Special Populations
Making a Difference with Jeanne Osgood and FitnessArts
Greetings Esteemed Fitness and Yoga Professionals and Happy Active Aging Month with IDEA! Thank you for taking a moment out of your teaching schedule to allow me to introduce myself….
The New Frontier of Active Aging Nutrition
As the population over 50 continues to grow, so does interest in how nutrition can support not just a longer life—but a better quality of life. For fitness professionals, dietitians,…
Women’s History in Fitness
For centuries, societal norms dictated that physical activity was unfeminine, and women were discouraged from engaging in fitness and sports. However, the journey from exclusion to empowerment has been marked…
Fit Pros Supporting People with Disabilities
Over 25% of American adults have a disability. Fit pros can offer valuable, cost-effective support to these individuals who can benefit from improved cardiovascular and muscle fitness, mental health, balance…
Benefits of Athletic Brain Endurance Training
We’ve all experienced mental fatigue—that feeling when you’re too tired to pay attention or make decisions. Mental fatigue can lead to increased accident risks and poor choices. Elite athletes practiced…
New Approach to Resistance Training for Menopausal Women
Many assume that menopausal women will respond differently to a resistance training program than younger mid-life women. New research suggests that body weight and resistance band exercises can improve muscle…
Question of the Month
What programming, services or accommodations do you or your facility make for people who are differently abled? For example, in addition to making facilities and equipment accessible or you offering…
Yoga and Low Impact Exercise Helps Older Women with Incontinence
Incontinence is one of the most common health issues for women as they age. Yoga and low impact exercise for at least 12 weeks significantly reduced incontinence episodes, according to…
Exercise and Diet Can Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
More good news promotes the value of exercise. A recent 3-year-long study by University of Eastern Finland researchers focused specifically on men with a high genetic risk of type 2…
Pre-Natal Exercise May Protect a Child Against Asthma
New research provides even more reasons to motivate mothers to exercise during pregnancy. For the first time, scientists show a link between maternal exercise and nearly half the likelihood of…
BLinG-Health™: Black Leadership in Girls’ Health
Training adolescent black girls as peer physical activity leaders in high school promoted health, fitness and community, according to a small, qualitative study published in Journal of Healthy Eating and…
Secrets of Super Agers
What’s their secret? Why do Super Agers, people who live past 90, have such long lives? What can you do to live a longer, healthier life?
A New Meeting of Mind, Body and Soul
Here’s a peek into that world where the mind can explore new ways of approaching classic formats; where your imagination can stretch along with your body; and where your spirit can soar through pure and powerful inspiration that nourishes the soul.
Postpartum Moms Seek Group Exercise
Researchers in Australia conducted a qualitative study to identify what is needed to engage and maintain exercise among postpartum moms.
Fit to Travel: Exercises for Seniors
Programming exercises for seniors is more important than ever, especially now that travel is opening up again, but your clients may not have kept up with their workouts over this last year. Here are some great ways to prepare your active agers for more adventure.
Bone Density and Healthy Aging
If you work with adults 50 and older, it may be time to educate them about the impact exercise can have on bone density and healthy aging.
Group Exercise May Help Older Adults Combat Loneliness
Group exercise not only boosts physical health but, for older adults, may also support mental well-being by reducing feelings of aloneness.
Stretches After Sitting All Day
Encourage your fitness class participants to use these simple stretches after sitting all day to help their muscles return to a relaxed state.
Resistance Training and Weight Loss
Did you know that resistance training does much more than build strong muscles and bones? Research in the past few years has confirmed that lifting weights changes your metabolism in ways that improve health and well-being. That’s good news for people with type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and high cholesterol levels.
Sample Class: Seated Exercises for Older Adults
Older adults are more susceptible to deficits in cardiovascular fitness, muscle mass, strength and power, which may ultimately lead to losses in physical function. The following chair-based format focuses on improving outcomes for older participants, especially those who may need the support of a chair during exercise. Ready, Set, Sit! offers the variety of three 15-minute training segments (cardiovascular, high intensity and strength/power), while targeting important components that boost overall function.