Focusing on Self-care During Crisis

Today, every headline seems to bring more bad news. The entire world has been thrown out of sync because of the Covid-19 pandemic and we are all treading in unfamiliar territory. Our homes which are usually our safe havens from the outside world—have become our workplaces, our schools, our gyms and our restaurants. Our freedoms and familiar routines have unraveled. Millions the world over—including many thousands of fitness pros—have lost their jobs and businesses and are wondering how bills are going to be paid. All of this is a certain formula for overwhelming stress, anxiety and depression. Today’s panel will offer practical solutions toward calming the storm within and finding routine, peace and hope during these dire times.

Listeners can expects to learn the following

• The importance of a routine and how to establish a new one that works, including regular business hours, mealtimes, exercise, family time, recreation, relaxation.
• How to manage disrupted sleep. What do we do before, during and aftersleep to ensure optimal health and performance.
• The power of a regular meditation practice or gratitude practice to calm the mind, the nervous system and the body and how to begin one.
• Simple tips to ensure you’re able to be your best self for your own sake; for your family; for your clients (staying positive, managing self-talk, maintaining motivation, coping strategies for accepting the unknown.
• Suggestions for using this time wisely and productively by focusing on continuing education, relationship marketing, becoming proficient in the virtual space and preparing for what clients are going to need most when this is all over.

Panelist Bios

Moderator: Sandy Todd Webster, Editor in Chief, IDEA Publications

Shirley Archer, JD, MA Shirley Archer, a graduate of Stanford, Harvard and Georgetown University Law Center, is an integrative health promoter and advocate, best-selling author of 16 books and an award-winning fitness industry leader and health journalist with over 25 attorney turned full-time integrative health advocate, meditation teacher, public speaker, author and yogini. Through her live younger blog, over 1,000 magazine articles, books, podcasts and videos, Shirley inspires people worldwide to take personal responsibility for creating optimal health and longevity through a mindful approach to healthy living along with simple-to apply tips based on Eastern wisdom and evidence-based information. Learn more at Shirley at www.shirleyarcher.com.

Lawrence Biscontini MA, is no stranger to IDEA with 2 awards: Inner IDEA Inspiration Award and IDEA Instructor of the Year, with other awards from ACE, & Inner IDEA, Can Fit Pro, ECA, and SCW. Lawrence is an industry Author, Presenter, Keynoter, consultant, mentor and Course Development Specialist for various companies, serving on the Advisory Board for the ICAA, Power Music®, and People of iSPA.   His latest book is “Stories of Color” with a matching CD of his songs called “Songs that I Chose,” both which support his charity of choice, the Sisters of Saint Joseph.  You can find Lawence — with his Yoga Alliance 500 Hour and other long-named trainings — at findlawrence.com.

Farel Hruska, Director of Education & Culture at Chuze Fitness, has nearly 20 years’ experience as a personal trainer, group fitness instructor and educator. From 2002-2018 she helped grow FIT4MOM as Global Fitness Director and Pre/Postnatal Director. Farel has presented at fitness conferences around the world including AFC (Bangkok), MEFIT PRO (Dubai and Egypt), IDEA China and US. Hruska has been featured on CNN, and in the New York Times, WebMD, Women’s Running magazine, and Pregnancy.com. Farel’s most meaningful accomplishment, however, is being mom to her three daughters.

Dan McDonogh is a well recognized fitness professional who has held leading roles in the industry with global brands such as Les Mills, TRX and Under Armour. Most recently he joined GoodLife Fitness as the Director of Performance, Programming & Les Mills Canada. He is the 2012 IDEA Group Fitness Instructor of the Year