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Exercise Is Hot Stuff in Mexico

Dance is a key word on group exercise schedules in Mexico, as dance-based fitness classes are heating up gyms everywhere. Latin rhythms, hip-hop, salsa and belly dancing are popular, according to Norma Zurita, a 23-year veteran of the fitness industry and group fitness coordinator of Sport City in Mexico City. Indoor cycling, circuit training, kickboxing, step and strength training classes are also well-liked. On the other hand, high-impact classes or those featuring complicated, advanced choreography get a thumbs-down.

Pilates for All Abilities

Client: Heidi

Personal Trainer: Laura Gideon, MS, owner of Bamboo Balance

Location: Los Angeles

First Impressions. Heidi was physically active as a dancer during high school. But by age 24 the loss of her left foot in a motorcycle accident and the rigors of graduate school had propelled her into a sedentary lifestyle. Eventually Heidi became determined to embrace a more active lifestyle and began to attend various aerobics classes. The classes proved unsuccessful because her prosthesis would slip as she began to sweat.

Brain Fitness Center Offers Interactive Computer Training

The Brain Emporium, a brain exercise center founded and directed by T.J. McCallum, associate professor of psychology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, opened at the Fairhill Center in Cleveland in March 2009. The Brain Emporium is another example of the growing popularity of computer-based mental fitness games.

Leaders That Make a Difference

The fitness industry is rich with inspiration. Attend any IDEA convention or read through an IDEA publication, and you’re likely to discover countless stories of the many ways in which…

All About Australia

Dedicated fitness professionals in Australia are regularly inspiring people to become healthy, says Ken Baldwin, fitness professional and presenter in Brisbane, Australia, who has worked in the industry for over 25 years. “We are becoming more credible and expanding our knowledge due to demands placed on our industry for certifications and insurance,” he says. “We now work more closely with other allied professionals, and there’s been increased interest in functional training.

Creative Programs That Inspire

The St. Paul Jewish Community Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, offers its members B.L.A.S.T. (body locomotion and strength training). According to the online schedule, the intermediate-to-advanced workout is a combination of low-impact cardio and strength training. The facility challenges its members and guests to “have fun exploring some nontraditional exercises that challenge your strength, balance and dexterity.” The St. Paul JCC also offers Logrolling throughout the year.

Insights Into Israeli Fitness

The most popular fitness classes in Israel are body conditioning, core training, stability ball, yoga, step and dance-based formats, notes Yoav Avidar, international fitness presenter from Tel Aviv, Israel, who has been working in the fitness industry for 12 years. “In general, and especially during these days of economic hardship, popular equipment-based classes are ones that use the equipment the club has!” he says. “Clubs and studios are very hesitant to buy new equipment, especially if it’s relatively expensive.

Fitness With A French Twist

The French often participate in sports and other nontraditional “fitness” activities without joining a health club, notes Fred Hoffman, MEd, 2007 IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year, director of International Services for the Club & Spa Synergy Group and fitness consultant for women’s marketing at Reebok France. “Hiking, walking and Nordic walking are popular, and many people ride bicycles,” he says. “Boxing, judo, karate and other martial arts are extremely popular for children, teenagers and young adults.

The Philippine Perspective

2009 will see a big boom for the Philippine fitness industry, says Cynthia L. Carrion, personal trainer to the country’s president, and undersecretary for the sports and wellness industry in the Philippine Department of Tourism. Why?

A Second Chance at Health

Our industrialized world presents numerous opportunities to indulge. Humans wrestle with increased levels of saturated fat and salt, decreased levels of fiber and exercise, widespread use of alcohol and tobacco,…

Giving Back

Yvonne Jones, department head of health and fitness at Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA in Encinitas, California, describes herself as a “poster child” for the mentoring concept. In 14 years, Jones went from being a student in the back row to being instructor, coordinator, supervisor, director and then department head.

Positive Exercise for Plus-Size Women

Twenty-five years ago Debra Mazda, MEd,
of Mazda Motivations LLC, visited a health club and experienced firsthand the
feeling of not belonging. At age 21, she weighed over 300 pounds. Depressed and
battling high blood pressure, she decided to reinvent her life. “I was the only
seriously fat person in the gym,” she remembers. Undaunted, she sweated her way
through ae…

Meeting Future Needs

Kris Thomas knows group exercise, as she’s been involved with it in one form or another for 22 years. She brings a strong background in dance and movement,
along with h…

Inspiration Works Both Ways

Since introducing the Inspire the World
to Fitness® initiative in 2003,
IDEA members have sent in numerous motivational accounts of how they’ve helped
bring about positive change in others. Whether they trained a former
nonexerciser to run a marathon or modified a class so that a dis…

Seeking the Summit

When IDEA member Nancy Norris was 4 years old, her mother did something that set her life in motion, literally. “She enrolled me in a dance school, and I fell in love with dance,” says Norris, who lives in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Dance fulfilled an exercise niche way before fitness was “cool,” and Norris danced and taught dance classes until age 37, when something new caught her attention: aerob…

A Wide-Reaching Impact

Linda Dunn, MA, became a fitness professional by default. The Tuscaloosa, Alabama, resident couldn’t find a local group fitness class she liked after her regular teacher moved, so she decided to learn how to do it herself. More than 20 years later, and now retired from a job with the school system where she worked as a psychometrist and counselor, Dunn dedicates all of her time to fitness and w…

Best Fitness Benchmarks

If you’ve ever tried to set a fitness goal, you know it can be tricky business.

Set the bar too low and you may find you’re lacking motivation. Aim too high–think a four-minute mile–and you’re bound for disappointment.

So how do you set goals that are right for you? One way to go, fitness experts say, is to assess and record your baseline fitness scores for such ya…

The 25 Most Significant Health Benefits of Physical Activity & Exercise

People of all ages can improve the quality of their lives and reduce the risks of developing coronary heart disease, hypertension, some cancers and type 2 diabetes with ongoing participation in moderate physical activity and exercise. Daily exercise will also enhance one’s mental well-being and promote healthy musculoskeletal function throughout life. Although habitual physical activity is an a…