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A Grateful Glance Back at 2018

2019 blog member benefit new year the women in fitness association wifa women women in fitness association women leaders womeninfitnessassociation Jan 08, 2019

Wow what a year!! We at SoulBody feel blessed to be working with our forward thinking "family" of clubs such as GoodLife Fitness, Gold's Gyms, YMCAs, Merritt Clubs, Brick Bodies and many other gyms and studios all over the globe. We are proud to be a part of their Group Fitness space as these clubs are offering their members world class service and helping their community look and feel their best!

We are also BEYOND grateful and inspired by our SoulBody SQUAD, our barefooted and sneakered tribe that goes out there everyday teaching, coaching, encouraging, and changing lives for the better!
We look forward to our continued growth of this influential group of like-minded change agents!

What a year for group fitness, virtual fitness, wearable technology, HIIT (high intensity interval training), functional and recovery fitness and a resounding overall focus on wellness and the healthy life style. As we wrote in our last blog, we at SoulBody have jumped on the "virtual" train with Wexer, BurnAlong and NEO U, offering our fans virtual classes both in the gym and at home! One of our fave wearables is MYZONE as many of the clubs we are affiliated with offer this technology. We love to hop into a class strapped to monitor our effort and even compete!!

One trend that sparked our interest this past year has been the rise of instructors enrolling in more educational and certification programs. According to ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) more and more fitness professionals are seeking education through their accredited program as well as others such as AFAA (Athletics and Fitness Association of America) and NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) which allows these fitness professionals to be more knowledgable in gym safety, proper exercise form and overall body mechanics and training principles. SoulBody is proud to be an AFAA, NASM as well as CANFITPRO continuing education provider as we weave their principles of training, exercise and physiology into our SoulBody Teacher Trainings.

There has also been a HUGE surge in wellness and awareness of how our actions effect the earth. From mediation apps (Headspace is our go-to), to green, non-toxic beauty products (think CBD Oil from the cannabis plant) to "living" walls in corporate offices. Even coffee had a moment with Bulletproof Coffee! Who would have thought to add butter or ghee (clarified butter) and brain octane oil to your morning cup of Joe??

As we look ahead to 2019 we are more than sure we will continue to see a surge in meditation, yoga, restorative fitness, mindful experiences such as wellness retreats and, as rumor has it, social media detoxing! One buzzword we have heard and will continue to hear is community!!

We at SoulBody look forward to go inward to find peace and outward to enjoy friends, family and our fellow fitness fanatics! More to come on trends to look for in 2019!!

Cheers to a happy, healthy, mindful and peaceful NEW YEAR!

For more of our insights into what emerged in the "Tech Meets Fitness" space in 2018, click the link below to check out our blog about the Motionsoft Technology Summit we took part in as panelists. We wrote this "take away" for Active Management, a business solution company for the fitness business owner, manager or entrepreneur! 

https://www.activemgmt.com.au/motionsoft-technology-summit-takeaways-from-ann-marie-barbour-soul-body/?fbclid=IwAR0I9RAVsGde1_pFbC_ISz7loTzlOXzAbffOX-W6IvNF6TTb-tadEbpIKYk

Best in Health and Fitness
Ann Marie

Original post here.