Author: Lisa S

Why Your Fitness Studio Needs A Brand Website

Posted on by Lisa S

You’ve put in blood, sweat, and tears to build and run your fitness studio, but you’re finding that it’s hard to attract new members. Have you considered how a brand fitness website could be the solution to your problem? Whether you are just starting out or are an established business owner, everyone needs a web presence. If you are an entrepreneur who owns a fitness studio, your website is the cornerstone of your business. Interested in knowing more about how to get your own brand website? Check this out

If a potential customer wants to learn about your studio and its services, it’s much easier for them to visit your site than pick up a phone and call, write you an email, or leave you a note on social media. Let’s face it. People are busy. They’re on the go and they need to know who you are and what you’re all about fast! Nothing screams instant credibility more than your very own branded website.A solid brand fitness website conveys everything about your business to viewers in one place. It’s all there: hours of operation, class schedule, location information, pricing and more. All the contact information they need is readily available too.

A professional brand website for your fitness business helps you communicate with the world.Your fitness studio’s website is the most important marketing tool for attracting new customers. A professional-looking site can set your studio apart from competitors, display a clean and inviting atmosphere, and enhance current members’ experience (and loyalty).

Most fitness studios are missing a huge opportunity by not having an online presence. With a fitness business website, you can continue your brand image outside of the studio walls so that consumers can find out more about you and your services.

Here’s a quick 3-point checklist to ensure a winning fitness studio website:
  • A clear, easy to follow and understand fitness website design that allows you to showcase your studio’s personality
  • Flawless user experience so your website is easy to navigate and explore
  • Clear call to actions that convert potential customers into paying ones.
  • Easy discover ability on search engines, so potential customers find you as the solution to their fitness needs.

Your fitness studio is one of your biggest investments. It’s the place where you go to fulfill your passion and help others fulfill theirs.Knowing how to get the most out of your website will help grow your business, increase revenue, and make life easier for you. Looking for health and fitness website design inspiration or end-to-end website design & development services for your fitness studio? Don’t waste another minute. Get started today.

Dance Fitness Classes Even The Worst Dancers Will LOVE!

Posted on by Lisa S

Dance fitness classes are a great way to get fit because it’s fun and active. When you dance, you are using your entire body for balance, coordination and body control. You work out more than just your legs and arms. Dance Fitness helps you burn fat, improve posture, tone muscles, reduce stress and get fit.Got two left feet? Don’t worry! Dance fitness takes away the pain out of dancing!

You know that exercise is important, but it’s hard to get inspired. That’s where dance fitness workout programs come in. You don’t have to be a great dancer.  You don’t even have to have any dance moves (but you will after you try it!). And best of all, there are no special clothes or shoes involved. While you’re still getting physically fit, you’ll also become more confident, learn to listen to your body and the rhythms of music, and maybe even make some friends along the way. Here are some popular types of dance fitness that even the worst dancers are guaranteed to love!

Cardio dance
cardio dance class will get your heart pumping and the sweat dripping. This fun and upbeat dance workout is the perfect way to get your heart rate up. Twerk it out to fun hip-hop music, plus get some good arm and leg work on with great music and a high energy instructor!The workout will improve your strength, flexibility and endurance. You will use your own body weight for resistance, which means it’s perfect for all fitness levels.

Zumba
Looking for dance inspiration? Zumba dancing is one of the most popular dance cardio exercises. Zumba combines fast and slow Latin and hip hop moves with simple dances to create a high-energy aerobic dance workout that is fun to do. It’s safe, effective, and easy to follow and the best dance workout program to potentially burn up to 1000 calories an hour!

Pole dance
Pole dancing is a fantastic way to get fit and gain strength while having a ton of fun.Whether you want to get in shape, burn calories, stay fit, or just feel feminine, it is the best dance workout program to effectively strengthen your core and upper body while also helping you achieve flexibility. A pole dance workout combines Pilates, TRX, yoga, and strength training. It is challenging, liberating and a great deal of fun!

If you’ve been searching for the right dance fitness classes online, we hope this article helps you make your decision. Get up, get fit, get moving!

