Like everyone here at World, I've been up since the crack of dawn moving, grooving, navigating, meeting, greeting and learning. I'm also schmoozing, blogging, tweeting and observing. This is a work week for me, and I'll tell ya--I've been working like a dog...the Weinstein way...at least as of mid-afternoon.
Keynote speaker Matt Weinstein wryly made fun of this old axiom about toiling the day away by asking a packed convention ballroom at this morning's opening ceremonies to ponder how hard dogs really work. I don't know about you, but the ones I've had in my life spend most of the time sleeping, mooching food, being petted, barking at the mailman, fetching Frisbees, wagging their tails...generally good, fun stuff like that. Weinstein, an author, motivational speaker and founder of Playfair, Inc., an international consulting firm based in Berkeley, suggested that maybe we should take a page from a dog's life and apply it to the way we work and live.
So, today, that's what I did. Not that I normally don't have fun in my work. I do. I think laughing--especially at work--is a high priority. But at World I tend to go at each day like a ball of fire, tearing my way through session after session with my multimedia guns blazing. At one point today I caught myself in a rowdy, loud session taking photos with one hand and talking to an IDEA colleague with phone in the other. My video flipcam was tucked nearby in my waistband. "Seriously," I thought, "I need a holster for all these gadgets." That's when I decided I needed to start the day over and be more dog-like. I went around and got lots of hugs and love from people I hadn't seen yet. I sat down and ate lunch with Karen Wells, who is part of the MELT crew this trip and who has been attending IDEA conventions for something like 19 years. And I learned a few new tricks and played some fetch by spending an entire time block participating in Todd Durkin's and Brett Klika's "Buddy Up" session. Mostly, I laughed at myself and how goofy I must look doing fast feet and ladder drills. But like a good puppy, I didn't care. I just went at it like it was the best thing ever. I came out of there panting, wagging my tail, slurping lots of water and ready to nap (and like most dogs after a good play, I could use a bath, too), but alas, I must write.
A few quick recaps of the day:
*I met Milo Levell in person and had a photo taken with him on my iPhone (yes, I'm a total geek). Did you see that guy bustin' it this morning with his 1,000,000 Dancers before the Opening Ceremonies this morning? What a great way to kick off the day.
*In case you missed the tweets and micro-blogs on Twitter and Facebook, our Award recipients are as follows: Fitness Instructor of the Year, June Kahn; Personal Trainer of the Year, Cynthia Carrion Norton (who trains the President of the Philippines and 15 of her cabinet members); Program Director of the Year, Debi Pilarella; and IDEA Inspiration Award recipient Scout Bassett.
*Favorite presenter observations: 1. Evan Osar, DC, in "Improving Hip and Trunk Rotation," wondered aloud whether we should tell clients to pull belly buttons inward or to push them out when loading the spine. His take, based on child development models and what babies do instinctively, is to push them out. "We are creating dysfunction for our clients when we ask them to pull in," he said. 2. Todd Durkin, MA, in "Buddy Up," reminded the 200 or so in this rowdy explosion of a session that no trainer has all the answers. "We can learn from each other's creativity and we can learn from wathching all of our clients move." 3. Jenna Bell-Wilson, PhD, RD, in "Are You Hungry or Are You Stressed?" said "One of my favorite things about the human body is that it has this overwhelming drive for homeostasis." Balance, people. The body craves balance!
*Trends in the Industry Panel, always one of my favorite sessions becuase it provides perspectives on current industry challenges and trends from the newly named IDEA Award recipients, was packed with good questions and ideas. For instance, June Kahn sees mind-body fusion and dance as the two top growth areas in group exercise. "Dance has now come full circle," she said. "For clients, I see it as a form of self-empowering exercise." Darren Jacobson, one of the Program Director of the Year finalists, filled in for Debi Pilarella, who had to catch an early plane. Jacobson, who directs multiple programs for Virgin South Africa, observed that one of the most important things he's learned in his career is that we have to strive to add value to everything we do. "Act with honesty and integrity in all you do. Once you lose that, you lose your credibility." Also, he emphasized being clear on expectations with staff, "and knowing your true North, so your team knows where you're going." Cynthia Norton cited the main challenges she faces in her country as lack of continuing education and what she calls "fancy gyms" versus "core gyms," her description for facilities that have basic equipment with smart trainers who know how to use it. She is working to get trainers (and the public) there to understand that training doesn't mean body building and that you don't have to have brand new, shiny equipment and every bell and whistle in the book to help clients toward success. Hmmm. Some things are just universal in this industry.
Now I'll see about that bath. Hope you're all workin' like dogs, too.
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