People/Profiles
A Team Approach to Wellness
Lisa Dougherty is the founder of the Medical Fitness Network (MFN). This mostly volunteer‐driven project is supported by more than 100 national businesses. Dougherty's vision is to improve the quality of lives of many millions of people by connecting them with fitness and allied health professionals who have a background in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of chronic diseases, medical conditions and disabilities, as well as in the management of women's health issues, including prenatal and postpartum care.
The Best of Times Are Yet to Come
Anytime Fitness CEO Chuck Runyon helped to revolutionize the fitness industry when he and Dave Mortensen co-founded the juggernaut brand in 2002. Now massive in scale and influence, Anytime's success grew by focusing on a model of smaller neighborhood gyms that emphasized convenience, affordability, quality equipment and personable service in friendly, nonintimidating facilities.
How This Trainer Helped Her Sister Lose 16 Pounds—And Keep It Off
Learn how she used an investigator’s approach to help her sister lose weight.
Crowdfunding 101
In August 2014, personal trainer Lyam White learned that one of the owners of the studio where he was renting space was looking to sell. The Seattle-based location had worked well for him, and he was concerned that he might have to search for a new place to train.
“I talked to the other owner about buying in, to ensure that I would still be able to train at this location,” says White. “Additionally, my wife is a massage therapist, and it occurred to us that the space could be used to consolidate our services and offer a ‘whole body shop’ storefront.”
Toward a Minimum Standard of Practice
Cliff Collins serves as director of programmes for EuropeActive (formerly the European Health and Fitness Association) and the European Register of Exercise Professionals, an independent registry of all instructors, trainers…
Dynamic Duos
“Every day we get to get up together with this joint goal of challenging the world to change. Every day we gain traction,” says Colin Milner, CEO and founder of the International Council on Active Aging® (ICAA), which he runs with his wife Julie, the chief operating officer.
Lifestyle Medicine Is a “Team Sport”
Edward Phillips, MD, is the founder and director of the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine (ILM) and assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. A fellow of…
Farmhand Fitness Among the Trilliums
Praise for IDEA Personal Trainer Institute™ East
Thank you for the great article “Sample Class: Farmhand Fitness,” by
Ryan Halvorson [Class Take-Out, April 2015]. I have a group of older
adults (mean age 70) who train outdoors near Montreal, doing boot
camp–style classes in summer and snowshoeing in winter.
Fitness Leaders Transforming Lives
We are just home from a remarkable week at the 2015 IDEA World Fitness Convention™! There is absolutely nothing more energizing than stepping into the epicenter of our industry and interacting with 12,000 fitness professionals who are transforming lives and changing the world every day. While our editors are busy producing an overview of the event in stories and photos for the next issue, we want to share one of the many highlights: celebrating the 2015 IDEA World Fitness Awards recipients!
From Cancer Survivor to Figure Competitor
Client: Leslie Spencer, PhD
Personal Trainer: Domenick Salvatore, CSCS
Location: Blackwood, New Jersey
Connecting With Clients
Ted Vickey, MBS, is president of FitWell LLC, an international fitness management and design company serving corporate America and the fitness and golf industries. Often referred to as “the most…
Profiles of Pain and Perseverance
In February 2006, Danny Strong was on top of the world. After years of working as a gym manager, he had opened his own personal training gym, making his dream a reality. The husband and father was also eager to welcome a second child into the family. A month after receiving the keys to his new facility, he took his family on a trip to visit his godmother. While on the road, Strong lost control of his vehicle and was hit by a tractor-trailer traveling at full speed. His pregnant wife, Sandra Urbano Strong, was killed instantly.
How to Be an Empathetic Personal Trainer
New beginnings. When Patty Shoaf first met Barbara 19 years ago,
she realized quickly that this would be a client like no other. “I
arrived for a consult at her house and a classy, high-heeled,
67-year-old woman wearing a skirt walked in,” Shoaf recalls.
Create Enduring Change
Alison L. Steiber, PhD, RDN, serves as chief science officer at the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics. She previously served as an associate professor and direc- tor of the coordinated dietetic internship and master’s degree program at Case Western Reserve University, where her research focused on nutritional assess- ment, quality of life, functional status, pancreatitis and probiotics.
The Team Dynamic
Passion. A typical day for Justin Russ involves wrangling 30–50 high-school athletes through their daily condition- ing training. The athletes attend IMG Academy, where they undergo rigorous athletic and scholastic programs. Russ is a strength and conditioning coach responsi- ble for the development and implementa- tion of conditioning training to improve each athlete’s physical capacity and mini- mize injury risk.
A Back-Pain Solution
Starting with the basics. Personal trainer Jamal Younis first met 38-year-old Jessica in August 2014. Jessica, a former competitive collegiate swimmer, suffered from a degenerative disk disease, which had resulted in three surgeries to address the issue. Post physical therapy, she decided that in order to keep her back healthy she’d need to continue with a structured training program. She met Younis through a friend of his who was also a personal trainer.
Meeting Clients Where They Are
Jessica Matthews, MS, E-RYT, wears many hats in the fitness industry, most notably through her work as an ACE expert, a media spokesperson and a fitness blogger. She also serves as an assistant professor of exercise science at Miramar College in San Diego, where she teaches courses within the department of exercise science, health and nutrition. In addition to holding ACE Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor and Health Coach certifications, Matthews is an experienced yoga teacher, registered through Yoga Alliance.
First, Do No Harm
A longtime athlete who found himself constantly falling prey to injury, Greg Roskopf, MA, created a new approach to recovery called Muscle Activation TechniquesTM. The process, which helps to identify unique causes of muscle tightness and weakness in order to remedy them, has been used by professional athletes playing for the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets, as well as a wide range of other clients.
Fitness and Personal Empowerment
Needing change. One of the most common reasons people work with a personal trainer is to lose weight. Not for Katie. By age 29, she had devoted countless hours to becoming a successful real estate agent on Martha’s Vineyard, an island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She was rewarded for her efforts with professional and financial success but at the expense of her physical and emotional health. The young entrepreneur had become overstressed, overworked and underrested, and knew she needed a change.
Enabling Success
Michele Stanten, a walking coach and ACE Certified Professional, has been motivating people to be more active for over 20 years. As the former fitness director of Prevention magazine, she cre- ated a marathon walking program that helped thousands of readers to walk full and half marathons and, perhaps more importantly, to transform their lives. Now a freelance writer and walking coach, Stanten is the author of Firm Up in 3 Weeks and Walk Off Weight, coau- thor of Walk Your Butt Off! and creator of MyWalkingCoach.com.