How To Breathe Effectively While Working Out

Posted on by Lisa S

You’ve heard it said on the news, you’ve seen it in popular magazines, and you’ve watched it in those exercise videos — one of the important things you can do for yourself is learn how to breathe during workouts.  While most people have that part down, they don’t really understand what proper breathing really is. There are some people who take shallow breaths during their workouts, while there are others that take deep breaths. If you don’t breathe during workouts correctly, how are you going to get the results you want?

Breathing effectively is one of the most often overlooked aspects of a workout routine. Most people are taught that breathing matches their workout intensity, but that’s not always the case. Check out these tips that will teach you how to breathe properly during workouts and get the most out of your workout routine.

Breathing when you’re planking
As soon as you start an abdominal exercise, your muscles naturally begin to contract to prepare for movement. The rectus abdominis and obliques (the muscles on the front of your torso that are responsible for crunching your body in half or pulling your belly in tight) also contract to help maintain this balancing position. Breathing can help these muscles stabilize and prepare for the upcoming movement.

Breathing when you’re doing weights
 Often times, we’re too focused on what muscles we’re working instead of focusing on our breathing. Rather than focusing on your biceps, inhale as you lift the weight and exhale as you lower it. This is the best way to breathe during workouts. It will help with your focus, keep you from straining yourself and possibly hurting yourself, and get the most out of your exercise!

Breathing when you’re doing an HIIT workout
 When you’re performing high-intensity interval training, learning the proper way to breathe during workouts is key to getting the most out of your workout and avoiding injury. With high-intensity workouts, it’s common to feel out of breath fairly quickly. If you reach a point where you’re too out of breath and find that you’re starting to lose your form, slow down until you can resume again.

Breathing is one thing we tend to overlook when we’re working out, even though it’s the single most crucial tool to putting in a quality effort — and keeping the body healthy. And while you may have spent months or even years perfecting your squat technique or counting push ups at the end of a workout, you may be forgetting to take one factor into consideration: The importance of proper breathing.

So how do you breathe while working out? We hope this article has helped you identify any mistakes and breathe better!

What Features Should You Look for in a Fitness Management Software?

Posted on by Lisa S

Creating and running a successful fitness studio, health center, or small business takes a lot more than just training methods and enthusiasm. That’s where investing in a good fitness software comes in. Here’s what you should be looking for.

A software that helps you run your day-to-day tasks effortlessly
Fitness management software handles a lot of day-to-day tasks that management teams need to keep the facility running smoothly.It’s not hard to find software that lets you manage your fitness center. Most fitness software bundles include the major industry staples—member information, signups and billing, class scheduling, and daily operations like the cash register. It’s when you start adding specific needs that you need to look closely at what each vendor offers.There are so many features that you can look for in a fitness management software program. It’s important to ask yourself, what value will the added features bring?

A software that has the right tools & is easy to use
You’ll want to start by jotting down mental notes about what you want your fitness studio management software to be able to do for your business. Tools you should consider include: a client sign-up process, comprehensive reports, a logging feature for classes and personal workouts and/or training sessions, text messaging capabilities as well as e-mail integration, an interactive calendar feature, and an automatic payment processing system.Basically, you want it to be easy to use, efficient and advanced in technology, and holistic with new tools that aid in tracking your business’ progress. Now, before you go ahead and hastily choose a software service, remember to check that the price is both competitive and all inclusive. Many fitness software providers advertise a low sign up fee and then hide their most valuable features behind paywalls. Or they offer a fitness class scheduling software and nothing more! Don’t fall into that trap!

A software that offers dedicated customer support
Apart from the must have features, another key and often ignored aspect of fitness studio management software is customer support. Software often needs to be updated to fix bugs and ensure its running smoothly. Having access to either automated software updates or a dedicated customer support team can make all the difference and ensure you do not run into issues every now and again.

A software that is affordable and comes at a fixed price
The arena of fitness center software is quite vast. You can either opt for a comprehensive system that can help you with all your business needs, or you can go for scaled down features and find something more easily affordable. But to be honest, why should you have to choose one or the other? Why can’t you have both ?Are you looking for a fitness management software that has all of the features your fitness studio needs at an affordable price? My Best Studio is a leader in fitness software and provides many great features! Check it out here

Is CrossFit The Right Exercise For You? Find Out

Posted on by Lisa S

Are you looking to get fit? Get ripped? Build core strength while you shed fat? Cross fit may be the exercise you’re looking for. It can help any fitness-focused individuals meet their goals. The goal of CrossFit is to improve overall fitness and health through constant physical and mental challenges. The benefits of CrossFit are amazing. CrossFit workouts are often intense, rooted in functional movements–exercises that require you to use every single muscle in your body as you perform a task, like squatting, running, jumping, or pulling.

