How cool is this? The complete catalog of Beatles music is now available on Spotify! Yes, it's also on iTunes Music, however Spotify continues to be my choice of a streaming service.
I cued up a long (but not) forgotten favorite: Maxwell's Silver Hammer
I'm setting Spotify to shuffle and am excited to hear what follows throughout the long weekend 🙂
Amy and I are hoping you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!
Every Podcast is still available here on our website.
I've described my Love/Hate relationship with Apple in the past. Here's another example of the “Hate” component.
ICI/PRO Members who have updated to the iOS 9 – the latest operating software for idevices (iPhones and iPads) – might notice a new “issue” when attempting to listen some (but not all) of our Audio PROfiles.
Podcast Not Available notifications while using the Podcast app. There appears to be a change that is preventing the app from recognising that we are providing multiple MP3s, so the app is confused and won't serve anything.
We are currently working on a solution and we will let everyone know when we've solved this.
There's also an issue for new subscribers we're trying to fix!
Pre iOS 9, we had a simple method for subscribing to your personal RSS feed. Clicking your RSS link at indoorcycleinstructor.com used to automaticly open the Podcast app on your iDevice and ask if you wanted to subscribe to the members only Podcast.
The iOS 9 update includes a new “News” app that is feed articles via RSS news feeds = it opens, instead of the Podcast app, when you click the RSS link 🙁
Look for an update on this as well ASAP.
Your studio at Couples Tower Isle
For me, the biggest “perk” to being a Fitness Instructor has been teaching for a week at a beautiful, all-inclusive, resort in Jamaica or some other exotic Caribbean location! Amy and I call these very special trips our “marriage enrichment weeks” and we've gone on at least one trip every winter of the past 20 years! Most years we left our two girls at home… although on occasion we brought them along too.
Long time listeners might remember ICI Podcast #1 Do you deserve a vacation? – an interview all about teaching fitness vacations!
Feeling the need to get a teaching vacation trip on our calendar for 2016, got me thinking that I should post some information for all of the new members and visitors to ICI/PRO. I asked long time friend and President of FitBodies, Inc. Suzelle Snowden to submit a guest post to help you understand all of the wonderful opportunities available to you!
Teaching vacations are often and by far the most economical way to take a luxury, all-inclusive resort vacation.
Instructors of fitness, yoga, pilates, Zumba, indoor cycle (Spin), tennis and golf can offer their teaching specialty in exchange for the resort accommodations and amenities. The instructors and companion(s) are treated like paying guests of the hotel while offering 1-2 sessions each day, teaching to the resort guests of the hotel. It’s a pretty sweet deal for the instructor who simply loves to share fitness, and vacation.
Fit Bodies, Inc. has been making these teaching vacations happen for over 20 years. Their booking site, FitnessProTravel.com, offers all members the 24/7 ability to view teaching vacation opportunities based on real time availability. Approved members search when they want to teach, or where they want to go or what formats they want to teach. With over 65 resorts through five countries, Fit Bodies, Inc. offers the ability to book for last minute, or up to 14 months in advance. So there is something for everyone!
Indoor cycle and Spin instructors have some extraordinary studios to teach from! For the indoor cycle instructor who teaches additional formats there are some exceptional locations to mention:
Couples Tower Isle, in Ocho Rios and Couples Swept Away, in Negril, Jamaica. Even ground transportation is included for the instructor and their companion at this ‘no tipping allowed’ resort chain. Couples Resorts makes fitness a priority for their guests with excellent, healthy cuisine and juice bars on property.
Sticking in Jamaica for a moment, there is Hedonism II in Negril, Jamaica. The president and founder of Fit Bodies, Inc. designed this gym with a lovely indoor and air-conditioned space for the Spin or indoor cycle instructor who offers other fitness formats.
Hilton Rose Hall is a family resort accepting the instructor, an adult companion and up to two children 17 or younger! What a great deal for a family trip! Offer another land cardio format to ideally qualify for this Jamaica position. John's note: our family has vacationed here four times and the place is awesome!
Moving over to Cancun, Secrets The Vine is ideal for the Cancun bound indoor cycle instructor who also offers another format, like yoga. With a great schedule of 8:30 yoga and 9:30 A.M. indoor cycle from a studio overlooking the pool, beach and ocean. Amazing.
Dreams Riviera Cancun is another family location. Take an adult companion along and up to two kids 12 or younger to this world-class luxurious family destination. From Explorer’s Club for kids 3-12 and 24-hour room service, this family resort only requires you to teach one format and indoor cycle is perfect!
