LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwire -03/14/12)- Fitness First have been providing a service to corporate groups for 20 years, with both parties enjoying great success from the scheme. The newest corporate deals from the health club giants promise to become commonly acquired by businesses in 2012 who are looking to improve the health, morale and productivity of their workforce.

Companies can sign up with Fitness First and subsequently offer a free gym pass to all employees. The membership can be paid through salary sacrifice for which the employee will be able to benefit from the NI savings. Fitness First are promoting their corporate deals as antidotes to issues like staff absenteeism, inefficiency and poor morale.

Fitness First suggest poor health and injury account for almost 60% of lost working hours and that one in four working adults take time off because of stress. With a free Fitness First membership, workers can stay in top mental and physical condition, which maximises working efficiency.

Meanwhile, the health club provide office freebies to motivate non-members to join in the fun. The added extras include:

- Fitness Friday - "bring a friend to workout with you for free every Friday" - Great value personal training programmes - Exclusive offers with First Club - Group exercises - Dedicated registration days - Free promotional posters - Payslip attachments - Health awareness seminars - New-employee induction packages

There is plenty on offer from these updated corporate memberships and Fitness First are striving to use the deals to get the nation in good health in time for the Olympics.

Suzanne Loughnane, Head of Corporates at Fitness First, commented:

'Regular exercise has been proven to enhance productivity levels and a healthy body means a healthy immune system - which effectively means less absenteeism. We have always enjoyed great relationships with our corporate members and want to grow our client base in 2012.'

A free Fitness First membership is a valuable employee benefit that may even play apart in staff recruitment procedure - which is particularly beneficial to agencies.

To find out how your business can benefit from a corporate membership or to investigate the different payment options available, visit http://www.fitnessfirst.co.uk today.

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Corporate Gym Memberships from Fitness First

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1PDEwSPYwU

08-03-2012 17:31 From Stefan @asromahabs @HulkHogan please Do this. Propose to my girlfriend to Marry me. My name is Stefan and her's Stina. I'll show her the video and hope she says yes 🙂 Hulk Hogan responded via video to his fans' challenges on Twitter to promote better health and fitness. You challenged Hulk on Twitter, now he challenges YOU to get fit and be healthy! Health and humor from the Hulkster. Go ahead Brother! subscribe, drop a note, shoot your thoughts. PS: She said yes! To find out more how to get fit on the Hulk Hogan 90 Day Challenge, you can find out more at hulkhoganschallenge.com Watch more #ChallengeHulk Videos http Powered by the Body by Vi 90 Day Challenge -- For more info, please visit http://www.visalus.com

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Hulk Hogan is Challenged to Propose to a Fan's Girlfriend for him | #ChallengeHulk - Video

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1If8RCTUIQs

08-03-2012 22:57 He's a century old - but fit and healthy, and exercising at a level that would put most of us to shame. Al Jazeera's Tania Page reports.

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Centurion Sikh shows fitness provides good health - Video

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIdMsJU3PWE

10-03-2012 21:40 lennyyajaira@beachbodycoach.com Katy Perry's Firework really is inspiring! I am ignited to take it to the next level by helping others achieve their fitness goals. Let your light shine..! You Can Do it..! It's not about being "skinny"; it's about being fit and healthy for life! Fitness and health has always been a passion for me. However, I never had the time to fully commit. Just felt too tired ..! Our lifestyles, that is, work, housework, kids' school/extracurricular activities, church and community responsibilities do not provide us much time to really dedicate our heart and soul to exercise. Although I have never been overweight, I have been on and off on diets; worked-out at the gym (RPM(spinning), Body Step, and BodyPump). But never felt completely satisfied with the results. I knew that I had to take charge and evaluate my choices and time management. This was necessary so that I could be able to incorporate living a fit and healthy lifestyle. Always thought, that I could achieve it, but there was something missing. How did the missing puzzle piece come about..? Well, I had the opportunity to meet great person, my Coach (Jessica Campos)....and since July 2011....I have finally gotten to commit to my long fitness dream, that is, be fit, healthy, and influence/teach others the power behind being fit and healthy. So if this is part of my gift from God.....I shall make the best of it...!! And, seek that others fulfill their health and fitness needs...!! "God's gifts of ...