  • Is CrossFit for everyone?
    Is CrossFit good for health? Of course! Is CrossFit for everyone? CrossFit devotees say yes! Some of the best CrossFit exercises include plyometric jumping, kettlebells, explosive body weight movements, Olympic weightlifting and more.Read on to discover the benefits of CrossFit workouts and find out if its right for you.
  • Could improve physical strength
    If you’ve ever had strongman contests, you know that being strong is an event in itself. But because CrossFit relies on full-body movements and significant weight, it’s also a great way to burn fat and build muscle. CrossFits health benefits are multi fold. Its a high-intensity, multi-joint movement workout will give your muscles strength and stamina to perform daily activities better and make you feel more energetic throughout the day.
  • May improve agility, flexibility and balance
    The average person’s exercise routine doesn’t resemble life very closely. Instead of picking stuff up, putting it down, and bending over to tie your shoes, you may be running in circles on a treadmill or riding an exercise bike. CrossFit workouts often include functional exercises or exercises that mimic movements you do in everyday life, movements that can have a positive impact on your agility, balance, and flexibility. Many people look toward cross fit to burn calories, but the benefits are far greater than that.
  • Can help improve aerobic fitness
    Different from every other type of training program, CrossFit’s high-intensity power training (HIPT) may help increase your maximum oxygen intake (VO2 max), and improve your aerobic fitness.
    However, if you’re a beginner and new to CrossFit, its best to do it with a trained CrossFit instructor who can ensure you’re form is correct while doing the exercises. If you move through the exercises hastily or lift more than your body is able to handle, it could result in injury.
    The bottom line is, with CrossFit, you can’t lose. You might gain muscle, become more flexible, get in great shape, improve your balance and coordination, or lose weight. It all depends on your personality and how seriously you take CrossFit.

Best Yoga Positions For Pregnancy

Posted on by Lisa S

Can yoga help you get pregnant? The simple answer is ‘YES’. Although most women are aware of the physical benefits that yoga brings such as toning, strengthening and stretching, many do not realize the benefits of yoga for pregnancy. The postures taught in yoga classes for pregnancy can help a woman become pregnant and improve fertility.

Yoga’s benefits don’t stop at relieving stress and helping you shed the pounds. Ten minutes of the right poses in a day helps fight infertility, increases chances of conceiving, and also strengthens pelvic muscles to ease delivery.Pregnancy yoga positions have been shown to improve fertility in a number of ways, and many women who have trouble conceiving use yoga as an important part of their treatment.

Yoga for pregnancy is more than just exercising. It is said that 1 out of 3 women with irregular menstrual cycle becomes pregnant after practicing natural type of therapy like body alignment, meditation, and positive attitude. This is because these therapies optimize the energy flow that ultimately helps one achieve pregnancy easily

Here are 5 of the best yoga positions to get pregnant – positions that can help improve your fertility:

Chair pose
Chair pose one of the best yoga asanas to get pregnant. It strengthens your thighs and helps stabilize your knees. It is considered a strengthening and heat-building asana. Chair pose brings different parts of your body together into a powerful whole. In order to perform the chair pose properly, one needs to combine the strength of the legs, arms, and torso while lifting the core muscles and lengthening the spine.

Warrior pose
Warrior pose in yoga is termed as ‘Virabhadrasana’. Being one of the most effective yoga asanas, this posture improves blood circulation and makes the body flexible, which helps stimulate the reproductive system and helps women conceive more easily.

Bridge pose
Bridge pose is an excellent asana or yoga pose for women who believe in the power of yoga to become pregnant.Some of the benefits are stress relief and a sense of calmness, improved posture as it stretches the shoulders and upper back muscles. Most importantly it results in increased blood circulation in the body, especially to the abdominal region, thus helping in ovulation and conception.

Handstand
There’s so much that handstands do for women having fertility issues. Handstands help stretch the whole body, including loose shoulders and hips, tight hamstrings, tired back, and stuffed intestines.

