Serious leisure and professional identity in branded fitness: a cross-national study of les mills group fitness instructors

Purpose: To determine factors associated with chronic hoarseness in Australian group fitness instructors (GFIs).Method: A total of 361 GFIs (81 males, 280 females), aged between 18–67 years currently active in the Australian fitness industry, completed a 65-item self-completion questionnaire distributed via SurveyMonkey. Demographic, lifestyle and voice use variables thought to influence vocal health and voice production in the GFI population were examined using logistic regression analyses. GFIs’ chronic hoarseness with response options “positive” and “negative” was considered as the outcome variable of interest.Result: Approximately 39% of the study participants reported having chronic hoarseness. Multivariable logistic regression modelling revealed a set of statistically significant factors associated with chronic hoarseness. These include: younger age, partial voice loss while instructing, partial voice loss after instructing and using vocal volume louder than normal speaking voice whilst instructing.Conclusion: This study has identified factors associated with the presentation of chronic hoarseness in the Australian GFI population. Prospective studies are required to validate the findings of this study in order to better understand predictive factors of chronic hoarseness among GFIs.

The aim of this study was to test professional competencies of the sample of health and fitness instructors (HFIs) according to EuropeActive’s educational standards at level 3 referenced to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), and to explore the associations between the formal education of HFIs and their current competencies. The core knowledge (CK) of 155 HFIs and the specific knowledge (SK) of 54 fitness instructors (FIs) and 35 group fitness instructors (GFIs) were analysed. In addition, 43 FIs and 35 GFIs underwent an examination of their practical skills. Only 11 (7.1%) of the HFIs met the requirements for the CK. We found no significant differences by age, education, type of employment, or professional experience for the CK test. No FIs passed the test for SK. Only 10 (15.6%) of the GFIs passed the test for SK. However, adequate practical instruction skills were found for the FIs (n=29, 70.7%), as well as for the GFIs (n=31, 91.2%). Only three HFIs passed the overall examination for the educational standards at EQF-level 3. The results highlight the importance of testing the competencies of HFIs in other European countries and of promoting the need for lifelong learning for HFIs. The competencies of HFIs are an important source of trust for healthcare providers and other sector stakeholders implementing the strategy for the prevention of non-communicable diseases.

Objective: To examine the prevalence and factors associated with instruction-related injuries and musculoskeletal pain among group fitness instructors. Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Settings: Online survey. Participants: Group fitness instructors from three fitness centre companies in Norway (n = 1473). Assessment of independent variables: questions regarding duration of working as a group fitness instructor, weekly instruction and exercise loading and modality, instruction-related injuries, musculoskeletal pain, use of alcohol, tobacco, snuff, menstrual dysfunction and disordered eating (Eating Disorder Inventory, EDI). The respondents were divided into high instruction loading (HIL), ≥5 h/w with instruction; and low instruction loading (LIL), <5 h/w with instruction). Results: The response rate was 57% (n = 837). Mean total loading (instruction and exercise) was 11.8 h/w and 6.3 h/w in the HIL and LIL groups (p < .001), respectively. The prevalence of acute (9% vs. 6%, p < .05), overuse (38% vs. 24%, p < .001) and both acute and overuse injuries (25% vs. 10%, p < .001) was higher in the HIL than in the LIL group (OR: 3.9, CI: 2.7, 5.5). The most prevalent injury locations were ankle and lower leg. The most frequent location for musculoskeletal pain was the shoulder/neck region. Factors associated with injury were instruction loading (h/w), years working as an instructor and EDI score. A high total EDI score predicted musculoskeletal pain. Conclusion: The high prevalence of injuries and musculoskeletal pain suggests a need for prevention strategies in the fitness industry. There is a need for limits regarding weekly instruction loading, especially for classes with high metabolic and/or mechanical loading.

