AEA E-News – July 2010
Editor - Mark Grevelding
AEA E News is the news you need to know! Are you struggling to convince people in your community that they can get a good workout in the water? We need your help in completing a questionnaire designed to help us better help you attract more people to the pool! Read below for details and also check out some cool new music to heat up your summer classes. Keep reading and you will also discover the lucky winners who are going to IAFC 2011 for free and much more - all in this edition of E News.
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UP FRONT
Converting the Doubters
Attracting More People to the Pool
Okay that’s it. It’s time to bust the myth, dispel the naysayers and demonstrate once and for all that aquatic fitness has evolved beyond older adult programming. Based on feed back, it is clear that a lot of AEA certified instructors are frustrated in their efforts to attract new people to the pool. They tell us that people in their facilities and communities just don’t believe that you can get a good work out in the water.
AEA is committed to helping our instructors portray an accurate image of aquatic fitness in their communities and thus attract more people into their classes. We are so committed that we are asking for your feedback by responding to some questions designed to help us - help you convince more people to take their workouts to the water. SEE QUESTIONNAIRE BELOW
This informal survey features just a few open ended questions and you can type in as much of a response as you would like and you can even skip questions if you do not have a comment. We simply want to get your thoughts on strategies for getting more people to explore the benefits of aquatic fitness. Among other things, we want to know what, if anything, our certified instructors are doing to elevate the profile of water workouts. If AEA could provide you with some basic information, including hand outs and suggested scripts to host your own “Why Water” seminars in your community, would that interest you? What populations do you think we should be targeting, men, athletes, youths, others? What type of programming do you want to offer at your facility and what help do you need to get started?
Working with our certified instructors, we would like increase the demand for our product – that product being aquatic fitness! And based on feedback, many of our instructors would like to attract not only more people to their classes, but people who have been avoiding aqua classes simply because they don’t think it will provide them the results they need. Everyone in our industry benefits from an increased demand for aquatic fitness programs. Increased demand requires increased supply. Increased supply means more pools being built, more programs being offered, more instructors being hired, more people in each class, more need for educational programs, training, products and more.
AEA certified fitness professionals are positioned in a very good place at a very good time. The aging boomers and the obesity epidemic will likely make aquatic fitness the hottest trend in exercise over the next decade. We have come so far, so fast, but we still have the last hurdle to clear. Let’s put to rest once and for all any doubts regarding the merits of aquatic fitness and the benefits waiting to be realized.
Won’t you join us in converting the doubters?
If you have problems with the link, you can email Laurie Denomme directly and request a questionnaire. ldenomme@tampabay.rr.com
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AEA WEEKEND EVENT
UPCOMING FALL WEEKEND EVENTS!
Important! We are now 60 days out from most September events. If you or someone you know was planning on attending a September certification, they need to register immediately to allow for minimum recommended study time. Also, some of our September locations have limited pool space.
Please register ASAP to avoid wait lists for sold out workshops!
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August 28-29
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Avon, OH
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Certification & Workshops
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September 11-12
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Bonita Springs, FL
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Certification & Workshops
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September 11-12
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Landisville, PA
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Certification & Workshops
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September 11-12
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Lake Forrest, IL
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Certification & Workshops
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September 25-26
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Randolph, NJ
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Certification & Workshops
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October 2-3
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Omaha, NE
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Certification & Workshops
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October 15-16
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Birmingham, AL
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Certification & Workshops
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November 5-7
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Holland, MI
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Certification & Provider Workshops
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November 5-6
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Burley, ID
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Certification & Workshops
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November 13-14
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Arcata, CA
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Certification
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November 20-21
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Waipahu, HI
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Certification
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November 19-21
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Binghamton, NY
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Northeast Regional Conference
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The final schedule and all registration details for Binghamton will be available in August.
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WHAT’S NEW
Looking for some HOT summer music to make your classes cool?
Check out three recent releases by three of the largest fitness music producers, Dynamix, Muscle Mixes and Yes! Fitness Music.
