Archive for February 2017
INSPIRED35: Fitness Leadership Longevity
Since its inception in 1982, IDEA Health & Fitness Association has aimed to build a community of like-minded professionals who are the driving force behind greater health and wellness worldwide.
Read MoreGet It Done: Time Management Made Easy
If you’re like a lot of fitness professionals, your to-do list is a mile long and you never seem to have enough time in the day to get to the end of it. You’ve probably explored several options for organizing the chaos—from elaborate, leather-bound day planners with A, B, C priorities and 1, 2, 3 subtasks, to apps that promise the ultimate solution at your fingertips. And still, your workspace is covered with random sticky notes and your bags have bits of folded paper tucked inside, capturing important reminders, to-dos and ideas.
Read MoreHow Facebook Groups Can Build a Fitness Community and Boost Business
It’s no secret that a crucial component of long-term business success is to build a base of loyal customers.
Read MoreWhy You Need an Operations Manual: Workflow Processes
Is your struggle with inconsistent customer service leaving you no extra time to focus on big-picture items? Wouldn’t it feel great to know that if you had to step away from work, everything at your facility would still run smoothly? If you’re always feeling behind in your business, the solution is to have an operations manual. I have mine! Do you have yours?
Read MoreThree Guerrilla Marketing Strategies to Attract and Retain Members
If you’re a fitness facility owner, manager or personal trainer, chances are you’ve chosen to work in the health and fitness field because you want to make a difference in people’s lives. Everyday business to-dos like marketing can seem self-serving and a distraction from the work you’d rather be doing. In reality, however, marketing is a critical service you provide to prospective clients. How else will they find the facility that’s right for them? Don’t think your marketing has to be sleazy!
Read MoreActivity Trackers: How Should We Start?
More trainers and instructors than ever are using fitness technology such as heart rate monitors and video capture to examine their clients’ exercise performance. But activity trackers remain a relatively untapped tool—even though the devices collect a wealth of incredibly useful data, like steps walked, hours slept and calories burned.
How Should We Start?
Read More“When clients go on vacation, do you send them with ‘homework’ so they can maintain their diet and fitness program?”
I always do what is best for my clients. As a result, the majority of the time I do not send them on vacation with exercise homework. The only time I do this is when it is truly what’s best for the client and if the client wants it. If I do develop a plan for vacation, under no circumstances do I call it “homework,” as people exercise more when it doesn’t feel like an obligation.
Read MoreSuccessfully Transitioning to a Career as a Trainer
So how do you actually switch from your current career to personal training? That depends upon several factors, including your time availability and your finances. Will you need to work full- or part-time while you study to become a trainer? Can you live with parents or friends to save money? Are you the sole breadwinner of your family, so you’ll need to continue a full-time job? Here are some options:
Read MoreDoes Exercise Benefit Digestive Health?
Gut microbiota has been a hot topic recently, and for good reason, as it is a key indicator of health. Gut microbiota contains trillions of micro-organisms, including at least 1,000 species of known bacteria, with more than 3 million genes (Gut Microbiota for Health 2016). There are many benefits to having a healthy gut, including but not limited to
Read MoreQuestion of the Month
Last year during the presidential campaign, The New York Times reported that then candidate Donald J. Trump, a junk food aficionado of sorts, has a BMI of 30 (which technically makes him obese). President Bill Clinton, now a strict vegan following his cardiovascular woes, was not always such a pious eater, nor was he svelte. He once famously ended a jog by stopping at McDonald’s for a snack. At a time when obesity-related illness is costing our healthcare system untold dollars, how important do you believe it is for the U.S.
Read MoreCauliflower Couscous With Black Lentils and Heirloom Greens
Using a food processor to grind cauliflower into tiny “grains” makes a couscous alternative that’s perfect for gluten- or grain-free diets. Use French lentils or canned chickpeas instead of black lentils, if you prefer.
To find more inventive, healthy and delicious plant-based recipes, check out IDEA Fitness Journal’s new sister publication Vegetarian Times, at www.vegetariantimes.com.
? C black lentils 1 large or 2 small heads of cauliflower 2 T olive oil
Read MoreBlack Children Are Exposed to Junk Food Ads Much More Often Than White Kids
A study reported last December by the University of Connecticut’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity found that while all kids are seeing more food ads per hour of television watching, black youth are viewing up to 49% more.
As reported in Pediatric Obesity, researchers analyzed Nielsen data from 2008 and 2012 to compare food-ad viewing rates. Although the amount of TV viewing time did not change in those years, the number of food ads seen per hour increased for white children and adolescents and rose even more for black youth.
Pasta Palooza: How Do My Choices Compare?
Question: There are so many choices of pasta in the supermarket now—whole wheat, bean pasta, gluten free and vegetable pasta. How do they compare?
Answer: With multiple options for your pasta dinner, deciding which to choose can be a challenge. I compared 100-gram servings of a variety of dry pastas, including traditional/regular pasta, regular pasta with added spinach, whole-wheat pasta, bean-
or legume-based pasta, pasta made with rice or corn, and fresh veggie spirals made from butternut squash (ESHA). One hundred grams is a little over 3 ounces.
Serve Yourself for Health
We already know that regular physical activity is linked to overall better health. Now, research from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business has shown that being more physically invested in serving ourselves food can influence behavior that might otherwise lead us to overeat.
Read MoreCool Ingredient to Try: Benne Seeds
Unless you’ve actually eaten heirloom benne seeds, you would probably lump them in with run-of-the-mill sesame. It can be argued they are one and the same, but for knowing palates, they couldn’t be more different in flavor. Benne is a low-country staple introduced to America by slaves who brought the seeds from Africa and cultivated them on plantations. In today’s South, you’ll find them on rolls, in crackers and cookies, and sprinkled on both sweet and savory dishes for finishing texture and an umami pop.
Read MoreFood Waste Not, Helps Earth a Lot
If you knew that throwing away food was increasing greenhouse gas emissions or negatively affecting the earth, would it change your behavior? A study published in the January issue of PLOS ONE showed that diners waste far less food when they’re schooled on the harm their leftovers inflict on the environment.
Read MoreElevate Your “Al Desko” Dining
If you’re in the habit of eating al desko—that is, you tote your lunch to work and eat at your desk—consider stocking a mini pantry for yourself to give your midday meal a little extra zip.
Here are a few tips gleaned recently from the Bon Appétit Foodcast:
The Shelf Life of Olive Oil
A delicious and sometimes pricey cornerstone to healthy Mediterranean-style diets, olive oil is delicate stuff and can only be fully enjoyed when stored properly. Protect your investment and ensure maximum flavor and freshness by practicing the following:
Read MoreExercise Plus Regular Movement Best for Reducing Health Risks
Over the past several years, researchers have reported on the negative impacts of extended periods of sitting on health and mortality. Some have looked at whether exercise can mitigate any of those effects. The debate continues in a recent study.
Read MoreSports Participation and Longevity
What’s the best type of physical activity to help your clients reach their golden years? Researchers from the UKK Institute in Finland delved into that question in a recent report.
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