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January is a time when many people make resolutions and then break them. Almost 60% of Americans will resolve to exercise more, but fewer than 10% will stick with their resolution. A key to keeping resolutions is ensuring they are measurable, and a simple way to track activity is through a wearable smartwatch or fitness tracker. Indeed, almost one in five adults has used a fitness tracker.

Wearable fitness trackers can also help improve medical care by providing insights into physical activity, heart rate, location and sleep patterns. My research team uses wearable fitness tracker data with smart home sensors to help older adults live safely and independently. We also study wearable fitness tracker data along with electronic medical records and genomic data to investigate the causes of gestational diabetes. Many other researchers utilize wearable fitness trackers to better understand how lifestyles can impact health.

Unfortunately, Ive found in my health informatics research that wearable devices may not give all the credit their users deserve, and in some cases, users may want to consider how secure and private their data is.

People who use fitness trackers have been frustrated with how they get credit for their activities, which drives some users to abandon fitness trackers. In my research teams work, we find that people who have limited arm movement report that fitness trackers are not accurately recording their activities. This can happen as well with those who do not have traditional gaits because they may shuffle.

The lack of credit is especially obvious when people are walking but keeping their arms still such as pushing a stroller or walking while holding an infant. New mothers also report accuracy issues with respect to their sleep patterns. When they wake up multiple times a night, the next morning the device will show them as lightly sleeping. This is frustrating when the new mother wants to use this data to negotiate with her partner on child care because a device may credit the mother with more sleep than she actually gets.

These inaccuracies make sense from a technical point of view. When people keep their wrists still, as in pushing a stroller, the wrist is not changing directions. Thus, the software cannot detect changes in movement from the accelerometer sensor on a wrist tracker which is looking for changes in up-down, forward-backward and side-to-side movements. Researchers have also shown that 500 or fewer steps can be recorded without wearing the device, reflecting how devices can over count activity sometimes. In the case of detecting sleep, most people do not wake up multiple times a night, so the algorithms used by wearable devices may throw these short bursts of movement away.

The companies that make these wearable devices have significant intellectual property involved in detecting these movements and then using algorithms to decide how much people are moving or sleeping, so these algorithms are not shared publicly. There currently do not exist any mechanisms to give feedback on what was detected. Imagine if a person could push a button and tell a wearable fitness device, I did wake up three times tonight!

Since people are not getting the credit they deserve for some of their activities, I am concerned about what type of lifestyle data we researchers can accurately assess from a commodity wearable for our health research. In computing, there is a saying, Garbage in, garbage out. If wearable fitness trackers are putting inaccurate step and sleep data into the algorithms that quantify our activities, then people will be making health-related decisions based on inaccurate data.

Typically, consumers assess how much credit they are getting from a fitness tracker by transferring the data to an app. Most people likely assume that when people transfer the data to the app, the data is not shared widely. Users may assume, for instance, that they can see the data, people they shared data with can view it and the company who has the device and app can see the data. But this is only part of the story.

A company, however, could change its terms of service which, studies have shown, people have difficulty understanding and decide to make this health data available to third parties. For example, wearable fitness data could be sold to help our employers understand our fitness and productivity or insurance companies to assist with or deny health coverage. Although theres no evidence of this practice being done, I believe consumers would do well to be aware that it is a possibility in the future.

[ Youre smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversations authors and editors. You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter. ]

Link:
Why fitness trackers may not give you all the 'credit' you hoped for - The Conversation US

No-fail practice fitness tests are expected for the entire Air Force in the spring

Airmen soon will have several chances to pass their fitness assessment, a draft Air Force policy stated, days after one of the services largest commands said it would allow favorable practice tests to count.

The draft policy said that airmen can take up to three diagnostic fitness assessments conducted under official conditions. If theyre happy with the scores, they can count them as official.

Airmen taking diagnostic assessments may end them at any point without any of the consequences of failing an official test, the policy said.

A no fail fitness test policy was first floated in August by Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Kaleth Wright.

Part of the policy appeared on the Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook page Tuesday and was confirmed by the Pentagon as screen shots of the executive summary, which is still in draft and may change.

The goal is to publish it this Spring, Air Force spokeswoman Capt. Carrie Volpe said in an email.

Diagnostic assessments must be taken at least 15 days prior to the expiration of an airmans current fitness test, the policy stated.