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P90X -Mom Fit For Life - Video

Many doctors believe that using apps that keep track of your health will help cut down on doctor visits, a new infographic suggests.

According to data revealed by Float Mobile Learning, 40% of doctors believe that using mobile health technologies such as apps that monitor fitness and eating habits can reduce the number of office visits needed by patients. About 88% of doctors are in full support of patients monitoring their health at home, especially when it comes to watching weight, blood sugar and vital signs, and many believe consumers should take advantage of the apps currently on the market to help along the process.

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"With the forthcoming changes to the U.S. healthcare system, there will be an increased focus on wellness programs and preventative medicine," Chad Udell, managing director of Float Mobile Learning, told Mashable. "Mobile health offers a tremendous opportunity for people to become more involved in their own health and wellness."

It's no secret that the mobile health industry is growing. There are more than 10,000 medical and healthcare apps available for download in the Apple App Store, making it the third-fastest growing app category among iPhone and Android users.

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Doctors are also getting in on the trend, as 80% said they use smartphones and medical apps. Physicians are also 250% more likely to own a tablet than other consumers.

Udell noted that doctors continue to buy tablet devices in droves largely because they offer an easy way to stay in touch with their co-workers and patients. The infographic also noted that 56% of doctors said they turn to mobile devices to make faster decisions, and 40% said it reduces time spent on administration work.

"It will be interesting to see the impact of the new iPad on medical imaging professionals such as radiologists, who will be able to take advantage of its great graphic capabilities," Udell said.

Among some of the most popular apps are Nike Plus -- which turns a smartphone into a personal trainer -- and iStethoscope that allows iPhone users to record and play back a heartbeat. Meanwhile, Welldoc is a series of programs and apps that can reduce hospital and ER visits in half by having patients monitor and manage their own chronic diseases.

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Doctors Believe Using Health Apps Will Cut Down on Visits [INFOGRAPHIC]

Zumba! The mere sound of the word conjures up the tremor of a primitive song, or a dance of lively gyrations that saturate that fitness factory on Salem Road where scores of people, mostly women, travel through their paces in the hopes of dropping a pound or more. It might be called a dance, but more accurately, Zumba is a regimen of strenuous motion that, with a torrid, blaring musical accompaniment, rocks, Millions of people around the world are moving, making joyful sounds and searching for a healthy lifestyle by virtue of the dance.

Assuredly, the pounds fall off making everyone giddy with success, including the bosses at the Conway Regional Health and Fitness Center who support the activity wholeheartedly - this dance and fitness phenomenon.

The fitness center paints Zumba as a hypnotic Latin rhythm that creates a dynamic fitness effort that produces fairly amazing results.Movement and drive - thats Zumba, a dance craze that scores of participants seem to love, burning some 500 to 1,000 calories during an hour-long trip.

Tiffeny Crow, the senior program specialist at the Fitness Center, and other instructors, take their charges through workouts five days a week at various times, helping them experience the electrifying transit by means indigenous Latin music.

All this has come about by pure accident, if one considers the history of Zumba which is the story of Alberto Beto Perez who created the dance craze when one fateful day in his native Cali, Columbia, he darted off to teach an aerobics class and forgot his aerobics music.Not to be undone, he improvised, using his own combination of music from tapes he carried in his backpack (the salsa and merengue music he grew up with). Merengue is a fast dance with tricky moves that originated in the Dominican Republic in the 19th century.Instinctively, Perez created a new kind of dance fitness, one that focused on letting the music move a dancer instead of the dancer counting the steps over the music. People gravitated toward the new sounds - they loved it - and a revolutionary new fitness concept was born - the Zumba Fitness Party.

