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...
Marietta Mehanni
Blog
The best Gymstick Exercises to follow Step-by-Step
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...
Language (of Disability)
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...
H2O Conference: A world of presenters at your fingertips
The last 18 months have been a series of firsts, from teaching virtually and getting a handle on the technology, through to editing videos, creating accessible education platforms and building new websites. The impetus to do all these new things may have been due to...
Which stage of the 4-step Group Ex journey are you in?
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...
That big ball of air – The Swiss Ball
You see some interesting trends and fads come and go when you’ve been a group fitness instructor for over 30 years. I remember when I first saw the step in 1991 and thought, ‘What’s this rubbish? You cannot make this interesting enough for a whole class.’ But here I...
Group Fitness instructor: ARE YOU READY TO TAKE CENTRE STAGE?
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...
Do you body weight train?
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...
The mentoring connection
From a young age at school, I enjoyed helping other children struggling with schoolwork. It was a way that I felt accepted. However, growing up in a community with little ethnic diversity, I didn’t really fit in. My parents were not comfortable with me having more...
The social media rabbit hole
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...
Why I hated resistance bands and what changed my mind
Resistance bands were not my thing I was first introduced to resistance bands early in my teaching career in the 1990s. This long piece of elastic was recommended as a portable and effective form of resistance training. Having only used weights for resistance...
Self Care
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...