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10 Tips to Better Balance

When we’re young, we generally take our balancing skills for granted. As we get older, however, we find that our balance (the ability to sense where our bodies are positioned and adjust muscle tension to maintain alignment) isn’t what it used to be. The consequences of losing our ability to balance are significant. Falls are the leading cause of injury for older adults. Every year, 30 to 50 percen…

Guiding New Instructors

As vice president of GoodLife Fitness
clubs in Canada, Maureen “Mo” Hagan, PT, still teaches group fitness, inspiring
200 participants per week in her classes. She also travels to several new club
openings a year, introducing hundreds of members to group fitness programs. She
combines her passion for group exercise and her intere…

Kids on the Move

?As kids’ fitness
instructors, our challenge is to help children de­velop active, positive
lifestyles. In­tegrating knowledge and activity will help convince children
that exercise is important to their well-being and increase …

Flex & Relax

Are you interested in exploring moves but not ready to teach an entire class of them? Cool-downs are a great opportunity to introduce mindful exercises to students. The following movements will increase flexibility and help students feel relaxed as they head back into the “real world” outside the group exercise room. Connection TransitionThe cool-down slowly…

REALITY CHECK; America’s fittest city? Well, maybe not

We’re fit! We’re fat! We’re kind of sweaty.
Huh?
It’s hard to say where San Diego stands when you read the myriad rankings that stack us up against other cities. Case in point: Men’s Fitness picked San Diego as No. 9 on its fittest list in 2005. For the last two years, the same magazine put us at No. 21 — on its fattest list.
Yikes! That’s quite a weight gain. Had you n…

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…

Ryckman: Exercising all options

The nation's recliners, lounge chairs and overstuffed sofas are full of them – the lumpy, the lethargic, the barely mobile. The inactive, the unfit, the workout-opposed, the yo-yo dieter, the anti-exerciser. So ubiquitous, and yet so difficult to catch (they aren't fast, but they can be slippery) and even harder to keep. Sure, a beginning yoga or Pilates class might lure them in, but ho…

Twist the day away with Gyrotonic

Sabrina Aspesi straddles a wood and metal exercise machine that resembles a reincarnation of a medieval torture rack – complete with pulleys, chains and weight plates. Her torso bends forward and back, arms and hands pushing and pulling two large knobs in fluid, sweeping, circular movements – as if stirring a giant vat of milk.This is the Gyrotonic workout, a regimen that some fitness-in…

Full Breath: The GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® System: A Primer

Juliu Horvath, creator and founder of the Gyrotonic Expansion System® and Gyrokinesis, is the epitome of a modern-day man for all seasons. An intuitive teacher, a former professional ballet dancer, a yogi and a wood sculptor, this 63-year-old Hungarian has developed a unique system of movement that gently works the joints and muscles of the body through rhythmic, undulating motions that embrace key principles also found in swimming, dance, yoga, tai chi and gymnastics.

Full Breath: The GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® System: A Primer

Juliu Horvath, creator and founder of the Gyrotonic Expansion System® and Gyrokinesis, is the epitome of a modern-day man for all seasons. An intuitive teacher, a former professional ballet dancer, a yogi and a wood sculptor, this 63-year-old Hungarian has developed a unique system of movement that gently works the joints and muscles of the body through rhythmic, undulating motions that embrace key principles also found in swimming, dance, yoga, tai chi and gymnastics.

moving slow in a fast world

In an era in which Americans are primarily concerned with losing weight and gaining muscle mass, it is no wonder that the slow-moving martial art of tai chi has been a bit of a hard sell.
Tai chi won’t fold under your bed for easy storage, nor will it claim to reduce inches off your waistline in “just 3 minutes a day.” The reality is, however, that those who practice tai chi are likely to get stronger, have less anxiety, move more organically and gracefully, improve their balance and enjoy more flexibility.