Jul 17, 2022 | Blog Posts, Gymstick Articles
It's hard to let go of something that once worked for us, but it's even harder when we're not seeing the results we want. The biggest challenge One of the hardest things for a lot of people to do is admit that their favourite workout is no longer working for them. In fact, just admitting [...]
Jul 11, 2022 | Blog Posts, Gymstick Articles
We've all heard the saying "keep it simple, stupid." But as humans, we seem to be hardwired to look for complexity. We are suspicious of things that are too simple – how can it possibly be effective? The fitness trainers have a tendency to over complicate things. This is especially true when it comes to [...]
Jun 14, 2022 | Blog Posts
Tips on how to stay motivated with exercise. Have you ever started doing something and had the best intentions only to lose motivation and give up halfway through? Maybe you started a new exercise program and quit after a few weeks (or days). All along, you know that if you just stuck it out, you [...]
May 23, 2022 | Blog Posts
Wow! It’s really possible to make a career from teaching group fitness classes. Absolutely, it is. You can earn money and help people become fitter and healthier too. There are many opportunities to teach group fitness classes. If you have a personal passion for it, or if you just want some extra money and like [...]
Apr 19, 2022 | Blog Posts
Teaching is a profession that is full of surprises. As instructors, we know that the best way to prepare for the unexpected is to go in with as much knowledge as possible. It's one of the reasons why you're probably reading this now. Ways to improve your teaching skills There's always room for improvement when [...]
Mar 14, 2022 | Blog Posts
I have been in the industry for a long time, and I know how scary it is to start teaching group fitness classes! The fear comes from so many places and takes many forms. Some people are afraid they will be uncomfortable, some are afraid that they don’t have the confidence needed, and some are [...]
Feb 17, 2022 | Blog Posts
Teaching a group fitness class can be an incredibly empowering and gratifying experience. It can also be challenging, daunting and downright terrifying. There’s always a little voice in the back of your mind telling you that you don’t know enough to teach a class, or that people will be judging your every move while they [...]
Jan 13, 2022 | Blog Posts
mSwing is not an aerobics class. It's about learning to move your body in a way that will integrate into your life for the rest of your days. It's fun and it can be done by anyone and everyone. Why? Because since the beginning of time people have been swinging things around to play sport, [...]
Dec 27, 2021 | Blog Posts
Dec 15, 2021 | Blog Posts
When we learn something new, we open the door to opportunity. To grow in this industry, you must keep continual learning at the core of everything you do, writes industry educator and group fitness guru Marietta Mehanni. When a comment on one of my recent social media posts mentioned the name of a fitness industry [...]
Oct 17, 2021 | Blog Posts, Gymstick
The Gymstick is a very portable, easy to use fitness tool that enables you to do all the resistance exercises you can do in a gym and so much more. Costing less than gym membership, and taking up no space, it comes as a two-piece fiberglass stick with easy quick lock-mechanism, with the fully assembled [...]
Oct 14, 2021 | Blog Posts, Gymstick
A stick and a couple of rubber bands took me by surprise when I first used the Gymstick in 2006. Having been in the fitness industry for 15 years by then, I thought I had seen everything and there was no doubt that I had a little more arrogance about exercise than I should have. [...]
Oct 14, 2021 | Blog Posts
This blog was written by Carol Syer. In my 30+ years in the fitness Industry, I have seen it continue to grow and mature, we have become more aware and more inclusive. We have become more educated and with that knowledge we are becoming more welcoming for People with Disability. Having spent my life living [...]
Aug 5, 2021 | Blog Posts
I have always enjoyed passing on things that I have learnt. I’m sort of hardwired for it. I remember, as child in school, that I would often help other students with understanding homework, and provide assistance during recess and lunchtimes in the school library. It gave me purpose and it felt good to share what [...]
Jun 29, 2021 | Blog Posts
When you’ve been a group fitness instructor for over 30 years, you see some interesting trends and fads come and go. I remember when I first saw the step in 1991 and thought to myself ‘What’s this rubbish?. There’s no way you can make this interesting enough for a whole class.’ But here I am [...]
