Retirement Planning: Casting a Vision for Longevity, Health and Happiness

| by
Retirement Planning: Casting a Vision for Longevity, Health and Happiness

Many people understand the importance of saving money for the future, but often don’t apply the same mindset to their health. Learn how you can take a page out of the financial planning playbook and help your clients cast a positive vision for their future—whether it’s traveling, playing with grandkids or staying active—and motivate them to take action now.

Read More

How to Overcome the Reversibility Principle and Help Your Clients Get Back on Track

| by
How to Overcome the Reversibility Principle and Help Your Clients Get Back on Track

There are countless reasons why someone may take a break from a physically active lifestyle—some planned, others not so much. And like all other elements of programming, there isn’t a single, one-size-fits-all approach to helping a client make a safe and effective return to exercise. This article can help you determine the best course of action to get your client back on track and recommitted to the program.

Read More

AI in Action: 3 Creative Uses for ChatGPT

| by
AI in Action: 3 Creative Uses for ChatGPT

As a health coach or exercise professional, integrating AI tools like ChatGPT into your daily routine can revolutionize how you do your job. From creating personalized exercise programs and generating fresh content ideas to brainstorming new business strategies, AI can become a powerful ally. Learn how having a virtual assistant that provides innovative solutions and enhances your productivity can allow you to focus on what you do best—helping people live healthier lives.

Read More

Stress and Low-back Pain: Breaking the Cycle

| by
Stress and Low-back Pain: Breaking the Cycle

If a client were to come to you complaining of low-back pain, would you think to ask them about their stress levels or their emotional state? Probably not, at least not at first, but stress can manifest physically, particularly as low-back pain. Learn how you can help your clients address the psychological and physical aspects of low-back pain by using effective stress-management techniques and targeted exercises to break the stress–pain cycle and improve their overall well-being.

Read More

The Best Investments to Make in Your Career Right Now

| by
The Best Investments to Make in Your Career Right Now

Ready to make an investment in your career but not quite sure where to start? We asked a group of industry veterans for their best advice and their responses were eye opening and insightful, whether you’re a veteran trainer or a newly certified health coach. Read on to learn how to identify career investments that align with your personal goals and values and empower you to reach your ultimate career goals, whatever those may be.

Read More

How to Improve Athletic Performance Using the ACE Integrated Fitness Training® Model

| by
How to Improve Athletic Performance Using the ACE Integrated Fitness Training® Model

The ACE Integrated Fitness Training® (ACE IFT®) Model is a comprehensive system for exercise programming that health coaches and exercise professionals can use to empower clients of all fitness and experience levels to achieve function, health, fitness and performance goals. In this article, you’ll find practical tips for using the ACE IFT Model with clients who want to improve their athletic performance, along with workouts you can put into immediate practice.

Read More

Money Talk: Financial Planning for Independent Contractors

| by
Money Talk: Financial Planning for Independent Contractors

There are a lot of benefits associated with being an independent contractor, chief among them the freedom to choose when and where you work, but this freedom is not without its own set of costs, particularly when it comes to planning for your financial future. If you are an independent contractor—or planning to become one—here are some essential steps you can take to set yourself up for a secure financial future and eventual retirement.

Read More

Cold Water Immersion: Is It Time to Take the Plunge?

| by
Cold Water Immersion: Is It Time to Take the Plunge?

Daily cold water immersion (CWI) is a growing trend, with videos of people jumping into anything from an ice bath to the Puget Sound going viral on TikTok and other social media. Learn why people are putting themselves through this type of thing in increasing numbers, what the research says about the benefits, and how you or your clients can get started using CWI.

Read More

Get it Done! 4 Fast and Effective Workouts From ACE Experts

| by
Get it Done! 4 Fast and Effective Workouts From ACE Experts

Incorporating shorter workouts can bring about greater consistency, improved adherence and better results, and may be more appealing to busy clients—and who isn’t busy these days? Learn innovative approaches for offering your clients fast and effective workouts, and check out four samples workouts from ACE experts that your clients are sure to love.

Read More

How Will Weight-loss Drugs Impact the Future of Fitness?

| by
How Will Weight-loss Drugs Impact the Future of Fitness?

The emergence of drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro has dramatically changed how many people are pursuing—and achieving—weight loss. This has left many health and exercise professionals wondering how they can support clients who take these drugs while staying within their scope of practice, and what the widespread use of these drugs might mean to the health and fitness industry. Learn why these changes may actually create new opportunities for you to expand your reach as a professional.

Read More

Movement Snacks and Habit Stacks: Strategies for Overcoming Sedentary Lifestyles

| by
Movement Snacks and Habit Stacks: Strategies for Overcoming Sedentary Lifestyles

Advancing technology has reduced human labor and improved efficiency, but some argue that we’ve gone so far and become so sedentary that we actually need to find ways to reengineer our lives to add some of that lost movement back into our days. This article unpacks the benefits of short bouts of physical activity and provides strategies you can share with clients to help them break up their sedentary days with some much-needed movement.

Read More

Carryover Skills: How Being a Group Fitness Instructor Can Make You a Better Personal Trainer

| by
Carryover Skills: How Being a Group Fitness Instructor Can Make You a Better Personal Trainer

As a health and exercise professional, you continuously look to enhance your skills and career prospects, but have you considered obtaining a second certification? This article explores how adding a group fitness instructor certification can strengthen your ability to offer tailored cues and modify exercises, build fitness communities, increase your income, and infuse fun into your classes and workouts, all of which can make your personal training sessions more effective.

Read More

The Future of Health Coaching Is...

| by
The Future of Health Coaching Is...

