Keepin it 100 with Willy T.  Do you remember how invigorating it felt as a kid to count down from 100 and leap into “detective mode” amidst your neighborhood game of Hide and Seek? How about the excitement of counting down the New Year? Adults even wear diapers in NYC to partake in this bliss... If you haven’t made the connection between these moments and your workout routine, today’s the day. I was introduced to this tactic a few years ago and it’s assisted in successful completion of high-rep workouts ever since. Here are a few quotes for explanation and motivation: “Research published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology found that starting with the max number (i.e. 15 reps) and counting down shortens the perceived duration of the activity, which may make it feel easier. So, don’t count from 25 sit-ups; count from 25 to 1. And, maybe you’ll hate the task a little less. Happy counting! Resources:
1 Comment
 Flashback to the early 2000’s, I was a pre-teen at home on summer break carelessly flipping through TV channels trying to find something to watch. I stumbled upon TLC’s What Not To Wear with Stacy London and Clinton Kelly, and was immediately hooked! I related to the real-life fashion offenders on TV because I too, had loose baggy clothing, frumpy hair, and didn’t know how to color-coordinate with my shoes. Being an overweight child and spending a lot of time with my brother, you could say I was a tomboy. I remember wearing gym sneakers with EVERY outfit even in high school, I loved comfort over style. I recently had an interview at a local gym for a coaching position and asked Steven, what do I wear?! That experience is the inspiration for today’s blog. If you’re a personal trainer or group fitness instructor, I’m sure the same thought has crossed your mind. The short answer is, well it depends… Usually in the fitness industry, interviews have two parts: The Interview: This is the traditional sit down with the hiring manager and questions are asked. I say when in doubt go with business casual. For men, slacks or khakis with at least a polo or collared shirt. For women, a nice blouse with pants or a dress. If you are interviewing for management, dress business professional. The Practical: Being in the fitness industry our job to help people move so it’s only natural to make you demonstrate your skills in when hiring. With personal training, this might be a mock client situation or you may be given a scenario. With group fitness, it may be a short 5-15 minute demo class or small group training. As managers, we know within the first 10 minutes if we intend to hire you or not. Regardless, wear clothing that looks the part. Make sure you’re not rocking that busted old free t-shirt you got in college that may or may not have an armpit hole. Try for workout shorts, capris, or leggings, and a top that isn’t too revealing (save that crop top for a rainy day). Bonus points if your outfit can match a little to show you gave some thought into your demo. I would bring this change of clothes whether or not you know if they’d like you to be active during your interview process. Be prepared! Thanks for tuning in to the What Not To Fear: Fitness Edition (Shirt and Shoes probably required) Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. All rights to What Not To Wear belong to TLC
For the past 13 years, a worldwide fitness trends survey is conducted by The American College of Sports Medicine. Every year, health and fitness professionals look forward to this list so we can stay on top of our game for the new year. Not only is keeping up-to-date with current trends important, it is imperative to our continuing education and occupational well-being. Without further ado, I present the top 10 fitness trends below with my own little tidbits on each. 
For the rest of the trends, check out the link below. Good luck with all your goals in 2019! Source:https://journals.lww.com/acsm-healthfitness/Fulltext/2018/11000/WORLDWIDE_SURVEY_OF_FITNESS_TRENDS_FOR_2019.6.aspx Thompson, W. R. (2018). Worldwide survey of fitness trends for 2019. ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal, 22(6), 10-17.
 Creating a sense of community is key when connecting to active agers in group fitness classes. These participants want to be challenged while having a great time in class. As an instructor, balancing those two can be a challenge. Whether you are a seasoned instructor skilled in teaching active agers or new to that demographic, here are six tips for helping your participants stay forever fit.
Our principal investigator, Steven, had the opportunity to write a blog for ACE Fitness. Click here to learn Six Ways to Stay Forever Fit.  “Music such a strong word with an even stronger sound it can rumble beneath your feet, cry in your ears, take away your fears, replace them with tears a never ending cycle of life’s greatest years the innovation and creation that freshens the mind and sterilizes the soul and only you will know how far it can go it can take us away to new places that we hope will last or take us back to then and dwell in the past covering every emotion with devotion of a single word creating a time in our life and a place in our hearts from yesterday to tomorrow the music keeps playing.” -Justin Thorne This is my favorite quote on music because it amplifies the power that music can bring. Do you work out better with or without music? Chances are the answer is better. For my fellow group fitness instructors out there, you know that music is such a strong motivator when it comes to exercise. Choosing music for a group fitness class is crucial; therefore, we’ll be going behind the mic in today’s blog so you can be the next music mogul in class. To start off some general tips on music: make sure it is reflective of your audience and your class. For example, teaching in a campus recreation facility and retirement home would require two completely different playlists. (For more insight on teaching active agers check out Steven’s latest ACE blog here). Additionally, a zumba class has a very different tone compared to a cardio kickboxing class. Before you even sit down to plan your workout, I want you to think about your audience, the format, the time, and the mood or effect you want your music to have on your participants. One caveat to that, if you teach to the music, meaning you follow a 32-count, then you want your music to have the appropriate beats per minute. Disclaimer: I am still learning myself but here are my general tips: Warm Up Choose a song with positive lyrics and eases participants into the workout. Some of my current favorites are: 2002 by Anne Marie Jay Pryor Remix Version Five More Hours by Deorro and Chris Brown Main working block Think about the lyrics and the beat here, try to match the music to your workout intensity. Remember some people are motivated by the words of the