Today the idea of moving the world to a new beat seems to be the fashion -an exhilarating, effective, easy- to-follow, Latin inspired calorie-burning fitness party that is moving millions of people toward joy and health.

To say the Zumba dance is addictive begs the question. It has become that and infinitely more since its inception in 2001, It has grown to become the worlds largest - and most successful- dance fitness program, with more than 12 million or more people of all sizes, shapes and ages, taking weekly Zumba classes in over 110,000 locations across 125 countries.

If you are new to Zumba, a word of caution: This is the most physically exhausting event of them all, Your instructor will encourage you to perform certain actions - probably unheard of actions - that your body will resist. You will bend in places youve never bent before. But you persevere. Remember the big picture: get fit, lose weight.

The instructor will exhort, almost beg you to stay with the others even if you hate everyone in sight. Your body will ache, but somehow you will be caught up by the excitement even if the Latin music and the fancy footwork are beyond your ken.

Tiffeny Crow and other instructors cajole and set the pace seeming impervious to the demands Zumba present.

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Zumba taking area by storm

More professional and consumer content available for studio and home-based use

TORONTO, March 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Merrithew Health & Fitness announced today the release of 50 new professional and home-based DVD titles for their premier Pilates brand STOTT PILATES and two new multi-disciplinary fitness brands ZENGA and CORE Athletic Conditioning & Performance Training.

"We are very proud to now have over 170 DVD titles in our library and posses an extensive collection of fitness programming available for professional and consumer markets," said Lindsay G. Merrithew, Executive Producer and President and CEO. "With a strong global presence and an increasing customer base, we continuously aim to establish the highest quality products, services and equipment lines. This includes educational materials for our instructors and detailed, safe and fun content for fitness enthusiasts."

With the largest collection of Pilates DVDs, expansion now begins in general fitness titles. Recognized as The Professional's Choice by studios, fitness facilities and home exercisers around the globe, DVD content ranges from beginner to advanced levels across all brands including titles such as: Bounce & Burn Weight-Loss on the Reformer and Strength & Conditioning on the Jumpboard & Reformer. All programming is taught and presented by Master Instructor Trainers adding experienced-based training to each DVD. While some titles are already accessible online, remaining DVDs will be available throughout the year and at key international tradeshows including IDEA World, San Diego and Can Fit Pro, Toronto - as well as at upcoming Merrithew Health & Fitness Symposiums in Los Angeles, Essen, Germany, Toronto, New York City and the UK.

"We are excited to bring to market new DVD programming for our world-renowned brand, STOTT PILATES and our most recent fitness brands, ZENGA and CORE Athletic Conditioning & Performance Training," explained Moira Merrithew, Executive Director of Education and Master Instructor Trainer. "As part of our Mindful Movement campaign, these titles showcase the benefit of responsible lifestyle and exercise choices instead of quick-fix diets and short-term workout fads. We are proud to continue to provide thoughtful programming that is engaging, inspiring and convenient."

Merrithew Health & Fitness is dedicated to building high-caliber, multi-disciplinary fitness brands for people of all ages, levels of fitness and abilities. For over 20 years, Lindsay and Moira Merrithew have built their business on the philosophy that effective and responsible exercise is the foundation to a better lifestyle. STOTT PILATES, Merrithew's premier Pilates brand, delivers high-caliber education with over 32,000 students trained from more than 105 countries. Their other high-end fitness brands include CORE Athletic Conditioning & Performance Training and ZENGA which is a unique blend of the foundational principles of STOTT PILATES, Yoga and Dance. For more information please visit http://www.merrithew.com.