Research question and purpose: Les Mills is a New Zealand-based fitness distributor with a community consisting of approximately 140.000 instructors worldwide who teach standardized workout routines. This paper aims to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic and related measurements, such as social distancing affect the everyday lives and professions of Les Mills International (LMI) group fitness instructors. The aim was met with the following research questions: RQ1: How are social distancing and social connectedness understood, and how do they condition LMI instructors’ understanding of their profession? RQ2: What do LMI instructors think about the #LesMillsUnited campaign to maintain a strong trainer community in the midst of the pandemic? RQ3: How do LMI instructors think that group fitness will change long term due to social distancing? Research methods: Using qualitative measures and a case-study-based approach, data were gathered through interviews with LMI-certified group fitness instructors. Seven semi-structured focused group discussions with fifteen group fitness instructors from different countries were conducted and audio recorded. The first round of virtual discussions took place in April 2020, and the follow-up talks in September 2020. A thematic analysis was employed to analyze the material. Results and findings: According to the participants, online classes as a means of upholding group fitness in times of social distancing is an insufficient substitute to face-to-face instructing, lacking social connectedness that is normally maintained through successful rituals or social scripts. Navigating “instructorhood” during the pandemic includes emotional labor where not only relationships to clients are challenged, but instructors also experience societal pressure to reinvent themselves as instructors. Implications: With no way of telling how long social distancing needs to be practiced, the group fitness industry is facing unprecedented challenges. Making sense of the group fitness profession currently preoccupies instructors who may now have to redefine to themselves how they can teach, and who for.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the vocal behaviors of group fitness instructors (GFIs), explore awareness among GFIs about voice-specialized health care, and assess the potential utility of a GFI-specific voice handicap questionnaire. Method: An anonymous 27-question survey was distributed digitally to GFIs. In addition to collecting demographic data and information about vocal behaviors and demands, the survey included a 10-question GFI-specific questionnaire (GFI-VHI-10) adapted from the Singing Voice Handicap Index-10. Results: Fifty-two GFIs participated in the study (75% female, 25% male) with a mean age of 44.6 years. Forty-six percent reported having a voice problem (VP) since entering the fitness industry. Of those 24 individuals, only four received treatment. There was a statistically significant difference in mean GFI-VHI-10 scores between the VP group (11.87) and the non-VP group (6.1), ( p &lt; .001). Of all respondents, 56% reported never or almost never wearing a microphone while instructing. When asked what they would do if they experienced a VP that lasted for longer than 2 weeks, only 9.6% would see a laryngologist, 23% would see an otolaryngologist, 31% would see their primary care provider, 11.5% were unsure, and 25% would ignore it and hope for spontaneous improvement. Conclusions: Although GFIs are at increased risk for vocal health challenges due to their occupational voice demands, their adherence to vocal health maintenance behaviors and awareness of voice-specialized health care may be limited. The GFI-VHI-10 is a promising tool in that it captured higher scores in the VP group than the non-VP group; however, further exploration is warranted.

Vocal Problems of Group Fitness Instructors: Prevalence of Self-Reported Sensory and Auditory-Perceptual Voice Symptoms and the Need for Preventative Education and Training

The concept of health is culturally contingent, and fitness practices provide a venue to gain insights into the construction of health. In this case study–based article, I focus on group fitness instructors’ narratives on healthiness and fitness rituals. By combining Foucault’s notion of the ‘microphysics of power’ and the socio-cultural phenomenon healthism, I employ a genealogical approach that reveals how healthism renders a discursive space for group fitness instructors (‘local fitness experts’) to navigate their understanding of health norms. A qualitative method consisting of 22 semi-structured interviews was used. Group fitness instructors teaching in Austria for a global group fitness distributor (Les Mills) were interviewed. The results show that eliminating risks to health is the highest imperative to the instructors, which is traced back to a dichotomy between ‘disciplined training’ and ‘fun training’, where fun training is seen as feminine and risky. Furthermore, instructors underline their health literacy through skeptical consumerism – choosing health for the sacrifice of fun or finding fun in the fatigue.