Only after an airman elects to count the diagnostic assessment as official will the results be recorded in the Air Force fitness management system. An Air Reserve Component member must take a diagnostic assessment during Guard or Reserve duty to make it official.

Commanders and supervisors cant require a diagnostic test to count, nor can they prevent airmen from taking such tests under official conditions, the draft policy stated. Command-directed assessments will not count toward the three-attempt limit.

The policy details come days after Air Force Materiel Command, which includes about 80,000 combined military and civilian personnel, said they would beta-test a similar program beginning Monday.

The practice tests aim to motivate airmen to maintain their fitness while reducing the pressure of potential failure, Lt. Col. Rachel Marazita, AFMC military personnel and programs branch chief, said Friday on the commands website.

Fear of failed physical training tests and the potential of career-ending disciplinary action is a major stressor that we are looking to eliminate through a sound testing protocol coupled with an organizational culture of fitness, Marazita said.

ferguson.brian@stripes.comTwitter: @BrianFerg57

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'No-fail' practice fitness tests are expected for the entire Air Force in the spring - Stars and Stripes

Fitbits, Apple watches and other personal tracking devices offer a wide variety of health-related bells and whistles but Geisingers Dr. Timothy Doyle urges patients to not ignore the most simple of these functions.

The best thing to monitor is how many steps you are taking in a day, he said. The American Heart Association recommends people take 10,000 steps a day in fact many studies show that you can dramatically decrease the chances of heart disease and diabetes by simply hitting that mark on a consistent basis.

Some devices also track how much aerobic exercise you complete, which is another important benchmark, according to Doyle.

A number of studies show that if someone is achieving 150 minutes of aerobic activity a week, they can reduce the risk of diabetes by 70 percent, he said.

Electronic journaling

Health tracking devices have been game-changers in the medical industry because, to make positive lifestyle changes, you need to recognize current habits, according to Dr. Steven Barrows, of UPMC Susquehanna.

Keeping a journal of everything you eat and drink as well as your activities is the time-tested way to capture this information, but its not always convenient to write down every detail, he said. Many mobile applications and websites have become popular alternatives to paper journals, and fitness trackers have become a part of the connectivity of modern lifestyle.

Doyle practices what he preaches depending on his Apple watch for daily fitness tracking and health motivation.

I love using it and my family likes to stay competitive by challenging each other to make goals. It creates some positive peer pressure to get active, he said. Most of my patients now have Fitbits or Apple watches we even have challenges in the office to see who can get to 10,000 or 15,000 steps.

Doyle uses his watch in conjunction with the Activity app, which offers a variety of additional features and ability to track all sorts of data, including calorie intake and statistics on exercise.

Other advances

Beyond the personal health tracking, technology has forged other devices that have made major changes in how doctors treat patients.

If a patient has been in a hospital for an irregular heartbeat, we can set them up with a device at home that monitors heart rates and even daily weight, said Doyle. The device can alert us if someone is taking on more fluid or has some other issue it allows us to make decisions that are best for the patient before they may need a trip to the emergency room.

For diabetics, technology is reshaping the blood testing devices that are critical in monitoring daily glucose levels.

Some of the new devices can test sugar without needles, and can transmit readings directly to the provider, said Doyle. We actually have a pharmacist that does diabetic management, gets this information directly from patients and can adjust insulin levels that allow patients to get in good control of their sugars in a short amount of time.

As technology continues to bridge the gap between patients and providers, however, there are certain areas where people should take caution, Doyle added.

One of the applications for the new Apple watches advertises that it can perform an EKG, he said. A true EKG here in the office looks at things from 12 different angles and gives some valuable information, but the Apple watch version cant do that. It can tell if your heart is beating irregularly, but calling it an EKG could lull some patients into a false sense of security if they are feeling poorly, but the device suggests nothing is off.

Still, the benefits of these devices can outweigh the concerns especially in terms of immediate awareness.

My father-in-law called me a few months ago to tell me he wasnt feeling well, and he checked his Apple watch and it reported his heart was beating at 150 beats per minute, Doyle said. It helped make the decision easier to get him to the emergency room. Used correctly, these devices can save a life.

More:
Fitness trackers: Tips to boost health benefits - Sunbury Daily Item

Anytime Fitness Brand President Stacy Anderson went undercover for tonights episode of Undercover Boss. The episode will air at 8 p.m. on CBS.

