Ancient discipline evolves through Fitness

By Felesha Love, MBA

Fitness culture is changing. Again! Have you

ever wondered what happened in our culture to

embrace yoga? Once upon a time, over twenty-

five years ago, the traditional musty male

dominated gym transformed into the co-ed,

gender friendly work-out center and gathering

place, which we are familiar with today. The

gym uniform evolved from the boring,

conventional gray, draw string sweat pants to

body forming, dance inspired fashion, complete

with sweat bands and leg warmers, for being

seen. Credit that skimpy leotard with

emergence of the infamous thong. Today’s

serious exerciser knows, all too well, the benefit

of the porous Lycra fiber sportswear. But, in the

gym, when it comes to style and comfort, the

focus is on the foot. The all-purpose casual shoe

went from the street to the gym and was used

by aerobic exercise enthusiasts in the lateral

and side-to-side footsteps of the grapevine and

shuffle steps executed in high impact aerobics

and dance routines. In those days, shoes worn

in the gym had little arch support and came in a

choice of two colors - black and white. By 1987,

the cross trainer shoe replaced the ‘the tennis

shoe’. The avid runner can now enjoy the

protection of an athletic shoe and the freedom

of movement, in the revolutionary barefoot

running shoe. Although, for some, being a

member of the hottest facility with the slickest

décor, luxury amenities, A-list trainers, and the

latest exercise dance craze had less to do with

improving one’s health, and more to do with

social status.

Back then, exercise formats were limited to

basic calisthenics and synchronized dance

movements. Gin Miller, originator of the STEP,

reshaped the fitness industry with his

revolutionary and innovative Step Aerobics.

Revolution is the name of the game in the

fitness industry and, I, Felesha Love, happened

to be one of a very small and select group of

Atlanta instructors who were taught by Miller

on how to teach STEP and later Ramping. Each

one of us have our individual stories about how

he had us move up and down, repetitively and

feverishly atop of homemade wooden boxes,

enthusiastically promoting a brand new form of

cardio exercise. Or was it choreography? The

STEP workout technique took the fitness world

by storm. It was fun, fresh and innovative.

From the very beginning, Atlanta, Georgia has

been the hub of the group fitness evolution. In

1994, Body Pump arrived on the scene in

America, more specifically at my fitness club.

Australian Body Works, in Atlanta, was the first

to introduce a powerful entertainment based,

strength training workout with the use of

barbells. The creators of Body Pump, Les Mills

International, molded the ‘70’s and 80’s style

aerobics instructor into cutting edge fitness

icons and ignited a fitness revolution. Again, I

was one of them. Les Mills International

achieved phenomenal success. The company

slogan was “14,000 club, 80 countries, 10

programs and one group effect.” I will remain

eternally grateful for the priceless training and

experience attained as a Les Mills instructor and

participant. Lose the equipment and toss out

the pills. Body Pump really is the fastest way to

get in shape!

Mainstream fitness, in the 70’s and 80’s was focused on cardiovascular and strength training concepts. Little attention was given to the importance of balance with lengthening major muscles or strengthening the core. Collectively, fitness executives didn’t even consider Yoga or Pilates as valuable modalities for the general public until the late 90’s. It wasn’t until 2000 that fitness professionals began promoting the benefits of flexibility beyond quick stretching, before and after exercise. Yet, on the west coast, the popularity of yoga and Pilates had been building momentum since the early twenties. In 1920, Swami Paramhansa Yogananda began as a lecturer to thousands of American’s before he opened his first yoga school in Los Angeles, five years later. Clouded by religious based assumptions, it has taken nearly sixty years for the wisdom and benefits of yoga to surface. Pilates was developed by Joseph Pilates as an exercise system to build core strength. The discipline initially attracted dancers. Pilates designed the Reformer and other apparatus to

accommodate intensity of movement to some of his 34 standard exercises. Today, in the heart of mainstream fitness, along with wrist worn heart rate monitors, Lycra athletic gear,

barefoot running shoes, iPods and YouTube you’ll find Pilates and Yoga. The concept continues to flourish. The benefit of yoga

has revolutionized the perception of why we exercise in the first place. Previously, people looked to fitness professionals to carve out a road map to meet ideal weight goals, improve health and fitness performance within limited constraints of time. In this new millennium, fitness professionals are expected to meet this demand and more. National health epidemics of hypertension, heart disease, cancer and the like have insisted that fitness professionals learn more about holistic living. Understanding basic physical movement and an eight count beat of music is not enough to curtail the sedentary and unhealthy behavior choices. The fitness professional is expected to appreciate the variables that prohibit healthy change such as managing stress, addressing all segments of life, to promote wholeness and awareness of what it means to live quality life. The International Health, Racquet & Sports club Association (IHRSA) reported that the U.S. health club industry stacked $21.4 billion in revenue in 2011. This is amazing as some clubs continue to operate without dated fitness concepts and services, falling grossly short of meeting revolutionized cultural needs, yet they remain profitable; whether members reach intended fitness goals or not. I will be the first

to admit it that much of my fitness career was based on a narrow scope of understanding until I began researching yoga. Fitness professionals are trained to be results driven, which is not necessarily the goal for all clients. What I discovered is this: even if a client is lucky enough to find someone to help them change their body image, the likelihood of sustaining rewards are skeptical. Intended goals are weakened by poor lifestyle habits, low confidence and disconnection of self-worth. At the core of it all is spiritual disengagement. Welcome to the holistic benefits of MySpirtFitness! MySpiritFitness translates National Health and Fitness Standards, yoga, meditation and Ayurveda into simple and easy-to-use concepts for people to improve overall well-being. East meets West through fitness!

Felesha Love is a Nationally Certified Fitness Professional

who teaches Yoga, Pilates, Step Aerobics, Kickboxing and

instructor trainer. She is also Adjunct Professor in the

Health and Physical Education Department at Spelman

College.