music, the beat, or even your cues. Suggestions: Dinero by Jennifer Lopez Level Up by Ciara Youngblood by 5 Seconds of Summer Core This section of the workout should indicate a shift which is slower. Examples: Magic by BOB New Rules by Dua Lupa Cool-down Everyone knows when it’s cool-down time when the song is relaxing and smooth. Suggestions: Colors by Jason Derulo Love Lies by Khalid and Normani You might be asking where do I get good fitness music: we’ve got you covered! Here are some of our favorite finds: Fitness Music Resources Steady130- This website offers free downloadable mixes. With numerous categories you’re bound to find a mix that fits your needs! Yes!Go- Subscription required; however, you can edit the music to your preferred BPMs. They have pre-made mixes or you can mix your own! Power Music- A paid app where you can get access to unlimited fitness music. Last but not least Spotify- For all my fellow broke fitness professionals out there this is a great option. Check out my profile if you ever need some inspiration. To continue our Hallowellness journey through the month of October, themed classes are popular around the holidays. To change things up, check out Steady130’s Halloween Bash mix to bring some fun to your next class. I hope you learned something new and maybe you’ll get a gig as a DJ one day. For now, know you have the power of influence every time you step behind mic. An aspiring fitness music mogul,
Disclaimer: This post was not paid for by Fitbit nor did they provide me with one (though I wish! Shoutout if they’re reading this and want to make me a brand ambassador) During my move my beloved fitness tracker, Fitbit Charge HR, of 3 years finally broke. I knew it was a long time coming; the band was coming apart, the screen cracked, no matter how much I cleaned it- it smelled, and the final straw was it wouldn’t sync or charge. Devastated, I thought how will I know how many steps I took? How long did I sleep? Did I hit my 30 minutes of activity a day goal? Worst of all without my Fitbit I would be in last place in my workweek hustle challenge with my old coworkers and I couldn’t let that happen for more than a week. There is a lot of research on the effectiveness of wearable activity trackers with technology advancing.  Therefore, for today’s blog I’m going to give you my stance on physical activity trackers and a review. After moving into my new place and researching models online I fell in love with the new Fitbit Versa. It came in so many colors, had multiple new features, and looked like an apple watch. I trotted off to Best Buy and bought the masterpiece while my credit card cried a little. But remember, health is your greatest wealth. I immediately opened it when I got home and noticed how NICCCCEEEE the packaging was! (Fitbit definitely took a note from Apple here) Day 1- Tuesday After 30 minutes of set up and charging, I was on my way. I was amazed at all the new functions such as apps, music, weather, etc. My favorite part is being able to choose what type of workout I’m doing such as biking, running, weight lifting, all in all this helps provide a more accurate calorie burn. Day 2-Wednesday After a night of sleeping with the my Fitbit on my wrist I synced it to the app. I was shook it told me my REM, light, and dark sleep. Today I decided to get 10K steps every day so I went to the gyms and walked around my neighborhood. Day 3-Thursday I went to the park for a run and tested out those features. It gave me a mile pace and would register when I had stopped running or took a break. This little device is simply incredible. Do I need a fitness tracker to be healthy? Of course not! I will say that it doesn’t look too shabby on my wrist though. If you’re into learning about your body, driven by competition, and interested by data then a fitness tracker is definitely for you. Nowadays there are so many out there Garmin watches, Apple watches, polar watches, etc. There’s bound to be something that fits your needs and price range. I have always been a person who loves to learn about themselves. This Fitbit allows me to do just that. To say I am in love with this item is an understatement. I would highly recommend this Fitbit watch to anyone. It is sleek, lightweight, and has battery power for 4 days! This “accessory” has helped me stay accountable to my goals and gives me a measurement of my health. Final thoughts: The Fitbit Versa is absolutely something I don’t leave the house with. Because if I did, if I took steps and the Fitbit didn’t track them, did I really take steps in the first place? Questions to ponder. Your friend in wellness,
Experiencing low attendance in your classes or is your gym going through a lull in new members? Globetrotter Wellness Solutions has tips for you that range from thinking outside the box with untapped markets to creative strategies on how to recruit new members. Recruiting New Members
"Gym and Juice highlights all of our amazing programs in a 2-hour window! Here members can get a taste of juice and a class that may be their future fitness home! We have seen multiple members try things they would never have before. It is a great sampler of all areas of group fitness!" Ashley Dunn Group Fitness Manager O2 Hanover and Mayfaire
5. Go Corporate. Reach out to large companies while relaying the importance of employee wellness and offer a special discount for their employees. 6. Sponsor or host a charity event. Get your name out there whether it’s a 5k run or sponsoring a local health fair. Associate your name with a great cause to gain more exposure. Untapped Markets 1. Elderly. The baby boomers are growing! Try teaching a stretching or chair yoga class targeting this special population.  2. Children. Kids have a ton of energy. What better way to burn off that energy than to have a class just for them? Take it to the next level and have a class for kids and their parents, where the adults workout while the kids play together. A win win for all. 3. Men. The boys like to stay in the weight room, try hosting a men’s only class such as yoga (Broga), etc. Get their feet wet with group exercise and reiterate the importance of variety in their workouts. Swole Steve might bench 315 pounds, but can’t hold a 30 second plank. We hope you learned something new and challenge you to implement one of these tactics in the next two weeks. Let us know how it went in the comments below! Sometimes recruiting new members, means investing more in the ones you already have. Find the hidden treasure right in front of you and get recruiting! Alicia Everette A millennial wellness enthusiast trying to figure out life. Coupon Queen. Experimental Chef. Personal Trainer. Aspiring Health Coach. |
Who we areJust a team of round pegs in a square hole changing the world one interaction at a time. Look back at it
March 2020
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed