGO-Personal training still is the most successful program for retaining newcomers, according to a survey by IDEA Health & Fitness Association.The survey showed a growing trend toward putting people first before choosing the mode of exercise, which is reinforced by the variety of programs now available to meet a wide range of consumer needs regardless of age or physical condition, say…

Suspension Training: How Risky Is It?

NAVY Seals are legendary for their tiptop physical condition, but have you ever wondered how they stay fighting fit out in the field?Aaron Baldwin, 43, who retired in December as a master chief in the Seals, used to make barbells out of nothing more than plastic milk jugs, fresh concrete and a sturdy tree branch. "We'd make one weight and use i…

Fitness Products Services Guide

Find What You Need!
Apparel, Accessories & Swimwear

www.active-you.com
(888) 442-2284

www.bodyaddictionusa.com
(703) 624-1483

www.aquarelafitness.co…