Disguised as a blonde woman wearing over-the-top makeup, Anderson goes on an undercover mission to get a look at Anytime Fitness franchise operations.The synopsis for the episode says that Anderson will work on a set of undercover missions to make sure the gyms are operating in tip-top shape as she tries not to break a sweat when put through a workout by a fanatically clean gym manager.

Undercover Bossallows company executives and leaders to get a look at the behind-the-scenes going-ons of their companies without their employees knowing theyre there. The show also gives the bosses a way to see what happens in everyday situations and also see how difficult the work is and where improvements may need to be made.

Throughout the episode, Anderson goes undercover at various gyms. She works as a club manager and trainer, getting opportunities to learn and grow aside team members and seeing what employees, franchisees and customers really think of the company.

As a direct result of her journey onUndercover Boss,Anderson found the brand needed some changes made. Insights from the mission will allow Anderson and other executives to fine-tune operations and stay ahead of the competition.

As we look to evolve and elevate our brand experience to better compete in a growing competitive environment, there are both great assets we have in our clubs as well as challenges that lie ahead of us, Anderson told PR Newswire. Undercover Bossprovided an unprecedented opportunity to identify our company strengths and areas for improvements so we can make refinements as we continue on our aggressive growth path.

She went on to say that it is clear from the experience that the employees and franchise owners really care about the brand, their members, and their businesses. The people are the most important part of the brand.

Anderson was promoted to Brand President of Anytime Fitness in September 2016. Prior to being promoted, Anderson served as the companys Chief Marketing Officer since 2012.

Anytime Fitness began franchising in 2002 and now has nearly 5,000 locations that span all seven continents. They plan to open more than 130 locations by the end of 2020 in the U.S. and Canada.

The filming for the January 15 episode ofUndercover Bosshappened last July in a few different cities. One of those cities was Lebanon, Indiana, where Anderson went undercover and met Anytime Fitness franchise general manager Cathy Scott. Scott had never seen an episode of the show, so she did not catch on when they were filming. She told theKokomo Tribunethat a lot of the members at the gym figured it out.

If I had known it wasUndercover Boss, I might not have said some of the things I said, she said. I probably would not have been as frank.

Of course, the whole point of the show is to get the employees to be as upfront and open as possible with the executive; thats why they go undercover.

Undercover Bossairs at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays on CBS.

READ NEXT: Walk-Ons Bistreaux & Bar is Featured on Undercover Boss

Link:
Anytime Fitness Featured on 'Undercover Boss' Tonight - Heavy.com

"We combine movementtraining, strength training and cardio-respiratory fitness to get you moving and feeling better, build more lean muscle and lose fat," says Cahill, and an expert in how athletes adapt to strength, speed and power at different levels of physical maturity.

"All of this decreases the likelihood of chronic health diseases," he adds.

Cahill's SMART plan incorporates science along with some fun:

S Sustainability is key.Don't go from zero to hero. Being consistentlyokay is better for you than being sporadically great. Don't all of a sudden decide to run 10 miles in one day. Instead, run 2.5 miles three times a week and get in some training for strength, mobility and flexibility. Remember that you're working toward a long-term goal, but don't forget to celebrate your achievements along the way.

M Metrics matter.Complete baseline fitness tests so you can track your progress. Know your body composition, movement, strength and cardiorespiratory fitness. Metrics hold you accountable, and what gets measured gets done.If you don't assess where you started from and where you are at different times, how can you have short, medium and long-term goals? To stay on track, you need to have milestones, like landmarks on a map.

A Attire.It's important to feel good and look good when you are training. Choose clothes that match your body type and personality. This helps you be confident before, during and after your workouts.Scientists call this "enclothed cognition" that mental shift your brain makes when you wear certain clothes. A study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychologyfinds what we wear changes how we act because we associate the clothes with a symbolic meaning. This holds true for active adults and professional athletes.

R Recovery.Train hard, recover harder. Your one or two hours of exercise is only the stimulus. It's the other 22 hours in the day where adaptation occurs. Use active and passive recovery to get the most out of your days off.It's not about a workout or a diet. It's about a healthy lifestyle. The workout just complements the way you live seven days a week.

T Train, don't exercise.To stay focused, train with intent and have a goal. Use multiple forms of training in your workout and do what you enjoy. Be sure to vary your routine, which challenges your body to continually adapt."What I do, and what I advise others to do, is avoid yo-yo fitness regimens," Cahill says. "Being able to sustain your fitness regimen is underpinned by a foundation built on health rather than performance. Health should drive performance."