Modified bridge
This is one of the easiest yoga asanas to conceive a babyand can significantly improve your chances of conception.This two-benefits yoga pose can help a woman conceive a baby as well as relieve her from common pregnancy complaints.The modified bridge pose is a great stretch for the lower abdominal area, pelvic area and hips, which are all key areas in getting pregnant.

If you are a yoga instructor, yoga studio owner or fitness entrepreneur who is passionate about showing women how yoga helps with pregnancy, click here to learn how you can help your business grow with the right support.

How To Choose The Right Fitness Studio Management Software For Your Business

Posted on by Lisa S

If you’re a fitness studio owner or you’re just starting one, catering to people’s current needs and preferences is the key to success. But with the rise of digitalization, managing your fitness offering, instructors and employees virtually is the way to go. And to help you manage everything conveniently and effectively, here are some things you should consider when choosing a fitness studio management software for your business. But first, let’s look at what exactly is fitness software.

Fitness software helps you manage all your activities, including client registrations and memberships, class scheduling & reminders, payment management and more.

Fitness studio software is designed to help fitness experts, gym owners and fitness trainers manage their gym operations in a more efficient way. Wouldn’t it be great to manage your gym or fitness club efficiently so you can do what you do best – help people with their fitness goals? Let’s dive into what exactly you should be looking for.

  • Be aware of your challenges and objectives
    As a gym owner, what are the challenges you are facing ? Do you want to get more members? Do you want your clients to stay? Is the rush in your gym at peak hours too much to handle? Is your staff (or you) spending too much time on administrative tasks? Look for a fitness studio software that aligns with your goals and requirements.
  •  Consider the software features you need
    Fitness software solutions vary in terms of features and functionalities. Some tools may offer basic client management and billing functionality, whereas others might be full-fledged ERP systems with payroll and financial management capabilities. Ideally, choose a comprehensive fitness studio management software that covers the entire spectrum of studio operations and simplifies your managerial tasks.
  • Ensure the software is easy to use
    It’s likely that you or your staff haven’t used a management software solution before. If the fitness class booking software you implement is complex to use, your team will spend a substantial amount of time figuring out how to use it. You certainly don’t want that to happen. So, ensure that the gym software you buy is user-friendly and easy-to-use.
  • Check the software pricing
    Fitness studio scheduling software can be a fairly significant investment. If you choose to spend your time and money on a software solution that’s too expensive, your profits may be insufficient to neutralize its cost. Also, be aware of software that seems too cheap, as it may require you to pay additionally to unlock certain features or may contain hidden charges. Try to find a solution that is a good value for the price you pay.

What Happens To The Body If You Don’t Exercise

Posted on by Lisa S

Sometimes doing nothing at all can be the most dangerous move of all. Inactivity (like sitting for hours on end) causes more deaths around the world than cigarette smoking or diabetes. Experts say the results show that no matter who you are or how fit or unfit you are, there’s still a benefit to taking even a short walk every day.Researchers have found that the least fit people (determined by a treadmill test) had a 500% increased risk of early death.

Still need convincing? Here are some more reasons to stop being a couch potato and break a sweat!

Exercise helps you get a good night’s sleep
Have you ever experienced a deep, extremely satisfying and rejuvenating sleep after spending a couple of hours in the fresh air, paddling a kayak, working in the yard, backpacking 10 miles, or running a long-distance race? Vigorous exercise, especially outdoors, is a highly effective sleep inducer—one that you are missing if you aren’t getting regular exercise.

Exercise may prevent you from developing high blood pressure
Exercising helps your heart become more efficient at pumping blood, which decreases the force of blood flow through your arteries. If you don’t exercise regularly, over time you will lose your cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF). A study of 3,831 men found that those whose fitness levels decreased over about 10 years were 72% more likely to develop high blood pressure compared to subjects who increased their cardio-respiratory fitness.

Exercise could protect you from memory loss
Scientists have linked physical fitness to the brain’s ability to make new neural pathways, and the hippocampus, which refers to the area of the braindevoted to memory and executive function. Studies have shown that people who were fit as young adults had better motor skills, memory and aheightened  ability to focus on emotional control 25 years later, in middle age.