Jun 6, 2021 | Blog Posts
Do you love being part of a group exercise experience, moving to music and setting your heart rate and happiness levels soaring? Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to be on stage leading a class? You know that feeling when you’ve been inspired by an exceptional group fitness instructor. The ones that [...]
May 10, 2021 | Blog Posts
Have you ever really asked yourself why you teach group fitness? Why did you decide that this would be the career that you would choose to do, over a variety of other options? Often people will express platitudes like, ‘to improve the wellbeing and health of my community’, or ‘to make a change in other [...]
Apr 2, 2021 | Blog Posts, Muscle Conditioning, Technique, Workshop
For the last 15 years, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) have conducted surveys with thousands of professionals around the world, to determine health and fitness trends for the following year. The survey for 2021 had a 40% increase in responses and for that reason, this 15th annual survey of fitness trends, will have [...]
Feb 28, 2021 | Blog Posts
From a young age at school, I enjoyed helping other children who were struggling with school work. It was a way that I felt accepted. Growing up in a community that did not have much ethnic diversity, I didn’t really fit in. My parents were not comfortable with me having more than one friend come [...]
Jan 18, 2021 | Blog Posts
Changes to the way we operate during lockdown have exposed many fitness professionals to social media-induced self-doubt. You’re worth so much more than fleeting clicks, writes group fitness guru Marietta Mehanni. Body image. It must be one of the most talked about topics, and it doesn’t matter how many memes or quotes are shared about [...]
Jan 5, 2021 | Blog Posts, Gymstick, Gymstick Articles
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 intriged me, only to be quickly disappointed. Although the workshop presenter was very engaging and [...]
Nov 12, 2020 | Blog Posts
Take care of yourself - no one else will do a better job. For the majority of people on this planet, the world went sideways in 2020. The new normal became a concept and words like pivoting and virtual became popular business words. Even words like lockdown, which in the past would have been used [...]
Sep 7, 2020 | Blog Posts, Instructor Issues
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 conundrum because as an instructor, you are not physically alone, but often you may feel that there [...]
Aug 18, 2020 | Blog Posts
The Covid-19 pandemic has been the only global conversation in 2020 and the big question constantly being asked is have you pivoted? If you are in the group fitness industry, your gym most likely has closed or has reopened with a limited timetable. As Covid-19 exploded around the world, so did online group fitness. Thousands [...]
Aug 7, 2020 | Blog Posts
‘The best way to predict the future is to create it' a quote by Peter Drucker, whom is one of the best-known and most widely influential thinkers and writers on the subject of management theory and practice. His quote is something that struck a powerful chord with me years ago, that I have applied in [...]
Jun 8, 2020 | Blog Posts
‘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 [...]
Apr 10, 2020 | Blog Posts, Speech from the boss
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 make sure that our bodies [...]
Apr 8, 2020 | Blog Posts, Staff Training
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 you have had to adapt [...]
Mar 3, 2020 | Blog Posts, Instructor Issues
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 has caused considerable anxiety for many instructors [...]
Feb 4, 2020 | Blog Posts
#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 healthy, and this includes maintaining a positive outlook on [...]
Jul 17, 2022
It's hard to let go of something that once worked for us, but it's even harder when we're not seeing the results we want. The biggest challenge One of the hardest things for a lot of people to do is admit that their favourite workout is no longer working for them. In fact, just admitting [...]
Jul 11, 2022
We've all heard the saying "keep it simple, stupid." But as humans, we seem to be hardwired to look for complexity. We are suspicious of things that are too simple – how can it possibly be effective? The fitness trainers have a tendency to over complicate things. This is especially true when it comes to [...]
Jun 14, 2022
Tips on how to stay motivated with exercise. Have you ever started doing something and had the best intentions only to lose motivation and give up halfway through? Maybe you started a new exercise program and quit after a few weeks (or days). All along, you know that if you just stuck it out, you [...]