Archive for September 2007
Programs With Promise
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Read MoreChicken and White-Bean Cassoulet
While delicious, French cassoulets are traditionally high in calories and animal fat, owing to the inclusion of sausages, duck and pork. This low-calorie version substitutes chicken breasts for those fatty meats. The recipe gets its great taste from using bone-in chicken breasts with the skin left on (but later removed), which yields a rich broth. It also emphasizes using dry beans, to avoid th…
Read MoreExercise and Age-Related Prejudice
While it may not be exactly fair, older adults who exercise are viewed more favorably than their sedentary cohorts, according to an article published in the June issue of the Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology (2007; 29 [3], 333–47). British participants—180 men and 180 women—were randomly recruited from a busy shopping center and provided one of three written descriptions of a…
Read MoreMedia Morsels
Video Game Ups Ante on Active Play Nintendo has taken Donkey Kong up a notch or two. One of the company’s latest product concepts, revealed during the E3 Media & Business Summit in July, might just put some personal fitness trainers out of business (or be a new profit center). The Wii Fit™ Balance Board (name not final) is a pressure-sensitive controller th…
Read MoreStrength Exercise May Slow ALS Progression
A small study published in the June 5 issue of Neurology (2007; 68, 2003-2007) found that individual strength training programs should be designed for people with early-stage ALS to allow them to maintain their independence and function for as long as possible. ALS, also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease that causes muscles to weaken…
Read MoreInternational Inspiration
Nothing fires up fitness professionals more than the thought of helping others discover the joy of living healthy, active lives. Individually, we do phenomenal work to make a difference in our communities. Universally, however, we can’t do it all alone: we need to connect with each other to share knowledge and information and to brainstorm new ways to reach the people we want to serve. The fabu…
Read MoreA New Business Model: Partner & Small-Group Training
Fitness trend watchers, take note: there’s a creative business model sweeping the personal trainer market, and it’s called partner and group training. At Body By Design personal training studio in Cairo, Egypt, partner and group training now form a major part of the business. “I have been fully booked since I started freelance personal training 8 years ago,” explains Body By Design owner Anna L…
Read More2007 IDEA World Fitness Convention™®: Redefining Normal
When you attend an industry conference, do you expect to leave it so exhilarated, inspired and infused with new notions that your time there can actually be classified as a life- or career-transforming experience? It seems this happens to a few people every year at the IDEA World Fitness Convention, but this year it seemed to be a current that ran through the largest global delegate pool IDEA h…
Read More2007 IDEA Award Winners: Affecting Change
This year’s batch of nominees was full of serious competition, however Lisa Druxman, Bill Sonnemaker and Fred Hoffman were honored with the industry’s most prestigious awards.Lisa Druxman, MA, IDEA Program Director of the YearBefore the creation of Stroller Strides® LLC, the nation’s largest postnatal fitness program, Lisa Druxman struggle…
Read MoreThe Evolution of Fitness
Subject: Vito La FataCompany: Fitness Evolution“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” —Charles DarwinKeeping Up With the Genes’s. It is not hard to grasp V…
Read MoreMarketing to the Plus-Size Client
For the overweight individual, finding a movement program …
Read MoreWhen Do You Do Your Own Workouts, and How Do You Fit Them in Around Clients?
Finding and making time for your own workouts is any train…
Read MoreSelecting a Wellness Coach
How is your wellness? That is, how is your optimal physical and mental health? Just as you need to continually invest to grow your financial savings account, you also need to make small daily investments in your wellness account to live your best life. What would you like to attain to feel really well in your life? High energy? Calm an…
Read MoreThe Biochemistry of Stress and Weight Gain
For many people, stress and weight gain go hand in hand. Researchers, however, have maintained that stress-related fatness is triggered indirectly by unhealthy ha…
Read MoreFit for Fun
If you happened to catch Robert Steigele’s session “Up, Down and All Around” at IDEA Fitness Fusion—Chicago™ last April, you already know about his keen sense for choreography and multiplanar movement. Steigele is based out of Toronto and draws upon a diverse background and more than 18 years of fitness experience. He is a consummate professional w…
Read MoreCreating an Emergency Plan
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Read MoreTraining to Failure
When personal fitness trainers (PFTs) design resistance training programs, they regularly discuss with clients the issue of training to failure—or momentary muscular fatigue. Many trainers adhere to a very strict policy, stating that if muscular “failure” during…
Read MoreLegalizing Longevity
Fitness professionals understand firsthand the transformat…
Read MoreSomething for Everyone: Implementing Niche Programming to Grow Membership and Profits
Putting a new twist on traditional group fitness can increase member satisfaction and revenue. With this in mind, facility managers can develop, implement and ultimately profit by creating programs tailored to specific population segments. “For those special populations, such…
Read MoreA Business Model With Merit
Over the past several years, personal fitness trainers (PFTs) have quietly broken a barrier of sorts. Although one-on-one training still rules as the most popular form of client programming, partner and small-group formats have gained ground and taken firm root in the landscape. According to the 2007 IDEA Fitness Programs & Equipment Survey, the percentage of respondents offering sess…
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