A Pleasure and a Privilege
Reflecting on the milestones of IDEA’s busy summer has been a joy for us, accenting the vast potential we see for continued excellence in our fitness conference programming into the future. The IDEA staff pulled out all the stops to prepare for the IDEA World Fitness Convention® and helped us make a longtime dream come true by simultaneously launching the Inner IDEA Conference®, our first-ever body-mind-spirit stand-alone event. Although these fitness events are now 2 months past, the lessons of both are fresh in our minds and will feed our enthusiasm and creativity well into the new year.
The number of people IDEA World Fitness draws makes it into something of a small city. Every city has its stories, and our publications team roved the convention to unearth and report them for you. The editors talked to hundreds of people on-site, attended as many of the educational sessions as possible, checked out equipment and apparel in the Fitness & Wellness Expo and then tied up everything into a comprehensive summary that thoroughly describes the flavor of the industry today. If you weren’t able to be there, reading the excellent coverage that starts on page 44 is the next best thing. There is one particular human-interest story you don’t want to miss. It’s the tale of an international IDEA member’s pilgrimage from Beirut, Lebanon, to IDEA World Fitness. If you read only one piece in this issue, make sure that’s the one. The sacrifices Rudy Sleiman made just to attend the fitness event humbled all of us and will give you chills. Turn to page 48 and see “We Call It IDEA World Fitness for a Reason” to find out more.
The Inner IDEA event was sold out and generated a steady, robust current of energy unlike any we’d felt in nearly 25 years of hosting events. As Zoey Trap, MSc, senior program developer for Peak Pilates, put it: “There was such a level of commitment, awareness and eagerness to learn that one couldn’t help but be inspired. It was as though people came from all over the globe . . . [and] created a community.” As many of you have seen in the column by the same name, in the free Inner IDEA Body-Mind-Spirit Review e-newsletter and now in the event, Inner IDEA is beginning to thrive because of a community of professionals who are committed to inspiring lifelong wellness in themselves and others. If you’re not yet part of this movement, read more about the unique conference experience on page 97 and then check out www.inneridea.com, especially the community message boards there.
As we maintain a strong, steady pace into autumn and approach the IDEA Personal Trainer—NYC® fitness event early this month, we turn our editorial focus to trainer-related topics. As observed in the IDEA World Fitness wrap-up, personal training continues to be the growth juggernaut of the fitness industry. As the profession matures, new areas of specialization keep developing. This is great news for personal trainers, who can follow their passions by diving deep into niche segments and becoming true experts. Our authors researched two of these specialty areas—medical fitness and nutrition expertise—to provide you with enough facts and resources to inform a career decision. Check out the feature stories “Building the Bridge: A Career in Medical Fitness” (page 56) and “Going From Foodie to RD” (page 64) to learn more about these wonderful options.
We are grateful for your ongoing support and your commitment to ensuring that the
fitness industry is a well-respected and exciting career choice. Thank you for making our
education-excellence mandate a pleasure—and a privilege—to fulfill.
Yours in good health,
Kathie and Peter Davis
