IDEA Health & Fitness Association Honors Industry Leaders at the 2019 IDEA World Convention
Posted: June 27, 2019 in Other News
IDEA World
ANAHEIM, CA – IDEA Health & Fitness Association, a leading organization of fitness and wellness professionals, announced the recipients of its annual IDEA World Fitness Awards, recognizing individuals who strive for excellence, show an outstanding commitment to their clients and communities and spread their passion for fitness across the globe.
The awards for personal trainer, fitness instructor and program director of the year, as well as the IDEA Fitness Inspiration Award and prestigious IDEA Jack LaLanne Award, presented to someone who made a significant and lasting contribution to the world of fitness, were presented at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2019 IDEA World Convention at the Anaheim Convention Center, Thursday, June 27, 2019, in Anaheim, California.
The 2019 Award Recipients Are:
- 2019 IDEA Jack LaLanne Award, Jay Blahnik: Blahnik has been at the forefront of the fitness industry for decades as a sought-after instructor, trainer, writer, program creator and product developer, sharing his passion and influencing millions of people worldwide. He has worked closely with many of the top fitness brands in the world, creating some of the most successful products and programs of all time, and was instrumental in the development of the original, ground-breaking Nike+ Run Club and Nike+ Training Club apps. Jay continues to inspire the world to fitness through technology in his role as the Senior Director of Fitness for Health Technologies at Apple.
- 2019 IDEA Inspiration Award, Victoria Arlen: In 2006, Victoria developed two rare conditions that robbed her of her ability to move, speak or eat on her own. After 4 years in a vegetative state, she began to fight for independence through hard work and training, eventually transforming into a record-breaking, Paralympic gold-medal swimmer. Most recently, she was a semi-finalist on Dancing With the Stars and is currently an on-air host for ESPN.
- 2019 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, Brian Nunez: Nunez is the founder and owner of FNS (Fitness Never Sleeps) Training Center, an award-winning performance training facility. His business provides a “team training” experience along with personal training, nutrition coaching and mental conditioning. As a Nike® master trainer, Nunez coaches elite athletes and creates fitness content for the Nike training department. Each month he offers free coaching calls to fitness professionals, helping them break through an area they are struggling with in their personal or professional life.
- 2019 IDEA Program Director of the Year, Amy Boone Thompson: As the national customer experience manager for Les Mills US, Thompson played a key role in championing its group fitness management (GFM) education course. She has more than 23 years of expereince in fitness, programming, personal training, and health club management. Prior to Les Mills, Thompson was the national director of personal traning for Wellbridge where she created WellStart, a physician-referred exercise program to enourage individuals to become more active.
- 2019 IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year, Doris Thews: As senior vice president of fitness and innovation for VASA Fitness, Doris creates VASA-branded studio programming, trains instructors and teaches indoor cycling, BOSU, yoga, Pilates and HIIT companywide. In addition, she also identifies technology and fitness trends that support company innovation. As owner of Team Thews Fitness, Thews is a consultant and spokesperson for major fitness brands, including BOSU, Schwinn and Ryka. She’s a group fitness instructor, personal trainer and run coach. Additionally, Thews believes in community service and travels nationally and globally to lead weekend trainings and workshops.
For more information about the 2019 IDEA World Convention, or to sign up for a free IDEA World Fitness & Nutrition Expo Hall pass, please visit www.ideafit.com/world.
