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 something under the lettuce? Making a quick decision that there are too many naughty items to hide under the salad and tomatoes, I duck into the next aisle and high tail it to the self-scanning counter. Now, the race to scan and make a quick exit before I am discovered purchasing the ‘wrong things’.
Am I being paranoid, or have I had enough experiences of very nice people looking into my shopping basket and saying “should you be eating that?” or ‘that is not very healthy!’? (more…)
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 Sylvia prior to 2015, it wasn’t until a workshop in Sydney with Maria Teresa Stone, that I felt like I got to know her better. This incredibly funny and wise 70+ year old with an insight that only someone with extensive professional and person experience could have, shared stories and hilarious quotes. Sylvia’s extraordinary experience in the fitness industry, goes as far back as 1985 when she taught Aerobic Movement classes. She is a pioneer in classes for older adults and started a Senior’s program at Beaton Park in 1984, which until recently when she retired, had participants that continually stayed loyal attendees from when it started. (more…)
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 off with a comment about FILEX not having aqua session on the schedule for 2018. It was like watching a bushfire, where the comments flew around faster than I could keep up with. It ended up with an assurance from Fitness Australia’s CEO Bill Moore, that aqua will definitely be on the FILEX schedule for 2019 and a number of forums being set up around Australia for aqua instructors to attend to discuss issues that have been topical, but not openly spoken about before.
Like anything on social media, people openly discuss what is important to them, and although I didn’t necessary agree with all of the comments, I was really happy to hear voices. Voices from aqua instructors. Voices that I have heard say things in workshops, but never on a public platform. Voices that were expressing a passion for aqua, their participants and the value that this form of exercise brings to a much wider community than many other formats gaining somewhat more attention than the water. Voices that were expressing the dissatisfaction with issues that have been tolerated for a long time due to a quiet acceptance that nothing would ever change. (more…)
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. In 2017, I wanted to update and take control over my website. You see, a website is like a house, you have to find right the contractors, the right things to put in it and the design is important, as you don’t want to keep making a new one every year. This has to stand the test of time, at least 4 to 5 years before you need to completely change it up. It was time to change mine and it was time that I took control too.
The contractors that you get for your house can do a messy job, it might not be what you thought you would get and even though you paid top dollar, it is disappointing. This can sometimes be because of expectations that you had and perhaps the communication. The same applies to a website and this can be super frustrating. The other thing is often you can have your hands ‘handcuffed’ to your website developer, who has full control over your website and you find yourself politely asking again and again, if they could do some work… Meanwhile, you are stomping around your actual home and tearing out your hair and swearing your head off because they never seem to get back to you (like some building contractors).
