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...
Marietta Mehanni
Blog
Plant the seed
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
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...
Can you remember a name?
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...
Is freestyle coming back?
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...
POY
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...
Should you be eating that?
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...
A life full of achievements!
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...
It’s time to speak up about aqua!
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...
The truth about websites and social media
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....
Why I hated resistance bands and what changed my mind
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...
How to please group fitness participants
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...