Research examining teachers’ professional identity in the online context has recently increased; however, there have been few attempts (if any) to design a scale to assess foreign language teachers’ professional identity integrated with technology use in the flipped context. There have also been no extensions to the professional teacher identity model for flipped language teaching incorporated with psycho‐emotional factors. The current study first developed and validated an instrument for English teachers’ professional identity of technology integration in the flipped context (ETITF) to fill in the research gap that the majority of existing instruments for teachers’ professional identity have not considered the characteristics of technology integration in the flipped teaching environment in the subject area of English. Additionally, this present research also attempted to extend the professional teacher identity model by investigating the influence of the psycho‐emotional factor, namely, perceived anxiety of flipped teaching on professional teacher identity coped with technology in the flipped context by English teachers. Grounded by the identity theory and technology acceptance model, 233 in‐service English teachers from mainland China served to explore the constructs of the ETITF and the model extension with perceived anxiety. Results of exploratory factor analysis, first‐order, and second‐order confirmatory factor analysis supported a three‐dimension scale with 15 items: task perception (TP), motivation (M), and teacher self‐efficacy (SE). The results of the study revealed that the ETITF is valid and reliable that could be used by researchers, educators, and education institutions to gain a greater understanding of English language teachers’ professional development and can serve as a tool to support the procedures of developing teacher identity integrated with technology in the flipped context with specific items related to English teaching. The results of structural equation modeling indicated that task perception significantly predict English teachers’ motivation, while motivation showed positive influence on in‐service teachers’ self‐efficacy. This developed tool of ETITF and the extended professional identity with technology incorporation model may contribute to the development of flipped language teaching, which may provide implications for English educators and researchers to facilitate teachers’ effective technology integration in flipped English teaching.

Keeping the Voice Fit in the Group Fitness Industry: A Qualitative Study to Determine What Instructors Want in a Voice Education Program

Lack of disability awareness of fitness professionals is a well-established barrier to exercise participation among people with disabilities that is likely related to the lack of disability awareness training for group fitness instructors. The purposes of this study were to develop, implement, and evaluate a disability awareness training for group fitness instructors. A 90-min video training and resource manual were developed. We recruited 10 group fitness instructors from one recreation center to participate. Participants completed baseline, posttraining, and 2-month follow-up testing on survey-based outcomes including disability attitudes, confidence in exercise adaptations, and training satisfaction. Participants' confidence to adapt fitness classes was significantly improved; however, disability attitudes were high in the pretest and not significantly different posttraining. Semistructured interviews were conducted posttraining and revealed three themes: Formal disability training is needed, Managing inclusive class dynamics, and Training suggestions and satisfaction. This training demonstrated a feasible intervention for increasing disability awareness among community-based group fitness instructors.

IntroductionDespite the fact that group fitness instructors serve as significant role models with potentially great impact on class participants' motivation for exercise, they are a very under-researched group. The aim of this study was therefore to examine group fitness instructors' motivational regulations for exercise, and how these motivational regulations can predict symptoms of exercise dependence and body image concerns.MethodsGroup fitness instructors from the largest fitness companies in Norway (n = 837, response rate: 57%) completed an online survey with reference to the Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS), the Exercise Dependence Scale (EDS), the Eating Disorders Inventory subscales drive for thinness (EDI-DT) and body dissatisfaction (EDI-BD), and their weekly amount of exercise and instruction.ResultsThe instructors scored high on identified regulation and intrinsic regulation for exercise. EDS total score was positively correlated with all SIMS subscales and weekly instruction was positively correlated with Intrinsic regulation. Multiple hierarchical regression analyses found that both self-determined motivational regulations as well as external regulation positively predicted their EDS score. External regulation positively predicted EDI-DT, and EDI-BD.ConclusionGroup fitness instructors seem highly intrinsically motivated for exercise, which is hypothesized to have a positive impact on group fitness class participants. High self-determined exercise behavior does not seem to buffer against symptoms of exercise dependence within this specific population. There is a need for awareness of group fitness instructors who show high exercise dependency scores due to the link to body image concerns, amotivation and external regulated motivation.