Want to know more? Cahill is available for media interviews to discuss fitness training and health.

Learn how you can create lifelong fitness and health habits. Let Athlete Training and Health show you how to be aForever ATHleteby finding the right adult fitness program for you. We offer daily, weekend, 1-on-1 and corporate training sessions. Our performance coaches use the most advanced, evidence-based sports performance training to develop athletes of all ages and abilities.

About Athlete Training and HealthAthlete Training and Health's mission is to use best practices of health and performance to provide a world-class training environment for active adults and athletes of all ages and abilities. Our multi-field, state-of-the-art facilities are equipped with advanced pro-style weight rooms and dedicated areas for adult and youth athletes.ATH's highly-skilled coaches deploy training strategies that elevate regardless of age or ability athletes' performance to the highest level through consistent evaluation and education. A key component of ATH is its forward-thinking approach to collaboration with hospital systems, professional sports teams, universities and independent school districts to raise the bar for health and performance training. For more:www.athletetrainingandhealth.com.

Media ContactsLauren Covington, lcovington@athleteth.com, 469-438-3963Amy George, amygeorge@bygeorgecomms.com, 980-395-9328

SOURCE Athlete Training and Health

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New Year, New You SMART Fitness Tips - PRNewswire

Dive Brief:

At a time when many people are joining gyms to aid in their New Year's resolutions, Planet Fitness is positioning itself as the gym for average people who are interested in exercising without succumbing to pressures of intense training. The "Stop the Bullfit" campaign launches as Planet Fitness continues to expand its reach nationwide with new locations and woo consumers who have yet to register for a gym membership and may be intimidated by the high-intensity classes offered by boutiques like Solidcore or Equinox.

Planet Fitness' report revealed frustrations with these types of boutique studios, fad fitness trends and social media competition prevent people from joining gyms. The Bullfit Report found that 80% of Americans don't belong to a gym and 55% said that turning exercise into a competition decreases their motivation to go. Additionally, 68% of those surveyed said they find leaderboards common in many exercise classes discouraging instead of their intended motivational purpose.

The gym chain's creative focused on exercise for average people aligns with its core offering of a $10-per-month membership, appealing to consumers that might balk at a $40 spin class and are instead looking for a place to go to get on the treadmill or take a yoga class.

The "Don't Ride the Bike of Shame" messaging supports past campaigns, such as a 2013 effort designed to cure Pinterest-induced stress. A "No Pintimidation" microsite aimed to help consumers combat pressures related to perfection seen on inspirational sites like Pinterest.

Planet Fitness' newest campaign comes amid major growth for the chain. In Q3 2019, the company posted revenues of $166.8 million, up 22.1% from the same period in 2018 and exceeding analyst expectations. The chain opened its 2,000th location in Colorado Springs on Dec. 31, 2019. In March, Planet Fitness teamed with Kohl's to open workout centers adjacent to some Kohl's stores, citing how malls are an appealing location to attract potential customers.

Link:
Planet Fitness' 2020 spot takes the 'bullfit' out of exercise - Marketing Dive

Everyone knows that the physical fitness is very important for the healthy lifestyle. But obesity has become a very major issue in the world. About 39 percent of the population of the world is obese. The rate is increasing day by day because of the increasing food industry and lack of the exercise or physical training.

If you want a healthy lifestyle then you have to remain physically active all the time to boost up your health, it will also improve the quality of life by letting go of stress, anxiety or depression, it will also give you mental relief. If you remain idle or physically inactive then in the near future you will be welcoming obesity along with many health problems like loss of muscle strength, stamina or energy and it will also lead to cardiovascular diseases. So, if you remain physically active it will help in the good circulation of the blood and will increase your energy level and you will not be facing any disease in the future.

If you are physically fit you have a longer life span than those who are not healthy or who are obese, because obesity leads to aging. So, if you want to enjoy life in its fullest you have to remain energetic and physically active all the time. It will also effect on your mood and attitude; you will be having fresh mood and positive attitude all the time if you are physically fit. That is why you have to make Physical Activity as a part of your life.

AEMAN MUKHTAR,

Lahore.

More here:
Physical fitness - The Nation

No-fail practice fitness tests are expected for the whole Air Force in the spring

Airmen soon will have several chances to pass their fitness assessment, a draft Air Force policy stated, days after one of the services largest commands said it would allow favorable practice tests to count.