Top Ten 42 - Dynamix Music
Reviewed by Mark Grevelding – AEA Trainer
Top Ten 42, available at Dynamix Music, is the selection that I have been using in my new deep water workshop, Aqua Vertizontal. This deep workout is aggressive and it requires music with some muscle. Top Ten 42 has the required brawn and the pop tunes are simply infectious. Instructors and students are going gaga over this CD that features songs originally performed by Lady Gaga, Ke$ha, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus and more. Clearly this is an unlikely choice given the typical demographics of aquatic fitness classes. The majority of current pop music CDs that I have tried to use in the past went over like lead balloons. However, the tracks on this CD are simply pumping with energy and even those students unfamiliar with current pop artists are very in tune with this CD because it makes you want to move. Top Ten 42 is 130 BPM which makes it an excellent choice for deep water, aqua group strength and aquatic kickboxing.
Spark up your classes this summer with a sizzling collection of Top Ten music!
Elevate - Muscle Mixes Music
Reviewed by Lori Sherlock, AEA Trainer
Looking to add some chill to your classes this summer? The Final Cut series continues with volume 5 – Elevate. According to Muscle Mixes Music, the company that produced the Final Cuts series, “Elevate, features a collection of ten soothed out melodious tunes – perfect for satisfying your chilled out mood.” My classes enjoy this versatile soundtrack of melodic yet motivational music. The up-beat rhythm is paired with relaxing tones to suit both high intensity exercises sessions as well as mind-body classes. Elevate maintains a 126 BPM tempo but has an underlying double-time beat allowing instructors and class participants to utilize both rhythms with ease throughout the class structure. I would highly recommend this tribal-themed soundtrack to any instructor. The rhythm stands alone as a powerful incentive to move to the beat and the lack of verbiage allows the instructor to provide instruction without competition. It’s adaptability to varying class formats and driving beat makes it a great addition to any music collection.
Elevate your classes this summer with a cool new CD!
Mashup Mania 3 - Yes! Fitness Music
Reviewed by Mark Grevelding, AEA Trainer
Mashup Mania 3, available at Yes! Fitness Music is the third in the very popular Mashup series of 135 BPM titles. Yes! Fitness Music is a relative new comer to the fitness music industry and the titles in their signature Mashup series have consistently been in the top three Yes! Fitness Music best sellers. So what is a Mashup music CD/download like? Well, take two popular songs, originally performed by two popular artists and mix them into one song. So instead of 12 songs you have double the fun with 24 songs! Many of the mixes are outrageously creative and the energy level is consistent throughout, which make the Mashup selections popular with instructors. For example, on Mashup Mania 3, the song “September,” originally performed by Earth Wind & Fire is mixed with “Blah Blah Blah,” a current hit originally performed by Ke$ha. It sounds odd but it just works. My favorite combo on this CD is the Black Eyed Peas, “I Gotta Feeling,” mixed with Taylor Swift’s, “You Belong With Me.”
Mix it up and heat it up this summer with Mashup Mania 3!
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WHO’s WHO
WE HAVE SOME WINNERS!
As you may have read in previous E-News editions, AEA now uses an online participant course evaluation survey for IAFC and all weekend events. All registered participants are sent an online evaluation to their email address after the event. Thanks to ALL who have completed evaluations. People are definitely taking more time to provide feedback to AEA and those efforts are much appreciated. In fact, so appreciated that simply filling out the online evaluations makes you eligible for free give ways, including IAFC 2011 full conference registrations.
Check out some recent winners below!
IAFC 2010 ONLINE EVALUATION – PRIZE WINNERS
This was our first year doing online evaluations for IAFC. Attendees were told that filling out their evaluations would make them eligible for a drawing for a free conference registration in 2011.
Well, true to our word, here are the winners of a FREE 2011 IAFC Full Conference Registration!
- Diane Fruth
- Fabiana Tassi
- Luis Vargas
- Becky Gibbons
- Jolynn Hume
- Maggie Crane
- Lisa Vaughan
- Deborah Kramer
- Candice Scott
- Florence Hogue
WEEKEND EVENT QUARTERLY IAFC WINNERS
All participants who complete their online evaluations after attending an AEA Weekend Event are eligible for special prizes and the chance to be drawn for a FREE 2011 IAFC Full Conference Registration. Every quarter, TWO names will be drawn for the conference registration.
Below are the FOUR winners for the first two quarters of 2010 and the event location they attended.
