Archive for March 2016
How Can the Government Slow Obesity?
Praise for IDEA Personal Trainer Institute™ East
Editor’s note: At the end of a Making News item titled
“World Obesity Federation Shares Worrisome News” (January 2016, 13 [1],
10), we asked for reader feedback on the following question: “In what
ways do you think government should intervene to avoid further increases
in the number of people who are overweight or obese?” A few of your
responses follow.
I have these thoughts:
Read MoreBuilding a Better Brand on a Budget
What is a brand? According to BusinessDictionary.com, brand means a “unique design, sign, symbol, words, or a combination of these, employed in creating an image that identifies a product and differentiates it from its competitors. Over time, this image becomes associated with a level of credibility, quality, and satisfaction in the consumer’s mind. Thus brands help harried consumers in [a] crowded and complex marketplace, by standing for certain benefits and value.”
Read MoreWorkplace Workouts
How can fitness professionals help desk jockeys boost their daily activity levels? Perhaps it’s time to change the message. Instead of focusing on the risks of inactivity—which hasn’t made much headway —maybe we should appeal to career-oriented sensibilities and explain how even 5 minutes of movement can make people more successful at their jobs.
Read MoreMillet Cherry Bars
Here’s more proof that you don’t need to dish out your hard-earned cash for energy bars designed in factories when making your own inspiring version is easy, even for the culinary challenged. Not just for the birds, millet is an inexpensive gluten-free grain that gives these bars great texture and nutritional firepower. This recipe is excerpted from the new book, Rocket Fuel: Power-Packed Food for Sports and Adventure (VeloPress 2016), by James Beard Award-winning author and regular IDEA contributor Matthew Kadey, MS, RD.
Read MoreAre some nuts more healthy?
b>Question: Are some nuts more nutritious than others? Should I be eating more of some and less of others?
Read MoreYoga Instructors on Every Corner?
Yoga participation in the United States is at an all-time high. There are now 36.7 million American adults practicing yoga, up from 20.4 million in 2012 (Yoga Journal and Yoga Alliance 2016). That’s an 80% increase!
Read MoreThe Lows of Wearing High Heels
Yoga and Pilates for Men
Use a three-pronged approach to help frail participants move better, get stronger and improve their balance.
John Manrique, co-founder of Revolutions Cycling Studio in Jupiter, Florida, knew he ?needed to work on his flexibility, and ?he was interested in yoga. His first yoga experience was in a combination indoor cycling and yoga class. After taking the class, he felt the immediate benefit that yoga provided to his cycling. He now attends a yin yoga class weekly, making it an integral part of his training.
Read MoreA Simple, Attainable Action Plan
Jinger S. Gottschall, PhD, earned her doctoral degree in integrative physiology from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and furthered her academic career as a postdoctoral fellow in neurophysiology at the Emory University School of Medicine. She is currently an associate professor at Pennsylvania State University, University Park, with a research focus on the effectiveness of various exercise regimes.
Read MoreSample Class: HIIT The Highway
High-intensity interval training is still enjoying a wave of popularity,
thanks to its ability to stimulate results in less time than other
formats. Help attendees stay focused, engaged, and motivated to meet their
fitness goals as you mix it up with HIIT the Highway. This class features
dedicated 40-second work efforts followed by 20-second recoveries. One
unique aspect of HIIT the Highway is that it uses athletic drills that
relate to running and power, for a nice combination that truly
Creative Ideas That Inspire
Shaka Fitness® in Cleveland puts a new twist on an old favorite with
SUP Pool Yoga.
While yoga on a standup paddleboard is not a new idea—especially in locations where people have access to ocean or lakes—this offering utilizes an indoor pool. This allows participants to experience the core-strengthening and balance-training benefits of yoga on the water year-round. Even better, the predictability of indoor weather conditions allows the facility to maintain a consistent schedule.
Read MorePreparing for Life and Activity
This generic warm-up targets muscle groups that tend to shorten with life’s habits and patterns. Currently, the general population is trending toward more sedentary lifestyles, making the seated position dominant for most Americans. While instances of unilateral dysfunction and tightness will need special attention, these general corrective strategies will help most attendees and prepare them for your customized class.
Balancing Act
Read MoreClinch Your Coaching Style
You look across the hall at Popular Instructor’s class and marvel at how she packs the house day after day, week after week. You’ve studied her style and tried your best to emulate her music, cuing, choreography—even the way she dresses—but your numbers are shrinking instead of growing. What are you doing wrong?
Read More“What business book are you reading, and how has it impacted your business?
I read at least one business book a month. Right now I’m reading
Rework,
by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, and
Rising Strong
by Brené Brown.
Rework
has helped me simplify. I thought I needed to attach myself to as many opportunities as possible, but everything became too complicated.
Rework
reminded me that the best businesses are based on simplicity and on solving a basic need. I work with women with diastasis recti, and I need to be consistently serving that population.
Read MoreAvoiding Payroll Tax Problems
The Internal Revenue Service can be tough on collecting income taxes, but it’s even tougher where payroll taxes are concerned. Mistakes in withholding and paying withheld taxes can be expensive, even when a third-party payroll service is involved, as the IRS recently revealed (TIGTA 2015).
Read MoreIndependence Training for an Older Adult
Last resort.
Daniel Yakupka, owner of Fit for Life Fitness in Alexandria, Virginia, remembers the first time he met Arthur. ?“He shook my hand, looked right in my eyes and said, ‘Daniel, I need some help. ?You are my last resource. Can you help me?’”
Read MoreThe New Personal Trainer
The personal training industry is in its third decade and is stronger than ever, with an expanding base of diverse clients and multiple ways to reach them. Personal training ranks sixth among the American College of Sports Medicine’s top 10 fitness trends for 2016, and it has ranked in the top 10 for the past 9 years of the survey (ACSM 2015).
Read MorePower Up Your Potential at the IDEA® World Convention
When Carrie Haines registered for her first IDEA World Convention, in
2002, she had no idea how profoundly that decision would influence her
career.
Tips for a Successful Relocation
Because I grew up a “Navy brat,” I had to move around fairly often as a kid. Adulthood brought with it a few more moves as I navigated college and marriage. When I had my children and we’d finally settled into an area where most of our extended family also lived, I thought we were there to stay. I taught fitness classes regularly and helped to supervise the group fitness program. I had several personal training clients and led monthly fitness instructor certification courses. I even presented at the state fitness symposium.
Read MoreSuperfood Swaps
There is no question that certain familiar foods like yogurt and salmon
can be the backbone of a healthy diet, but eating the same items day in
and day out is a sure-fire route to dietary burnout.