The draft policy said that airmen can take up to three diagnostic fitness assessments conducted under official conditions. If theyre happy with the scores, they can count them as official.

Airmen taking diagnostic assessments may end them at any point without any of the consequences of failing an official test, the policy said.

A no fail fitness test policy was first floated in August by Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Kaleth Wright.

Part of the policy appeared on the Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook page Tuesday and was confirmed by the Pentagon as screen shots of the executive summary, which is still in draft and may change.

The goal is to publish it this Spring, Air Force spokeswoman Capt. Carrie Volpe said in an email.

Diagnostic assessments must be taken at least 15 days prior to the expiration of an airmans current fitness test, the policy stated.

Only after an airman elects to count the diagnostic assessment as official will the results be recorded in the Air Force fitness management system. An Air Reserve Component member must take a diagnostic assessment during Guard or Reserve duty to make it official.

Commanders and supervisors cant require a diagnostic test to count, nor can they prevent airmen from taking such tests under official conditions, the draft policy stated. Command-directed assessments will not count toward the three-attempt limit.

The policy details come days after Air Force Materiel Command, which includes about 80,000 combined military and civilian personnel, said they would beta-test a similar program beginning Monday.

The practice tests aim to motivate airmen to maintain their fitness while reducing the pressure of potential failure, Lt. Col. Rachel Marazita, AFMC military personnel and programs branch chief, said Friday on the commands website.

Fear of failed physical training tests and the potential of career-ending disciplinary action is a major stressor that we are looking to eliminate through a sound testing protocol coupled with an organizational culture of fitness, Marazita said.

ferguson.brian@stripes.comTwitter: @BrianFerg57

Visit link:
'No-fail' practice fitness tests are expected for the whole Air Force in the spring - Stars and Stripes

Smartwatches are not all carved from the same stone -- there are different definitions of what 'smart' means, for example. Android users have more options to choose from than Apple users, but the basics must be covered well. The features Honor headlines for its MagicWatch 2 are long battery life, personalised watch faces and fitness modes.

There are two versions of the Honor MagicWatch 2, designed for different wrist sizes. I was sent the larger 46mm version, which is the only one available in the UK at the time of writing. It's available from Amazon at 159.99 (inc. VAT). Pricing and availability of the smaller 42mm model is yet to be confirmed.

The 46mm version is bulky, especially on a small wrist.

The larger watch has a 46mm face, and is quite thick at 10mm including the protuberance on the back that houses the heart rate monitor and a pair of connectors for the circular, magnetic charger. It's quite a beast to wear, and oversized for my wrist.

Still, there is an upside to the size, and that is a large display. The 1.39-inch diameter, 454-by-454 pixel, 326ppi AMOLED touch screen can display a lot of detail. This matters, as you'll be prodding at the screen and reading the face a lot if you're going to make the most of this smartwatch.

Complementing the touch screen are a couple of large buttons on the right rim. The upper button takes you to all the features of the MagicWatch 2, including apps and settings. The bottom button can be set to launch any of the built-in apps or jump to workouts.

There is a lot of 'stuff' on board in the way of applets. These include flashlight, alarm, timer, weather data, notifications, compass, air pressure readout, music player, contacts, call log -- even breathing exercises. The watch face itself can be swept left and right to get to more screens of information; a sweep upwards reveals notifications, while a downward sweep provides shortcuts to various settings such as the alarm, 'find my phone' and 'do not disturb' features, as well as reporting battery life.

The MagicWatch 2's strengths are health and fitness.

For all its ability to display information, play music, show the weather and so on, it's the health and fitness features that the MagicWatch 2 majors on. It can handle metrics for running (indoor and outdoor), cycling (indoor and outdoor), swimming (pool and open water), walking (indoor and outdoor), climbing, hiking, trail runs, triathlon, elliptical trainers and rowing. The GPS tracking maps where you've been, and I found this to be pretty accurate during testing.

The fitness features don't stop at hard physical workouts. A sleep monitor picked up my patterns of light, deep and REM sleep, matching these closely enough to my Fitbit's data to allay any concern over accuracy; the step counter seems accurate both on number of steps and distance, and its heart rate measurements were close to my Fitbit's too. On heart rate, incidentally, the MagicWatch 2 has an on-screen daily report, with longer-term data stored in the smartphone-based Health app.

If you want to use the MagicWatch 2 to initiate calls via Bluetooth, you'll need to 46mm version -- according to the product information, the 42mm model doesn't support that feature. Neither version of the watch has NFC built in, which means there's no support for mobile payments.