Sioux Falls, SD - Pamela Wilcox
Plymouth Meeting, PA - Cinda Marturano
Harrisonburg, VA - Elizabeth Keatts
Cincinnati, OH - Pat Wahle
WEEKEND EVENT – SPECIAL PRIZE WINNERS
Below are the winning names and the event location they were drawn from. Someone who wins the special prize can also win the free IAFC Conference Registration.
Remember, everyone who completes an Online Evaluation will have a chance to win a FREE IAFC Full Conference Registration!
Anchorage, AK - Kim Burgess
North Myrtle Beach, SC - Rachael McSharry
Gardena, CA - Jeannette Bryant
Plymouth Meeting, PA – Karen Andrea
Rye, NY - Sarah Mariani
Spokane, WA - Pamekla Chalpin
Amarillo, TX - Margaret Kierl
Wykoff, NJ - Mary Ann Salerno
Franklin, MA - Patty Larsen
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HEALTH & NUTRITION FOR YOU
Whatever Happened To Those Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer?By Linda Falzano
Whatever happened to those lazy, hazy days of summer? You know what I’m referring to; time to relax, slow down, lie in a hammock, read a book, soak up some sun and breathe in the summer air. Is there REALLY time to slow down the busy pace of life in 2010? Yes, but it requires effort.
Marcel Marceau, the famous French mime once said, “It’s good to shut up sometimes.” This quote was first relayed to me at a college freshmen orientation where parents and students were challenged to turn off their cell phones during opening remarks. This technique is something I now use in my own meditation classes and speaking gigs at a local college. It certainly catches the students’ attention when I ask them to take out their cell phones and hit the ‘Off’ button. It is difficult for most people, including me, to silence our phones, but it is worth the effort, especially during these summer days.
The definition of quiet is “an uninterrupted stretch of time”. It is important to have time just for ourselves, with no agenda, no deadlines and no needs of others inflicted upon us. Here are a few simple ways to find some quiet time and make the most of these cherished and brief summer days.
- Hit the “Off” button on your cell phones and encourage family members to do the same. Start with just 15 minutes, build to 30 minutes and then to one hour per day (or even once per week). You will be amazed when you turn your phone back on that the text and voicemail messages will still be there.
- Get up 15 minutes early each morning and ENJOY your morning cup of coffee outside. Or, sit on your patio or porch for 15 minutes (even once a week) when you get home from work to give yourself time to transition from work to home life. This is especially important if you work from home like I do.
- Take a walk in silence, no iPods and NO cell phones. Do you ever see people walking for exercise with their cell phone glued to their ear? (Yes, I have done it myself!) If possible, walk in a park, near water or wherever your favorite place is. You will see and hear things you normally miss and may even gain clarity regarding an issue or problem you have been trying to solve. I like to challenge my meditation students to spend just one hour per week in silence; taking a walk, working in the yard, cleaning the house or any activity performed in silence. The idea is to move in silence and be aware for just one hour. I discovered this advice in an article in Science of Mind magazine. What a great concept!
- Write your thoughts and feelings in a journal to help clarify and put them into perspective. Consider purchasing an inexpensive journal at a dollar store, grab a chair and sit outside for 15 minutes during your favorite time of the day and write down whatever thoughts pop into your head. Yes, you can do this during a lunch hour - so no excuses! To get started, practice this technique once or twice per week and make sure you date it. This is a very useful tool to reduce anxiety and sleeplessness and it’s also fun to look back and see what you wrote three or six months ago. You will be pleasantly surprised at what you can write in a short block of time.
As I write this, I am heeding my own advice. It is early morning, my favorite time of the day, the birds are beginning to chirp and it’s time to enjoy this beautiful summer morning by wrapping up this article and enjoying a few moments of silence. After all, why not enjoy these lazy, hazy days of summer?
And remember, “It’s good to shut up sometimes.”
Linda Falzano, RMT, is the owner of Placid Solutions, a motivational coaching business in Rochester, NY. Linda is a Reiki Master Teacher and presenter on the practice of Reiki and meditation. She is a group fitness instructor and a fitness travel host for FUN & FITNESS TRAVEL CLUB. She also serves as a training consultant for Vision Enterprises, a theatre-based training company. Linda is the Western New York Ambassador for AEA and can be reached at lmfk@aol.com.
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