All About Fitness

Do you love to exercise? Are you a group fitness junkie? Do you find yourself giving fitness advice to your friends and family?  Have you ever considered changing careers to work in the fitness industry? Like many of us who work full time as personal trainers and group fitness instructors Artemis Scantalides started her career working in an office. To hear why she gave up a lucrative career as a consultant to work late nights and early mornings making half naked people sweaty be sure to catch episode 12 of All About Fitness where we discuss her transition from fitness enthusiast to fitness studio owner, trainer and international speaker. In addition Artemis is one of only a few women who have earned the prestigious Iron Maiden designation so we also talk about weight lifting and strength training. It IS possible to earn a living while working in your favorite fitness clothes; in this age of social media and online content your income potential as a fitness professional is limited only by how hard you're

"How you do anything is how you do everything." Why are there some people who are constantly more successful than others? According to personal trainer and coach Todd Durkin is has to do with mindset and attitude. On episode 11 of All About Fitness I interview Todd Durkin, a recent finalist on the NBC show STRONG, one of the most influential people in health and fitness and the owner of Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego - recognized by Men's Health Magazine as one of the top gyms in the country. We talk about his journey into the fitness industry, how he trains high performing individuals and what you can do TODAY to start achieving the success you deserve. Find out what makes Todd a two-time winner of Personal Trainer of the Year by hearing how he helps others achieve success in their lives. Todd personal trains clients from house wives and retirees to championship winning professional athletes; he also mentors business leaders and helps personal trainers become more successful. Very quickly into our conversat

“The journey of one thousand miles begins with a single step,” is an ancient Chinese proverb; the point is that any journey, no matter the distance, begins the same way - by taking the first step.    One of the most challenging things with making time for exercise is having a goal. If you are working towards a specific outcome then you have a purpose for why you’re going to the gym (or running outside, or swimming that lap). If you don’t have a purpose then it can be extremely hard to make the effort to take that first step.   In today’s episode of All About Fitness I speak with Randy Hetrick, the inventor of the TRX Suspension Trainer, a former active duty US Navy SEAL and all around great individual. We talk about goal setting and how to make time for fitness in a demanding schedule. Training to be a SEAL is one of the most grueling, physically demanding challenges any individual could face. Creating a product, bringing it to market and literally changing the face of an industry is a piece of cake by co

Losing weight, toning up, getting bigger, faster, stronger... These are all common reasons for working out; here's some food for thought: Why not exercise for the purpose of feeling better instead of looking better? When was the last time that you went to the gym for a 'happiness day?'  Petra Kolber is a fitness industry veteran who helped make step aerobics one of the most popular workouts in the world. Petra has evolved from teaching knee repeaters to using physical activity as a means for changing your mindset because feeling better is the first step towards looking better. If you exercise for no other reason it should be because it can help put you in a good mood that can change your overall outlook on life.  In our conversation today Petra and I discuss her evolution from a cruise ship performer to a fitness industry leader responsible for changing lives around the world. Tune in for our conversation to find out how you can start Moving YOUR way to Happiness!    Please visit the sponsors of All Abou

Episode 8 of All About Fitness discusses how exercise can help eliminate pain. If you experience chronic pain, you're not alone. Chronic pain affects millions of people and can be extremely debilitating keeping you from being able to move comfortably, let alone not allowing you to participate in your favorite activities. Drugs can mask pain to help you feel better but that is only temporary and does not treat the actual cause of pain. Medical procedures can be extremely expensive and could actually cause more problems than they solve because once a muscle is cut, inelastic scar tissue can develop which can change the function of that muscle. Anthony Carey is a San Diego-based personal trainer, author of the book: The Pain Free Program and educator who specializes at using exercise to help eliminate the causes of chronic pain. In this episode we discuss how the right exercise program can change how your body functions allowing you to live pain-free while enjoying your favorite activities. If you deal with p

David Jack is a leader in the fitness industry who serves as an adviser to Men’s Health, Reebok and other companies as well as running the Activ8 Lab fitness studio in the beautiful Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix, Arizona. David is not only responsible for producing informative, engaging content for top fitness brands but he is one of the most down-to-earth, engaging professionals I’ve met in my nearly twenty years working in fitness. In today’s conversation we talk about how to make time for fitness in a busy schedule, effective strength training exercise strategies when time is a factor along with ways that exercise can be used to help motivate and engage others. Rather than a lengthy intro, I’ll use David’s quote below as an example of what to expect in episode 7 of All About Fitness:    “I believe that as we use our strengths; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, to serve, we are given more. Fitness has been relegated to six-pack abs, a faster 40, a bigger bench or a better Fran time. Goals are