It's impossible to add any third-party apps to the Honor MagicWatch 2, so you're going to have to stick with what's on board. To take just one example, I've already noted that there's a music player, and this will cope with tunes transferred across via the Health app (there is 4GB of storage in total, and 2GB available for music). But if you are into streaming services, you can't install applets for these.

If you do need to install third-party apps, then look for a smartwatch running Google's Wear OS rather than the custom LiteOS that's used here, which is dependent on firmware updates from Honor.

Battery life is quoted at 14 days for the 46mm version I tested. The charger is a circular plate which holds the MagicWatch 2 in place with a strong magnet. Leaving the battery to run down from full left me needing to charge after seven days. A more sensible regime of applying top-up charging as part of the same morning routine I use to charge my smartphone meant it barely had to be off my wrist for charging.

Battery life experience will depend on how you use the MagicWatch 2. For example, you can have a watch face (either analogue or digital) on standby, but as you set this up the device warns that doing so will halve the battery life.

Watch faces are available onboard, and you can import more via the smartphone-based Health app.

There are plenty of watch faces to select between. A long press on the face calls up others on board, making it easy to switch if you fancy a change. There are more faces in the Health app, and they're easily transferred into the MagicWatch 2.

As well as being the place where cumulative health and activity data is stored and displayed, the Health app handles data sharing with other apps. At the moment this is restricted to just Google Fit and MyFitnessPal. It's not possible to export GPX files (which contain GPS metrics), or to share data with other popular platforms such as Fitbit or Strava. Honor needs to give this aspect more thought.

Honor's MagicWatch 2 has some compelling features. The basics of health and fitness monitoring are covered, and the companion Health app does a fair job of displaying aggregated information that collects over time, and of interacting with the watch's internal storage.

But Honor needs to work harder on its smartwatch offer. Software updates need to add support for more platforms for its health data and allow the export of GPX files. Harder to fix is the absence of NFC, which is necessary for mobile payments but requires a hardware revision. The lack of support for third-party apps is also a concern.

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Excerpt from:
Honor MagicWatch 2 review: Solid on health and fitness, but light elsewhere - ZDNet

Very few people look forward to spending time in the gym locker room, but many of those intransgender and gender-nonconforming communities dread it more than most.

For folks in those communities, it can be extremely triggering and stressfuland even dangerousto go to big-box gyms, says Belle Ursa, co-founder of Amplio Fitness. Theyhave so much fear of being harassed in the locker room or pushed into a category because of how they look rather than how they identify.

Thats exactly why Ursa and her business partner John Hall started Amplio Fitness in January 2019to serve marginalized communities on their path to fitness and wellness, specifically anyone who identifies as LGBTQ. Ursa is an American Council of Exercise (ACE)-certified health coach, while Hall is an ACE-certified personal trainer.

Belle Ursa, co-founder of Amplio Fitness, and her business partner John Hall.Together, they mesh their respective skill sets and expertise at a 1,200-square-foot studio space in Rocky River, where they offer not only one-on-one health and fitness coaching, but also Reiki and gender affirmation programs. Designed specifically for those who are transgender and/or nonbinary, the gender affirmation program is geared at helping those in transition embrace and nourish their evolving bodies.

To my knowledge, we are the only local studio taking a stance and advocacy for these communitiesas well as addressing their unique barriers, says Ursa, who previously worked as an HIV prevention educator at the LGBTQ Community Center of Greater Cleveland. We look at it as social justice advocacy mixed with self-care, fitness, and wellness.

Amplio Fitness is also activelypartneringwith local organizations such as Colors+, a Fairview Park-based organization that serves local LGBTQ youth, to offer specialized programming and activities. Though most of Amplio Fitness' clientele identifies as LGBTQ, Ursa says she views the studio as a safe haven and support source for anyone who doesn't feelcomfortable in a traditional fitness settingfrom people of color to plus-sized individuals.

"When we started the studio, we knew that the LGBTQ community is uniquely disadvantaged in the fitness and wellness industry, and we wanted to start fixing that disparity," shares Ursa, who resides in Tremont. "As we continue to grow, we want toincorporateall the other beautiful intersecting identities that come with it."

Read the original here:
Fit for anyone: Amplio Fitness celebrates one year as CLE's only LGBTQ-focused wellness studio - freshwatercleveland

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