The past few years have been a time of constant change for the health and fitness industry, leaving many to wonder: What does the future hold for health coaching? This article examines where health coaching may be headed and how the adoption of more behavior-change principles may alter the day-to-day work of not only health coaches, but exercise professionals as well.

Read More

Is Fear an Effective Tool in Behavior Change?

| by
Is Fear an Effective Tool in Behavior Change?

Can fear of a dramatically reduced quality of life, or even death, be enough to trigger meaningful behavior change? Not necessarily. The initial burst of motivation—“I’m going to change my life starting today”—will only carry a person so far, and unfortunately, probably not very far at all. Learn the most effective tactics for helping your clients make the changes necessary to improve their health over the long-term.

Read More

The Far-reaching Impact of Community Volunteering

| by
The Far-reaching Impact of Community Volunteering

Your success relies, in part, on your ability to expand your reach and acquire new clients. One way to do that is through volunteering and serving those communities that the health and fitness industry may not otherwise be reaching. Here, five industry experts share their experiences as volunteers and as leaders of organizations that provide health and fitness services to underserved communities and offer 10 steps you can take today to begin giving back through community volunteering.

Read More

Future Career Opportunities Await—Are You Ready?

| by
Future Career Opportunities Await—Are You Ready?

The fitness and health coaching industries are constantly evolving, so it is essential to be able to foresee future opportunities and then position yourself to take advantage of them. We asked five industry experts to answer questions about where they think things are headed, offer tips on how to stay ahead of the curve and what you need to do to make sure your career thrives.

Read More

From the Mat to the Weight Room: Integrating Yoga and Muscular Training

| by
From the Mat to the Weight Room: Integrating Yoga and Muscular Training

Yoga poses offer a wide range of benefits—even when you don’t perform them as part of a traditional yoga class. This article examines why yoga can complement just about any muscular-training program you design for your clients, and provides guidance on how to integrate yoga, breathwork and mindfulness into your classes and training sessions.

Read More

Movement Sequencing: Strategies to Build a Smooth and Effective Group Fitness Experience

| by
Movement Sequencing: Strategies to Build a Smooth and Effective Group Fitness Experience

A key to creating a successful group fitness experience is building a sound class plan that features smooth transitions and movements that feel natural and purposeful to both you and your participants. In this article, you’ll learn strategies for properly sequencing movements in a way that will serve you well no matter what types of classes you teach.

Read More

A Trauma-informed Approach to Exercise Leadership

| by
A Trauma-informed Approach to Exercise Leadership

Trauma-informed coaching or exercise leadership involves allowing clients or class participants to reconnect with their bodies through movement and feel safe doing so, while also creating environments and programs that feel supportive and approachable. This article examines the scope and application of trauma-informed coaching and explains why activities such as yoga and resistance training can help facilitate healing for those who have been impacted by trauma.

Read More

What Happens When Weight Loss Doesn’t Magically Change a Client’s Life (Like They Expected It To)

| by
What Happens When Weight Loss Doesn’t Magically Change a Client’s Life (Like They Expected It To)

When it comes to losing weight, some clients may think that hitting their goal weight will be a cure for all the things in their lives that make them unhappy or that they wish they could change. Of course, weight loss is not a panacea. Learn what you, as a health coach or exercise professional, can do to prevent this scenario from happening, and, if it does occur, how you can navigate this difficult moment in your relationship with the client and in the client’s wellness journey.

Read More

Surviving or Thriving? How to Recognize and Address Professional Burnout

| by
Surviving or Thriving? How to Recognize and Address Professional Burnout

Are you among the millions of people who report feeling burned out and overwhelmed? As a member of a helping profession, you may be particularly vulnerable to experiencing the effects of burnout, which can make it hugely challenging to perform well in your job. Learn how to spot the signs of burnout and the steps you can take to go from merely surviving to thriving.

Read More

Using Cultural Competence to Improve Minority Health

| by in Population Health
Using Cultural Competence to Improve Minority Health

April is National Minority Health Month, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses to highlight the importance of reducing health disparities and improving the health of racial and ethnic minority and American Indian/Alaska Native communities. This year, the theme is “Better Health Through Better Understanding.”

Read More

What Happens When Weight Loss Doesn’t Magically Change a Client’s Life (Like They Expected It To)

| by
What Happens When Weight Loss Doesn’t Magically Change a Client’s Life (Like They Expected It To)

When it comes to losing weight, some clients may think that hitting their goal weight will be a cure for all the things in their lives that make them unhappy or that they wish they could change. Of course, weight loss is not a panacea. Learn what you, as a health coach or exercise professional, can do to prevent this scenario from happening, and, if it does occur, how you can navigate this difficult moment in your relationship with the client and in the client’s wellness journey.

Read More

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: How Adaptive Training Compares to Traditional Resistance Training

| by
RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: How Adaptive Training Compares to Traditional Resistance Training

Adaptive resistance exercise equipment uses artificial intelligence to create workouts that are safe, controlled and use quantifiable resistance, but how do these workouts compare to free weights or traditional resistance-training machines? Researchers in the High Altitude Exercise Physiology Program at Western Colorado University set out to find out the answer.

Read More

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: Quantifying EPOC After REHIT

| by
RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: Quantifying EPOC After REHIT

Does a reduced-exertion high-intensity interval training (REHIT) bout result in a significant caloric burn (known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC) after the workout is over? Learn why the results of this study confirm that the benefits of REHIT extend beyond the workout itself and are comparable to traditional moderate-intensity workouts that last much longer.

Read More