It's the most wonderful time of the year for the fitness industry, and local gym owners are expecting an even better 2013 as more people concentrate on fit over fat.
Over the past few decades, the United States health club industry reached a revenue peak of $21.4 million in 2011. That's more than 50 million memberships across the country, according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that employment of fitness trainers and instructors should grow by more than 20 percent through 2020 as the consumer sector continues to grow for sports-related items. The potential for job security is strong as well with a median income of more than $30,000.
The focus is more on creativity and health than traditional fitness techniques at Shine Alternative Fitness. Shine is the collaboration of Dima Shine and Russ Petroni, both performing artists.
"The studio is created by artists for the general public to experience the joy and benefits of artistic trainings, through dance, aerial and a variety of different fitness classes," Shine said. "Although we cater mostly to a beginner level, we do have the opportunity to train highly advanced athletes and artists as our instructors are the best in their fields."
They put an artistic spin on the classes they offer, which includes AntiGravity yoga, Gyrotonic, Pole fitness, aerial instruction and the more mainstream Zumba, kickboxing and hip hop. The classes are often taught by professional performance artists and other A-listers from the industry.
"Half of our instructors are current or former Cirque du Soleil performers; also some of the instructors are current competitors in Pole fitness," she said. "They not only teach at the studio, but also compete in many international competitions. We have national and international champions within our instructors."
Preparation and certification is different for each sector of the fitness industry, from personal trainers to group fitness instructors, and the more specific instructors needed for yoga or Pilates.
The industry is definitely seasonal, and January, February and March tend to be the biggest months for membership sign-ups because of the usual New Year's resolutions to lose weight or get in physically better shape. The chilly, often breezy, winter weather also is a factor in the increase for local gyms as people sign up for mini-memberships or monthly memberships to take advantage of the climate-controlled indoors, even in sunny Southern Nevada.
For the first time on the international survey, resistance training, in which the body's weight is used as a form of exercise, has made the top 10, falling in at a solid No. 3 behind strength training. This "back to basics" trend, according to the ACSM, has reached around the world. It can include the traditional forms of yoga, which uses the body to stretch and mold muscles for a leaner, healthier body and focuses on overall health of body, mind and spirit.
Recently, yoga and Pilates studios have begun cropping up around the valley, with one of the more recent being Body Heat - Hot Pilates & Yoga on 8876 S. Eastern Ave.
"Body Heat - Hot Pilates & Yoga has continued to see amazing growth and popularity at our Las Vegas studio," said Jack Langley, co-owner of Body Heat - Hot Pilates & Yoga. "With Body Heat's one-year anniversary on Wednesday, Jan. 9, we are proud to celebrate with our loyal and supportive members who continue to bring in new friends to experience what makes Body Heat so unique and different."
Yoga and Pilates have been around for many years. What has shifted in recent years is their popularity with both women and men and the awareness of their overall benefit to any fitness program, Langley said.
"Many of our classes grow beyond traditional yoga and mat Pilates and add a fitness component to many of our classes," he said. "Our Yoga Sculpt class continues to be very popular due to its mix of strength training and stretching every muscle group. Yoga and Pilates continue to be among the fastest growing segment in the fitness community."
Body Heat offers Hot Practice, in which the studio is heated and provides for a deeper stretch of the muscle fibers and tendons, which can cut down on injuries, according to fans of the intense workout.
"The popularity of 'hot' studios has created an additional awareness and exposure," Langley said. "At Body Heat, we believe in creating an odor-free, spa-like environment for our clients to experience while practicing."
The benefits of the hot classes include better sleep, increased strength and overall reduction in stress and chronic symptoms of disease such as arthritis, Langley said. Local athletes, including UFC fighters and kickboxers, often turn to Langley and his staff of certified instructors to intensify their training and general health.
"Heat has become popular with athletes who notice increased performance by adding yoga and Pilates into their fitness program," he said. "We have professional athletes, MMA fighters, body builders and boxers who are all aware of the tremendous benefits derived from yoga and Pilates. The popularity in hot studios has increased this awareness as well as created a venue of making yoga and Pilates appealing to both men and women."
The studio uses state-of-the-art flooring and eco-friendly materials as well as high-tech equipment to keep the studio sanitized and fragrant free. The young company has big plans for its future as it intends to grow with the nation's fitness trend.
"Aside from building what we believe to be the cleanest and most luxurious hot studio, we take great pride and passion in employing fantastic and passionate instructors who truly change the lives of our students and clients," Langley said. "Creating jobs, building a strong yoga community and adding to the positive change in someone's life is the most rewarding aspect of opening Body Heat last year."
Saudi Aramco is stepping up efforts to explore and develop more gas wells, all around the Kingdom. In its search for additional oil and gas resources, Aramco “for the first time in its 80-year history has started using an advanced drilling ship designed to carry out operations in deep waters in order to find oil and gas in the Red Sea,” Minister Ali Al-Naimi said last week.
Aramco CEO Khaled Al-Falih indicated that the company was planning to work on seven fields in the first phase, both in deep and shallow waters in the Red Sea, off the coast of the northwestern city of Tabuk. The province appears to be full of hydrocarbon wealth, he underlined.
Saudi Aramco is already one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world. Its gas production averaged 9.9 billion cubic feet per day in 2011, up from 9.4 billion cubic feet per day in 2010, while gas reserves rose to 282.6 trillion standard cubic feet. Its Madyan field in Tabuk region is now forecasted to produce 75 million cubic feet a day of gas and 4,500 barrels a day of condensate for a 20-year period.
BMI’s “Saudi Arabia Oil and Gas Report Q1 2013” report released recently forecast that Saudi Arabia would remain self-sufficient in natural gas, with production rising from an estimated 98.1bn cubic meters (bcm) in 2011 to 152.8bcm by 2021.
In a separate report earlier, Citi Research Equities said Saudi Arabia produces 9.6bn cubic ft/day of natural gas. This is entirely consumed domestically. It is now endeavouring to raise gas production to 15.5bn cubic ft/day by 2015, implying a CAGR of 12.7 percent. Yet, availability of gas is an issue in the Kingdom. It’s not just the petrochemical industry that is forced with a changing feedstock regimen, depriving it of most of its edge over the competitors, but the shortage is being felt in other sectors too.
Riyadh obviously wants to shift over its power plants on gas too. It definitely wants to see crude being exported rather than being consumed inside the Kingdom. Already the galloping domestic Saudi crude consumption is a cause of concern – both here and abroad. If more gas is made available, it would conserve crude for exports and indeed posterity.
No comments:
Post a Comment