If you are not yet a member on FitnessProTravel.com, it’s time to think about teaching abroad and enjoying great benefits. Signing up never carries a travel obligation as even the Basic (free) members of the site have access to view everything available to book, and read the details for each position. When you decide to place a booking, it’s confirmed the same day so you have permission to handle your own flights. Instructor expenses include a weekly booking fee and gift fund contribution totaling $525-650 and covers instructor and included companions for Sunday-Sunday travel (teaching on non-travel days). Flights are instructors’ responsibility, as it ground transportation to and from the resort.
The biggest benefit of this program is touching resort guests in ways you cannot imagine. “You never know who you are going to impact, and empower.”
-Suzelle Snowden, President and founder of Fit Bodies, Inc.
Fit Bodies, Inc. is headquartered in Covington, KY.
Here's Amy's advice for what happens if no one shows for your class, which is common and totally OK!
Fresh off the split between Mad Dogg Athletics and Core Health & Fitness – Star Trac, I received this press release promoting their new (?) lineup of Indoor Cycles…
Core Health & Fitness To Introduce New Indoor Group Cycles
VANCOUVER, WA. September 29, 2015 — Core Health & Fitness, an industry leader in the manufacture
and distribution of commercial fitness products, announced today plans to introduce three new indoor
cycling bikes. The bikes will be marketed under Core Health & Fitness’s Star Trac brand and will debut
this Fall as the Studio 7â„¢, Studio 5â„¢ and Studio 3â„¢.“Our new bikes are a winning combination of features and price points that customers will love”, said
Dustin Grosz, President of Core Health & Fitness. “We have been the number one seller of group cycle
bikes for over a decade and have over fifteen years of experience in engineering, design, manufacturing
and distribution of indoor cycling bikes. The design of our new line of bikes draws on that wealth of
experience and reputation for producing the highest quality indoor cycling bikes, while answering our
customers’ requests for a newly designed, more flexible and more affordable offering in the indoor
cycling space. The new bikes have a superior look and feel and are offered at a more attractive price
point than Star Trac’s prior product offerings in this space,” Grosz added.Jeff Dilts, Vice President of Product Management and Innovation at Core Health & Fitness said,
“Although the bikes will vary in regards to frame and drivetrain, all three will utilize the popular perimeter weighted flywheel and a direct pressure brake system.The top-of-the-line Star Trac Studio 7â„¢ will feature an aluminum frame, a field-tested Poly V belt and ship with pedals featuring both toe cages and SPD clips.
The Star Trac Studio 5â„¢ will have these same popular features, but will do so on the steel
frame structure. Both bikes incorporate the Star Trac patent pending, durable Morse Taper design that
delivers unmatched performance, safety and durability”.The Star Trac Studio 3â„¢ launches with a steel frame, a traditional chain drive and direct pressure brake
system.“The Star Trac Studio Series indoor cycling bikes provide a perfect complement to our Schwinn AC
series”, added Grosz. “No matter what frame, drivetrain, brake or console system a club wants, we’ve
got a bike that fits the need.”
I've requested pictures and will be posting them as soon as I receive them. Based on these very basic descriptions, (and no mention of Power) I'm going out on a limb and guessing that these will be rebranded versions of the Star Trac Indoor Cycles that you're already familiar with. Studios who are interested in magnetic resistance and power indication will probably be steered toward the Schwinn AC line by the Core Health & Fitness sales reps.
PhD student Carla Alexandra Ramos
I've been in my share of Indoor Cycling studios where, by the end of class, the air is so thick with humidity that you can no longer see yourself in the mirrors. The room stinks and every breath feels like you're riding at 10,000 feet – your lungs starving for oxygen.
Are your experiences similar to mine?
I'm discovering that there's a very simple cause for poor/bad indoor air quality; insufficient ventilation that is the result of a HVAC (Heating,Ventilation & Air Conditioning) system that wasn't designed for the occupancy and activity levels of the rooms inhabitants.
Typically new small/boutique fitness studios are opening in retail spaces with HVAC designed for sedentary office workers – not 30 athletes riding below/@/above threshold for 60 minutes 🙁
Surprisingly, there isn't much actually research on air quality in fitness studios. However I was able to find a published study out of Lisbon, Portugal; Exposure to indoor air pollutants during physical activity in fitness centers of 11 fitness studios.
The lead author of the study is PhD student Carla Alexandra Ramos from the University of Lisbon, Portugal. Carla agreed to join me to discuss her findings and offer suggestions to improving the quality indoor air in your club or studio on this addition of the Podcast.
Carla has published a number of research papers on indoor air polution that you can find them here at researchgate.net
Are you committed to the health & wellness of your participants?
Then shouldn't we all be doing something to improve the air we're breathing in class?
A good start would be completing this short survey on the quality of the air in your club or studio.
Create your own user feedback survey
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