IDEA World is one of the largest and most iconic fitness conferences in the nation. With over 250+ lectures and workshops, 150+ presenters, opportunities to connect with peers and expand your community, IDEA World is the home to many who wish to expand their knowledge and network in the fitness industry. With their mission, “experience movement for your body, mind, soul, career, community and the world”, IDEA world not only teaches in a traditional sense, it also gets participants up and moving for hands-on practical learning.

This past year, IDEA World visited the Los Angeles Convention Center. I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to expand my knowledge in the fitness industry. During my visit, I attended many amazing workshops, all taught by inspirational icons I look up to in the fitness industry. From seminars on programming the perfect warm up for clients, to learning how to maximize exercise and performance with protein, and even how to create a playlist that can inspire participants, IDEA world provided a wide variety of workshops that fit a variety of audiences.

Throughout all the amazing sessions I attended, there was one in particular that stood out to me the most – diet culture. Maggie Moon, who lead Food as Medicine: Meals for Mental Health, dove deeper into how food plays an important role in our daily routines in not only our physical health, but mental health as well. My biggest takeaway was the idea of eating foods that make you feel good. With all the fad diets going around, it’s easy to get lost and eventually find yourself suffering through a diet plan made by someone else, accompanied with foods you don’t even enjoy eating. At that point, the diet becomes a struggle, leaving many people developing negative emotions towards food and eventually giving up on the diet altogether. This seminar reminded me how incorporating healthy eating into my lifestyle, I am able to improve my quality of life simply through choosing the foods I enjoy. It was also a great reminder to keep things simple in an industry that has the ability to become too complex at times.

IDEA World showcases the most up-to-date information to keep up with the ever growing fitness industry, and after learning under so many inspirational and knowledgeable professionals, I would highly recommend attending if ever presented with the opportunity. You wont regret it! I left the convention feeling as though my passion for fitness was reignited – feeling the same emotions from when I first considered joining the industry. As I apply my newfound knowledge, I look forward to the many ways I can integrate these lessons, ideas and values to my daily routines, the fitness community and our Beach family at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center (SRWC)!