Mind-Body Articles

just for you By Mary Monroe learning to love silence Cultivate more stillness in your life--and discover new reserves of energy, creativity and inspiration. Benefits for Fitness Pros Creating time for silence can be especially challenging for multitasking fitness professionals with dizzying schedules, but making that commitment can also be extremely rewarding. "Fitness professionals and health ed...

money Pricing Mind-Body Programs TO HELP A MIND-BODY PROFIT CENTER SOAR, TAKE TIME TO RESEARCH YOUR PRICING THOROUGHLY. By Marci Clark costs, which will sustain your program. Consider the following categories as part of your cost of doing business and include them in your pricing. FRONT-END COSTS 1. Staff Education. Structure your budget to cover either some or all of the cost of instructor trai...

Taking Clients to the Next Level of Concentration How to use specific and effective mental techniques to improve performance during all components of an exercise session, from warm-up to cool-down. wouldn't it be exciting if your students could be more focused all of the time? Most regular exercisers know that mental preparation is essential to improving W Y T O M S ouldn't it be awesome if yo...

industry watch: program trends C R E AT I N G A S O O T H I N G S PA C E The 2000 IDEA Fitness Programs & Equipment Survey found that yoga and Pilates continue to be two of the fastest-growing activities in fitness facilities today. The challenge for exercise professionals, however, is to conduct mind-body programs like these in a space that enables participants to have a relaxing experience. Here...

wellness An Introduction to Medical Qigong Learn how the ancient art of Qigong can help you and your clients cope with the stresses of today's changing world. What Is Medical Qigong? With the fitness industry evolving at a record pace, many clients hungry for wellness programs, and the aging population looking for "kinder, gentler" ways to exercise, it makes a lot of sense to add Qigong to your ...

By Deborah Kern, PhD, and Holly Curtis, MEd, MS Safety Suggestions and Guidelines Mind-Body Classes: Editor's note: This article is the fourth of a five-part series on guidelines and safety suggestions for various group fitness modalities. The genesis for these articles is you, the IDEA member. In our most recent readership survey, 100 percent of respondents said they wanted to see more space i...

wellness BY MICHELE H...

Are you feeling tense, anxious or overwhelmed? Would you like to feel more joy, calm and confidence? If so, then consider making a 1-day commitment to personal wellness with an at-home spa experience. Rejuvenate yourself with these spa tricks of the trade from Mary Monroe, a Los-Angeles–based health and spa writer. Planning to Relax ...

Pain relief from acupuncture is real, not the result of the placebo effect. Mounting research evidence supports the conclusion that acupuncture provides clinically important pain relief. For example, in a study presented at an American College of Rheumatology meeting in San Anton...

Tai chi has been receiving some good press lately. Now a new study links chi kung—the “parent” of tai chi—with decreases in hypertension. According to research published in the International Journal of Neuroscience (2004; 114 [7], 777–86), me...