To examine group fitness instructors' knowledge and attitudes toward identification and management of disordered eating (DE). Group fitness instructors representing the three largest fitness center companies in Norway (n = 837, response rate: 57%) completed a questionnaire through Questback (www.questback.com). The questionnaire contained items regarding gender, age, educational background, exercise behavior, and knowledge of recognition and response to DE. Eighty-nine percent of the respondents reported knowledge about symptoms of DE, 29% was classified with adequate DE knowledge skills. Forty-nine percent of the instructors reported current concern about DE among one or more members, 47% reported knowledge about how to recognize and respond to DE, and 37% reported knowledge about their fitness center's guidelines for approaching DE concerns. The level of formal education in sports and exercise, and a history of self-reported eating disorder, but not fitness instructor experience, were explanatory factors for knowledge about DE symptoms. Both exercise specific educational level and instructor experience were explanatory variables for knowledge about recognition of and response to DE concerns. Implications of the findings include a need for increased confidence among group fitness instructors regarding how to approach DE concerns, increased awareness of excessive/compulsive exercise as a symptom of DE, and enhanced dissemination of existing guidelines for managing DE concerns among members and/or staff.

Professional identity is generally defined as one’s interpretation of self as a professional in connection with the personal and professional experiences, attitudes, and aspirations. The research used the framework developed by Pierson et al. (2019), value statements from major professional associations, library and information science (LIS) literature to revise a professional identity scale for counseling profession developed by Woo and Henfield (2015). The developed instrument will be reviewed by small number of experts (N≈20) for content validation. The instrument will be sent out to LIS professionals via mailing lists for construct validation. LIS professionals who have just transitioned from school to work (graduated from LIS programs in the last 5 years) will be invited to participate in the study. The final instrument will include demographic questions (e.g., age, gender), highest degree achieved, employment status, and LIS job experience. Exploratory factor analysis will be carried out to identify the factor structure of the scale and relevant tests (e.g., Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin, Bartlett's test of sphericity) will be performed to investigate and assess the professional identity constructs that will emerge from the data. Confirmatory factor analysis will be conducted to obtain additional measures of fit and possibly explore additional changes. As the profession goes through a transformation and recalibrates itself to stay relevant and better address the needs and expectations of users, having a validated and reliable instrument to assess the professional identity of the professionals in the field will help address this gap.

The way in which group fitness instructors observe participants has a great influence on their pedagogical intervention. Based on the above, the main objective of this research is to characterize and compare their gaze patterns according to their training and professional experience. Twenty group fitness instructors of choreographed classes participated, aged between 18 and 42 years old, and for the comparison, four groups were created. Eye movements were captured with TOBII Pro Glasses 3, and data were coded and analyzed using the TOBII Pro Lab software. For the characterization of the gaze patterns, descriptive statistics were used in terms of count (f/m) and duration (s/m), while the comparison was performed using a one-way ANOVA test. More trained and experienced instructors tend to look at participants less, in count (80.59 ± 0.74) and duration (17.74 ± 0.71), with significant differences between the groups in some areas of interest (head, lower body, and other). There are also significant differences in the total number of eye fixations (F = 34.614; p = 0.001; η2 = 0.866; effect size very high). In conclusion, and projecting future works, it is important to understand how these gaze patterns are related to pedagogical behaviors in general or based on some specific factors (e.g., pedagogical feedback).

ABSTRACTAs fitness professionals, group fitness instructors play an important role in promoting recommended public health initiatives to various communities. While their practices are connected to public health policy, their certifications are often provided by commercially operated agencies in the North American context. The interrelationship of commercial and governmental control creates a complex environment where certain ways of understanding health and the fit body become dominant. In this paper, consequently, we were interested in what fitness knowledges informed Canadian group fitness instructors’ practices. Approaching our topic from a Foucauldian perspective, we conducted semi-structured interviews with five instructors who had a provincially governed fitness qualification. The findings revealed that two knowledges – health as illness prevention and the aesthetics of health – strongly directed the instructors’ class design despite their willingness to think, particularly about health, differently. Their certification reinforced the medical, physiological, and psychological knowledges that tend to assign health as individual responsibility, but left the social issues behind the healthy, fit body unproblematized. From a Foucauldian perspective, these dominant knowledges locked the instructors within dual control of anatomo-political and bio-political neoliberal power relations. To assist the instructors to problematize the control mechanism behind the dominant knowledge structure, we call for inclusion of broader knowledge base in their certification training through which serving the multiple needs of their various clientele can be constructively negotiated.