Archive for October 2016
What is Fueling the Boom in Yoga Teacher Training?
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 MoreFind 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 MorePersonal Trainers Collaborating With Allied Health Professionals
As personal trainers gain more professional stature with the allied medical community, they will need to know how to collaborate better with physical therapists, medical doctors and others. Here are some tips:
Read MoreExercise and Disease Prevention
If you are a regular exerciser, you know that working out helps your body feel better in many ways. It also has powerful health benefits.
In a review of the latest science, Booth, Roberts & Laye (2012) point to 35 chronic diseases and health challenges that regular exercise and physical activity can do much to prevent.
Pregnancy and Exercise Myths
It's natural for newly pregnant women to be concerned about the health and wellness of their developing babies. However, some nervous new moms believe myths over facts and subsequently miss out on many benefits of physical activity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that pregnant women get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week. Here are some popular myths about exercise and pregnancy that you can debunk for clients.
Read MoreIDEA Codes of Ethics for Fitness Professionals
Every industry needs boundaries and standards for interacting with its employees and customers. At IDEA, we believe that a formal, well-communicated code of ethics can help to protect the reputation of the industry in general and the stature of the dedicated professionals who are the engines of change and inspiration for so many people.
Read MoreRecovery Technology: Completing the Training Picture
It's getting easier than ever to encourage recovery and avoid injuries from overtraining—thanks to a new wave of apps, wearables, sensors and analytic software.
"These are real tools that are helping people to understand how, and when is the optimal time, to train," says Bryan K. O'Rourke, president of the Fitness Industry Technology Council and founder of Vedere Ventures in New Orleans. These innovations help explain why health and fitness mobile app usage grew 52% in 2015 (Flurry 2016).
One Size Does Not Fit All
Dan Kleckner is the co–owner of Kutting Edge Fitness in Kirkland, Washington. He has a bachelor's degree in applied health science from Montana Tech of the University of Montana and is a certified exercise physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine. He is also a Level 2 Titleist Performance Institute Golf Fitness Professional. He has been a fitness coach for the past 10 years and has been mentored by some of the top fitness business professionals and golf fitness professionals in the country.
Read MoreCreative Ideas That Inspire
BarreFlow, offered at various locations in New York, combines yoga, Pilates, barre fitness, classic strength training and corrective exercises. The experience provides a full-body workout while also addressing postural problems caused by everyday life, such as chronic inactivity, long periods of sitting in a car, working in front of a computer or wearing high heels. No two sessions are quite the same; each class follows a similar flowing format to avoid a workout plateau.
Read MoreSample Class: Cycling for Teens
Indoor cycling is more popular than ever, and it offers many opportunities to inspire young people—specifically the under-18 crowd. It's also a perfect excuse to play high-energy, deejay-;style tunes and inject a little extra fun so you motivate teenagers to stay in the saddle and enjoy the ride.
When planning a cycling workout for this age group, align yourself with a teenage brain. Think of what would motivate your kids, your friends' kids or even your younger self.
Corrective Exercise for Foot, Ankle, Knee and Back Pain – Calf Stretch on BOSU
Activities such as walking, squatting or lunging require coordinated movement. The ankles must be able to bend to allow the legs to come forward over the feet, and the knees to bend when squatting or lunging. Restricted motion in an ankle can cause pain and dysfunction to any number of bodily structures as they compensate.
Read MoreCare, Don’t Overshare
You're standing in front of a classroom wearing a microphone with 40 people staring at you and 60 minutes to fill. In between instructions and cues, what are you going to say? The drive to overshare politically, personally or otherwise may be strong. Think twice, however. Many great instructors have lost a prime slot on the schedule because they tripped on a verbal gaffe and landed with a foot in their mouth.
Read More"For client strength training, do you focus more on loaded movement or on fixed, machine-based weights? Or do you use both?"
Although I tend to focus more on loaded movements for most of my clients, there are people (beginners and those with poor mind-to-muscle awareness, in particular) who can benefit greatly from machine-based exercises. Machines can be less intimidating than the free-weight section of the gym. Machines can help to teach proper body alignment and how a muscle should "feel" when it's performing a particular movement. Using machines can help people feel more confident in their ability to increase the load on an exercise.
Read MoreStarting a Podcast
You've been hearing a lot about podcasts lately, but maybe you're not sure what they're all about. Should you start one? If yes, where do you begin? Read on for a look at podcasts, including advice, practical tips and experiences from podcast veterans.
What Is a Podcast?
Read MoreLetting the Client Take the Wheel
client: Zach | personal trainer: Harold Gibbons, CSCS, Mark Fisher Fitness | location: New York
An all-inclusive space. They do things a bit differently at Mark Fisher Fitness. For example, trainers and coaches are not called trainers and coaches. "I'm called the Steward of Strength," explains personal trainer Harold Gibbons. The patrons are called Ninjas, not clients or members.
Read MoreExercise Cuts Diabetes Risk—New Stats!
Walking briskly or cycling for 150 minutes a week can reduce a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 26%, according to a new research review from University College London and the University of Cambridge, in England. That’s positive, but people who do an hour of moderate to vigorous exercise every day (420 minutes a week) can lower their risk by 40%.
Read More3 Top Coaching Tips for Trainers
The fitness and wellness industry is thriving, with an ever-blossoming array of classes, techniques and equipment. But how do fit pros win over the 80% of adults who don’t exercise? Try broadening your reach by borrowing three techniques from the field of professional coaching.
Read MoreRecipe for Health: Awesome Turkey Chili
Fitness professional, educator and IDEA member Jamie Davidson, MS, has taken the guesswork out of fast, weeknight cooking by combining beloved convenience ingredients from U.S. specialty grocer Trader Joe’s with fresh ingredients and ingenuity. The result is Livin’ Lean with Trader Joe’s®, one of two “TJ’s”-inspired cookbooks she has written.
The holidays are ramping up, which means your already compressed schedule is getting even tighter. Give yourself a break—and a hearty nutritional boost—with this slow-cooker chili dinner.
Canned Food–BPA Link Confirmed
A collaborative study by the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future and the Stanford Prevention Research Center has shown that eating canned food increases exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hyperactivity in children. The research, published in the October 2016 issue of Environmental Research, evaluated more than 6,000 people and highlighted specific canned foods linked to higher levels of the chemical.
Read MoreAsk the RD
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Question: I just discovered roasted walnut oil and love it in salad dressing. How does it compare with olive oil?
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