Fitness Reads: Suspension yoga takes off; plus, learn the secret to successful resolutions

What did the SNEWS team read this week that other industry insiders might find interesting? Read on to find out!

• We are eagerly awaiting the days when we can gather up our retired friends and walk laps around the local mall. By the time we’ll be able to do that, the activity will have evolved even further. This story reports that mall walkers are now adding hand weights to their workouts. Hopefully they’re buying those weights from you, specialty retailers.

• Some of the biggest fitness trends of 2013 were obstacle races, like Tough Mudder, and CrossFit. Despite a few cases of medical problems among extreme obstacle race participants, the events remain immensely popular. One doctor wrote this article, which examines why people love these intense, adrenaline-filled activities.

• You’ve got to love South Florida, where you can wear a bikini to put up your Christmas lights and practice suspension yoga that looks like a cross between circus acrobatics and yoga. Some studio owners quoted in this story said it’s good for people who don’t really like yoga but who are seeking a way to stretch deeper and loosen up muscles.

• Better late than never. Turns out you’re never too old to reap the benefits of regular exercise, according to this Reuters story. While people who have been active all their lives see the most rewards when it comes to healthy aging — they are seven times more likely to experience healthy aging than inactive seniors; folks who start later in life are still three times as likely to experience healthy aging than inactive seniors.

• The New Year is just weeks away, which means folks are already pinpointing the top fitness trends for 2014. According to this story CrossFit will remain a top trend for next year and joining it are fitness on the go and online workouts. Plus a little thing called “sweat-working” is making strides. It’s folks meeting up after work to sweat-work instead of network and working out instead of imbibing at happy hour.

• New Year’s resolution season is upon us. When the resolution crowd comes in armed with their 2014 goals, share some information from this story about sticking to resolutions. Being specific is the key to a successfully achieving a goal, the story reports, along with crafting a plan and looking at past successes for motivation.

• Speaking of goals, there’s nothing like a good success story to boost motivation to achieve them. Check out this story about Jon Calvo, who’d been the “big guy” all his life, but decided to make a lifestyle change that took the 5-foot, 5-inch man from 340 pounds to 165 pounds.

• Looks like Lululemon is still in hot water for its super-see-through yoga pants, according to this story. Shareholders are suing the company for securities fraud, claiming the company tried to hide the indecent pants issue and other problems.

• Variety is the spice of life — and the spice of workouts as well, according to this story. If your customers do one kind of workout all the time, they’re in danger of the dreaded burnout. Though geared toward runners, this story gives folks great tips on how to vary workouts to become more well-rounded in their fitness.

• Staying fit and healthy isn’t just about hitting the gym. According to this story, every healthy person does four other things on top of exercising regularly. Those things include eating breakfast, moving around throughout the day, showing gratitude and having fun.

Did you read anything awesome this week? Email us because we want to read it too!