Age-Based Titles for Fitness Classes-A Conversation Part 4: Best Practices/Conclusion
To assist prospective class members, encourage greater physical activity, promote inclusivity and to eliminate ageism in physical activity titles, best practice #1 is: Title classes based on...
Age-Based Titles for Fitness Classes-A Conversation Part 3
In Part 2, I shared results from an informal survey, where the majority of respondents, older adult participants in physical activity classes, experienced instructors' negative and inaccurate assumptions about older adults’ physical abilities based on their age....
Age-Based Titles For Fitness Classes-A Conversation Part 2
In Part 1, I raised the question of whether age-based titles for fitness classes (“senior”, “elderly”, “silver”, “golden oldies”) contribute to negative assumptions about older adults’ physical abilities based on their age. Or is an age-based title simply indicative...
Age-based Titles for Fitness Classes-A Conversation Part 1
Research has continually demonstrated that human bodies can gain strength, mobility, cardiovascular capability and endurance throughout our lives including the entire older adult demographic. While individuals may have physical or medical issues limiting or affecting...
It’s About Ability, Not Age: Ending Ageist Assumptions in Physical Activity Programming
This white paper, "It's About Ability, Not Age: Ending Ageist Assumptions in Physical Activity Programming", published in the Generations Now Journal by the American Society on Aging in May 2025, was written by a group of seasoned fitness and health professionals:...
Language Matters: Eliminating Ageism In Written And Verbal Communication
Ageism in Language In 1967, the United States Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) was passed, creating protection against discrimination in employment issues covering hiring, firing, promotions and compensation for adults 40 years of age or older. In 1990, the...
10,000 Steps-The Magic Number
Did you know that the recommendation for walking 10,000 steps a day was a marketing ploy? In the early 1960's, a marketing firm was hired to create an ad campaign to sell a Japanese pedometer ahead of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Because the Japanese character for 10,000...
Too Old For What??!!
Erin Eleuterio posted the following about ageism in the fitness industry: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7244359956596989952/ I applaud Eleuterio for her article and insightful comments. I entered the fitness industry at age 44, became a...
A Trip To The Grocery Store
Marty looked in the fridge and sighed. The milk she wanted for her morning coffee had expired. Could she skip her beloved coffee? Sighing again, she put on her coat, grabbed her purse and went outside. She walked down the short flight of stairs to her car and drove...
Posture Part 3: A Handbag, A Backpack and A Messenger Bag All Walked Into A Bar
When we first met, Anna complained about neck, shoulder and low back pain, all on her right side. She had seen her physician and her doc hadn’t found anything medically wrong with her. Yet when she saw me a few weeks later, she was still experiencing significant...
Goals Part 2 Process
You’ve named your goal, decided on an appropriate action step and are about to take that step. Congratulations! Today is an auspicious day! Taking action, any action, is the beginning of your journey from Point A (your current situation) to Point B (your goal)....
Goals Part 1
We’re all familiar with goals, yes? Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve been exposed to a wide variety of goals since an early age. To name a few, we have: · “SMART” goals · short term goals · long term goals · outcome goals · ...
Yes You Can!
Did you know past success predicts future success? In psychology, “self-efficacy” is the fancy term for this idea. If you have goals, understanding self-efficacy and how to apply it can be useful. Self-efficacy has two parts: 1. Belief in having influence over...
Resolutions/Schmezolutions
It’s that time of year again for New Year’s Resolutions. Pffft! Many people set resolutions around health and fitness. I applaud anyone wanting to improve their health and fitness. As a fitness professional, I’m here to help. However, I’m not a big fan of...
I Grew Up On Hope St.
Do you remember the myth of Pandora’s box? If not, here’s a quick recap: Pandora received a beautiful box as a gift from the Greek god Zeus. She was told by Zeus never to open the box which unfortunately she did. The box contained diseases and evils which Pandora...
A Symphony of Sounds
Jamie began her squat exercise and a symphony of sounds ensued. “Click!” went her left knee. “Snap!” went her right ankle. “Crackle!” went her left hip and “Pop!” went her right shoulder. How many sounds can human joints make? Apparently many. Joint noise during...
Breathing Part 2 “Concentration Face”
Jane scrunched up her face in a tight scowl, pursed her lips, clenched her jaw and held her breath as she started the new exercise I had just given her. I asked her if she was in pain. She replied no. Yet her face was telling me a different story. Jane said it was...
Balance Part 4 Gail
Balance is a very complex skill involving many different bodily systems needing to work together in order to function properly. Your mind also plays a role in your ability to stay upright particularly your emotional states and reactions. Emotions affect balance??!!!...
Stiff To Fit
Many older adults, particularly women, are put off by the idea of fitness, despite continued research that staying active by regular walking/other forms of cardio and lifting weights are critical components to aging well. According to a CDC 2020 report, only...
Posture-A Balanced Perspective Part 2
Quick, show me good posture! Did you immediately hear your parent’s voice in your head yelling “STOP SLOUCHING!!!” or “SIT UP STRAIGHT!!!” Your parents were right, slouching is not good for your body. As a child, though, you probably only heard their critical...
Balance Part 3
Balance is comprised of multiple internal factors in our bodies such as: · the brain · eyes · vestibular system · core...
Balance Part 2
How are your flamingo skills coming along? Did you improve your ability to stand on one leg for a longer period of time? If you didn’t practice, what stopped you? Here's a tip: to help clients develop consistent exercise habits, I often recommend they...
Balance Part 1
Can you stand on one leg with the other foot off the floor, eyes open, without holding onto something? Count the seconds (one Mississippi, two Mississippi, etc) you can stand one leg. Then switch legs, count the seconds and compare your times for both...
Posture: A Balanced Perspective
When I ask clients to demonstrate good posture" many of them immediately re-arrange themselves in a ramrod “military” position, throwing their chests forward and their shoulders back, freezing like a statue and often displaying a terrified look on their faces. Maybe...
Start Now
When I start with a new client, one of the first things we do is discuss the client's goals both long term and short term. Next comes an action plan i.e. determining manageable steps needed to achieve their goals followed by which step the client wants to start with....
Movement Part 2
We all know excessive sitting is bad for our bodies and movement is critical to staying healthy. What we may not realize is how we need to move for our daily activities and how we can improve those movements for greater ease and safety. Let’s look at food...
Thriving
I participated in a women's mastermind group discussion recently and the topic was thriving during an uncertain time.Several members questioned if we should even discuss how to thrive now. Doesn't that seem selfish when the world has been turned upside down and years...
Embrace the Fall
Fall is the perfect time to shake up your health and wellness routines. As daylight reaches its shortest length in December and the weather turns colder, fine tuning your self care will pay great dividends during the long winter stretch.Many of us start to hunker down...
Breathing
Breathing is instinctive, right? Since we’re alive we must know how to breathe. That seems obvious. Breathing optimally, however, can be another story. If we are living a calm, peaceful life with healthy bodies, have a roof over our heads, food on the table, clean...
Movement
We all know movement is beneficial-for our bodies, our brains, our hearts and our souls. Thinking about increasing our physical activity may be exhausting. Managing our exercising, let alone actually working out, involves a lot of mental effort. You may ask:*where to...
Susan C
Jenny Wu
Melanie Rigney
Linnea Olsson
Frank D.
As my personal trainer, she has developed workouts for me that I can do in the convenience of my apartment and always ensures my technique is correct.
I attend Laura's virtual yoga classes as well. She continually offers both modifications of yoga poses to accommodate class members as well as offers new challenges.
Cynthia Ragsdale
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