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‘Ah ha, I think I’ve got it right now!’ I say as I step off my chair, having positioned the phone way up on the top shelf in my kitchen. ‘No... it’s on an angle’ and I get back up on the chair, then on to the kitchen bench to realign the phone. This has been my daily...
I received an email and in it, I was asked what my secret is, to maintaining positivity and showing up on Facebook everyday. I’m going to share my answer with you all. I feel that mental health is very similar to physical health. If we think about physical health, we...
You may have already heard this word, but if you haven’t, I predict that this word will become the 2020 buzz word. Have you pivoted? How did you pivot? What was your pivoting strategy? Well, what does all of this mean? Pivoting is a word often used to describe when...
Dear Marietta,  Just wanted you to know that your attendance numbers have been lower than expected, and your class has been red flagged. What!? Being red flagged The concept of being red flagged was introduced to the group fitness industry in the late 1990’s and it...
#wegetyou Recently, there has been a lot of attention focused on public mental health in the media. This is both exciting and enlightening as this is a topic that, until recently, has only been whispered about. We understand the importance of keeping our body and mind...
A Sad Goodbye Over 10 years ago, I met a woman who would change the course of my life and help me shape the business that I have today. She was someone I met in a Cert III fitness course that I was delivering, and her intelligence and initiative made me take notice...
Drum roll please...! Richard Beddie, CEO of Exercise New Zealand lands another amazing development on the audience of the annual FITEX conference in Auckland, New Zealand. Richard discussed his trip to the World Health Organisation and the initiatives that are being...
Remember when you were younger, you were told to ‘mind your language’? This was often in reference to either bad words or perhaps your tone of voice when speaking to your elders. It was a way of reminding you (or admonishing you) about how you should speak in public,...
Recently at the GX Day, I discussed the SAID (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands) principle. This is when the body becomes familiar and comfortable with performing a task in a specific manner, like a squat. So when the body is required to squat in an unfamiliar...
Let’s talk about an elephant in the room. The big one with its backside in your face. The one that you can’t miss, but trying to avoid looking at. Group Exercise Instructor Mental Health. It is an interesting situation because as an instructor, you are not physically...
I love finding out how people decided to work in the fitness industry, especially regarding group fitness. The initial thought that is planted that creates a desire that then came to full fruition. That first ‘why not’ as Lisa Westlake so eloquently spoke about at the...
Be your own best mentor Over the past 4 years I have been delivering a workshop with Maria Teresa Stone, in which the instructors are filmed moving in the water and then again on land, teaching the same move. I had initially tried this myself as a way to understand...
The most challenging group fitness skill ever: can you remember a name? Do you use this excuse often? ‘I can never remember people’s names’. It is understandable in most situations. Remembering 10 to 50 people’s names would be difficult. But when participants have...
The most challenging group fitness skill ever Do you use this excuse often? ‘I can never remember people’s names’. It is understandable in most situations, that remembering 10 to 50 people’s names would be difficult, but when participants have been attending your...
Recently I asked myself, "is freestyle coming back into style?" When I first started in the fitness industry I was an aerobics instructor. Yes, I learned how to teach an aerobics class, which required music, space and my mind, to create an exercise experience. There...
Over the past week my mSwing business partner, Mark Davis has been signing off emails with POY. It also appeared in text messages and I had figured (Mark being a man with a very well-developed sense of humour), he had somehow formed a word that I didn’t have a clue...
I wonder if I am alone in this situation? I am walking around a supermarket and I spot down one aisle a participant that comes to my classes. I quickly scan the groceries in my basket, are they ok to be seen? Are they healthy items? Will I be judged? Can I hide...
Have you ever had the experience of meeting someone and, you can’t really put a finger on what it is that makes such an impact, but there you are thinking about who they are and what they have achieved? Sylvia Rice is one of those people to me. Even though I had met...
Hallelujah! Aqua Instructors have found their voice. If you are not on social media or have been busy enjoying your summer holidays, you may not be aware of a series of viral posts that have captured the interest of aqua instructors over the past few weeks. It started...
Start the year in the right direction It always seems appropriate to write a January blog about intentions and new resolutions to start the year in the right direction, whatever ‘right’ means for you. Well, this is blog is a recommendation from last year’s resolution....
90's Fitness Fad? I was first introduced to resistance bands early in my teaching career in the 1990’s. This long piece of elastic was recommended as a portable and effective form of resistance training. Having only used weights for resistance training, this concept...
Can you make everyone happy? Recently I received an email from an aqua instructor asking ‘Are you able to share ideas with me on how I can keep everyone happy in a class? The participants are of different ages, have different abilities and fitness levels and injuries...
Group fitness instructors sometimes don’t stay in the profession for too long. This blog looks at the reasons why people start and stop teaching group fitness classes.
The way we perceive others and our expectations can be limiting. This blog offers considerations for finding the positive in people!
Love, Passion or both? Having recently attended the International Aquatic and Fitness Conference (IAFC) in Florida in May, I was struck by one word that I kept hearing over and over again. I thought it was really interesting as I hadn't heard that word used as...
Active Ageing. What is your view on people over the age of 60? Having just attended a conference in Florida, the discussion around older adults has become ever more controversial. Controversial? How? The incongruity between the researched information and the...
Is High Intensity 'in' and everything else 'out'? High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has become the 'new black' in the fitness world and everything from bootcamp to circuit, to yoga and Pilates formats have taken on the wave of HIIT training to encourage people...
I am so excited to announce that I am the new Gymstick distributor for Australia. This has been a huge decision on my part. I have never done anything like this before and so taking the leap of faith in getting my act together to make it happen has been an interesting...
Presenting in the fitness industry is a calling and this is how I would describe the motivation to do it; a deep desire to share what you have learnt with others. For me, that desire has always been there. Since a young age at school, I would tutor other kids...
mSwing has certainly been one of the most exciting creative processes that I have ever been involved in. Like most people, I really enjoy starting something fresh, and now that Gymstick and Pelvic Floor First are well established, it has been an itch that I haven't...
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