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Join the Mindful Movement with 50 new fitness DVDs

SAN DIEGO, March 12, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Specialty Health (ASH), a leading national health services company, today announced historic growth in annual revenue, eligible members and new products for the year ending December 31, 2011. Revenues grew by 17.8 percent, from $155.7 million in 2010 to $183.4 million in 2011. During the year, the company also expanded the number of total eligible members by 44.7 percent, increasing from 17.9 million members in 2010 to 25.9 million members in 2011.

"During 2011, all three of our key business units -- specialty network management, fitness and exercise, and total population health and wellness/prevention -- contributed significantly to our overall success," said George DeVries, co-founder, CEO and chairman of ASH. "Our historic growth is the result of 25 years of innovative product development and a rock-solid commitment to operational excellence and best-in-class customer service. Most of our new membership growth came from the expansion of long-established customer relationships, dating back in some cases over twenty years. We are pleased so many of our long-established customers, as well as many new customers, are turning to ASH for the expansion or implementation of cutting-edge health care programs."

American Specialty Health offers a wide range of solutions for specialty network management programs, fitness and exercise programs, and total population health and prevention/wellness programs for health plans, insurance carriers, employer groups and trust funds through its various subsidiaries and products, including Healthyroads, American Specialty Health Group, Silver&Fit, ExerciseRewards, American Specialty Health Insurance Company and others.

Additional 2011 American Specialty Health Milestones

Membership Growth

Newly Launched Services/Programs

Awards and Recognition

In 2011, ASH was named among:

The company also received more than 90 national marketing and communications awards, including:

About American Specialty Health

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American Specialty Health Announces Historic Growth in Revenue, Membership and New Products for 2011

We're usually all for penny pinching, but when it comes to shrinking your waistline and improving your fitness, sometimes throwing down more dough can pay off big. Whether you aspire to shave seconds from your 5-K PR or lose those last 10 pounds, these eight products will make achieving your goals easier than ever.

Exercise-Monitoring Device

Tracking exercise progress can be a big motivator. For instance, using a pedometer specifically one with a daily step goal increased physical activity and decreased BMI and blood pressure in one Stanford University study. Pedometers priced as low as $20 and go up to $50 for wrist-strap versions.

A more intense runner, bicyclist or other athlete may want to invest a few hundred bucks in a GPS-enabled watch, which tracks your pace in addition to time and heart rate. "Paying attention to these numbers can help really build up your intensity and produce better results," says Jim White, RD, owner of Jim White Fitness and Nutrition Studios.

Food Scale

Your eyes may deceive you when it comes to properly portioning your food, but a scale won't. "When I first bought a food scale, I realized what I thought was 4 ounces was actually 6," White says. "A couple ounces more than you should be eating can add up big time in the long run." Most food scales cost less than $80, with some models as low as $20.

Heart Rate Monitor

Burning fat or boosting aerobic endurance requires keeping your heart rate in specific zones, so this gadget ensures all your workouts are as effective as possible. "We have a lot of clients who work out on their own and then realize they aren't pushing themselves enough," White says. The gizmo also prevents you from overdoing it. Runners can use the device to make sure they're taking their easy workouts as slow as they should be. Chest strap models, which tend to be more accurate, start at around $40 and can cost $100 or more.

Blender

Sipping fresh fruit juice or a smoothie can be a quick and easy way to fill up on vital nutrients, but many store- and restaurant-bought beverages are loaded with sugar. By blending your own you'll not only save money in the long run, but you can also control exactly what goes into your body. White uses a Vitamix ($449 and up) to make fresh juices. Holly Rigsby, an ACE-certified personal trainer and instructor at StreamFIT, loves the convenience of her Magic Bullet (about $100).

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Nine splurge-worthy health and fitness products

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXQ15qw1Big

11-03-2012 12:55 Please don't forget to eat raw organic fruit (Focusing on the fruit) Vegetables (Especially dark leafy Greens) nuts and seeds also exercise for two hours or two miles (walking) a day everyday to be at your healthiest

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June-Marie Raw Food and Fitness Health balloon pop popping misc videos 003 - Video