Exercise could help regulate your blood sugar levels
Researchers found that just one 30-60 minute session of moderate exercise can help to boost insulin sensitivity, and improve the way our body regulates blood sugar. So take a walk at lunchtime, or maybe have a mini workout after dinner – there’s a good chance it will help to keep your blood sugar levels in check.

Exercise may reduce chances of getting some cancers
Does sitting the entire day increase your risk of cancer? Scientists don’t know for sure. But what they do know is sedentary behavior is a risk factor for several chronic conditions and premature death.According to the National Cancer Institute, while no studies have conclusively proven that lack of exercise causes cancer, many self-reported observational studies have provided evidence that links higher physical activity to lower cancer risk.

Martial Arts Boosts Mental Health. Here’s How.

Posted on by Lisa S

Martial arts have a wide array of health benefits. The goal of martial arts is to teach the body and mind to work together in order to bring about self-discipline. It isn’t surprising that the martial arts business is growing in leaps and bounds. If you’re thinking about trying martial arts, here’s why it’s a good idea.Practicing martial arts is a great way to not only change your physical strength and muscle tone, but also transform your mental health. By practicing martial art you are able to get in touch with your emotions and channel your negative thoughts. Martial arts are good for developing concentration and focus, as well as emotional skills like self-­control, resilience and inner calm.­­­­

1. Helps Combat Stress
Stress and anxiety are nowadays a part of almost everyone’s life. You can be sure that it will not, in any way, leave you alone in the near future. However, with martial arts training, you can easily combat all the adverse effects of stress and anxiety. Additionally, most of these trainings have meditation and breathing sessions that can further help you fight stress.

2. Increases Mindfulness
If you’re looking to practice mindfulness, you might want to consider taking up a martial art. Through their teachings and focus on meditation, martial arts classes can help you become more aware of how your body works.

3. Increases Confidence & Self Esteem
Martial art training can promote the development of moral values. It also assists with physical and mental relaxation, mind and body control, and an increase in self confidence.

4. Helps Release Anger
The practice of martial arts is an intense aerobic workout, so it’s a very helpful way to release your anger. Kicking, punching, yelling and sweating do wonders!Martial arts helps you to manage your reactions and calm your thoughts before it gets too intense.

5. Teaches you how to go with the flow
Martial arts teaches you to overcome difficult challenges that life throws your way by developing a more flexible mindset.Through martial arts students develop awareness, resilience, and acceptance that help them to get through life’s curve balls with a positive attitude.

If you are a personal martial arts trainer who is looking to scale up, investing in a martial arts software is a great idea. Many business owners of fitness studios have explored martial arts business software solutions for their enterprises.

Top Reasons To Invest In A Fitness Studio Management Software

Posted on by Lisa S

If you are a fitness studio owner, then the secret to keeping your business afloat and at the same time remaining competitive is not in burying yourself in paperwork. You need to find ways to save time and increase productivity so that you can focus on the core business. Software automation can be an efficient way of saving both time and money. Here are the top reasons to invest in a fitness studio management software.

Automation of processes:
A fitness studio software automates the most repetitive and often time-consuming tasks like billing, attendance tracking and more.A fitness class booking software like the one offered by My Best Studio can manage your schedule and bookings with ease.

Staff management:
With the right specialized fitness software, you can improve the efficiency of your workforce with a better management of instructors’ time.

Member database:
A fitness studio software makes it easy for you to keep track of all your studio members with a simple database, allowing you to access and edit all member details quickly and efficiently, in one place.

Configurations and Customizations:
If you zero in on a good fitness studio management software, it will allow you to customize configurations as per the requirements of your business. So you have control over the operations of your business in the way you want to run it.

Powerful reporting:
Fitness software helps you store client data, but it goes beyond that.  It also helps you generate a wide variety of reports.

Easy integration:
Fitness studio software can integrate into your brand website, and it typically comes with the requisite 24×7 technical support to address all your grievances and concerns.

One thing to remember, however, is that many fitness studio management software service providers hide some of their important features behind a paywall. This forces you to pay additionally anytime you need access to them and can work out to be expensive. So,its important to do your homework and choose a fitness software provider with an all-inclusive rate. My Best Studio is one of the most popular choices for fitness studio owners around the globe. At a flat, fixed rate of $55 per month, it takes care of all your business needs from a single interface and even offers two complementary apps at no extra charge. Check it out here.