If you like to exercise and are always looking for new workout options one of the goals of All About Fitness is to introduce you to new types of fitness equipment and programs. As someone who has spent a career educating personal trainers I would never promote a product or support a program that I didn’t think is legitimate and provides a specific value to fitness consumers; the things I consider when reviewing a new entrant to the fitness market are: Is it a correct application of research-based exercise science? Does it address a specific need that isn’t being met by other products? Is it safe and appropriate for people of all ages and fitness levels? In episode 6 of All About Fitness we visit with Stephanie Lauren, the founder of Plyoga Fitness (featured on Spike TV's Sweat Inc.). Stephanie is a former NCAA athlete and competitive gymnast who wanted a dynamic way to stay fit after her competitive days were behind her which is what led her to create a new exercise format. What happens when you combin

Goal setting is an important part of working out. How can you measure progress if you don’t identify what your desired outcome is? As the winner of the Guinness 24 Hour Fitness Challenge Joe Decker is literally the World’s Fitness Man, in addition he has completed a number of grueling races and endurance events including the 520 mile Raid Gauloises, the Badwater 135, the Marathon des Sables (across the Sahara), the Grandslam of Ultra Running AND is a two-time winner of the Spartan Death Race.    In episode 5 of All About Fitness I talk with Joe, and his wife Nicole, about what motivates him and why he sets such incredible stretch goals. We also talk about how you can take the necessary steps to set your own goals that will push you beyond your comfort zone.   If you have found that your workouts are getting a little stale and that you need a new challenge then this episode of All About Fitness is for you!   Here are the links to information about Joe and Gut Check Fitness: http://gutcheckfitness.com

Confession: I'm a recovering meat-head; once upon a time my workout program focused on: bench press, biceps curls and lat pulldowns. For years my perception of Yoga was that it was merely stretching in a dark room with funky music. Then I tried my first class and was immediately humbled. As I've gotten older I've completely changed the way I train and now instead of focusing on how much weight I lift, the goal is to improve mobility and maintain a high level of physical function. While I don't practice as much as I would like I now appreciate the role that Yoga plays in a well-rounded fitness program.  Today in All About Fitness I have a conversation with fitness author, public speaker and Assistant Professor of Exercise Science (Miramar College) Jessica Matthews. Jessica has been teaching yoga for a number of year and has created a Yoga Alliance approved Yoga instructor program at Miramar College in San Diego, CA; we talk about the benefits of Yoga and how you can identify the best form and instructor for y

If you enjoy fitness and exercise at some point you have probably laced up your shoes and gone for a run. Maybe you run just enough to enjoy your desert or an extra glass of wine or maybe you train competitively and try to get faster in every race you enter. Whatever your level of commitment to running you will definitely learn a little something from today's guest. Sonja Friend-Uhl is an accomplished Master's level runner who is currently the Women's Masters Track & Field World Record holder in the Indoor Mile (4:44.81). In addition she is a record holder in the 1500m 4:16.90 and travels the world as a Master Trainer for Core Health & Fitness, the parent company of Star Trac and Stairmaster workout equipment; in this role she travels around the world to teach others how to exercise which presents a unique challenge for maintaining a high level of fitness with a crazy travel schedule. On All About Fitness we discuss how Sonja has worked to improve her speed in her forties as well as how she manages to stay

If you enjoy exercise and make your fitness a priority then one of your primary goals for working out is to burn fat. If this is the case then you are no doubt familiar with the concept of high intensity training. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), metabolic conditioning, Tabata training and other forms of extreme workouts that are meant to beat the calories out of you via punishing exercise are very popular right now, however they could be doing you more harm than good. You may have heard from your favorite fitness instructor, personal trainer or read in a popular magazine that high intensity interval training is effective at burning fat, it can be BUT ONLY when done the proper way and at the right amount. The perception is that the harder you work, the more calories you burn, however in the case of HIIT perception is NOT always reality. The simple fact is that a little HIIT can be good, but too much could be working against you and keeping you from reaching your fitness goals. In today's episode of

Are you a fitness enthusiast? Do you enjoy working out? If you do then you probably want to find the most effective workout program to help you meet your needs. "Boot camp" workout programs are an extremely popular mode of exercise and research by the American Council on Exercise has shown that they can be extremely effective for burning calories; however not all boot camp programs are the same (and some aren't even worth being called 'boot camp'). To get the lowdown on the type of challenges a real boot camp workout should offer and how these can benefit your fitness needs I went straight to the source and interviewed 6 time US Army 'Soldier of the Year' and decorated combat veteran Ken Wiechert who, besides serving in the TN National Guard, travels around the world to teach fitness instructors how to lead proper boot camp conditioning programs.  In the inaugural episode of All About Fitness you will learn about the benefits of boot camp conditioning programs and how to find the best program to meet your s