The Fitmotivation Aquatic Fitness Instructor Video On-Demand Platform launched on November 14, 2014 with just 5 videos. There are now 395 water fitness instructor videos. All videos include notes that can be downloaded, printed and even customized, as well as video blog that provides extra insights for the video.
PHOTOGRAPHIC TRIBUTE TO 10 YEARS
Fitmotivation extends a big thank you to all of the aquatic fitness training specialists across the globe who have shared their passion, their knowledge and their classes with subscribers. We could not include all of them in this photographic tribute because there are 50 instructors who have been featured on the platform. Most of the instructors are based here in the United States, but the platform also includes aquatic fitness experts from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Russia and the United Kingdom. Learn more about Fitmotivation's top notch instructors.
THE FIRST VIDEO. 2014 vs 2024
Prior to the video on-demand platform, I had produced 25 aquatic fitness DVDs between 2004 and 2014. The very first video produced for the on-demand platform was Pool Jogging & Tabata. The plan was to include audio downloads with select videos for people who wanted to exercise along with the workouts. The audio downloads would eventually lead to the creation of Fitmotivation's sister site, Poolfit.tv and the Poolfit App. When Pool Jogging & Tabata was filmed in 2014, we didn't even have an underwater camera yet. We launched on a shoestring budget. We started with just one camera filming above. Check out the trailer for the 2014 video.
POOL JOGGING & TABATA 2014
To celebrate the 10 year anniversary, I thought it would be fun to do a remake of the Pool Jogging & Tabata video with all new cardio travel patterns and Tabata rounds. Tabata is a form of high intensity interval training (HIIT). Each 4-minute Tabata round includes 8 exercises that are performed for 20 seconds of all-out exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest. Check out a trailer for the 2024 version.
POOL JOGGING & TABATA 2024
Watching these two trailers, it is no doubt that video quality has no doubt drastically improved over the past 10 years. From starting with just one above ground camera and literally nothing else, the videos are now produced with multiple cameras and lighting. No, we do not use a production company. This is all done my one man, Ron the Video Guy.
FROM 5 TO 395 VIDEOS THANKS TO THIS GUY
Once the concept of Fitmotivation came to life in Winter 2014, my Spring project was finding a video guy. Filming water exercise videos isn't exactly a thing and my panic started building by the summer after several interviews and no luck. Finally, I dug a little deeper into one of the wedding videographer's bio that I saw online. The bio referenced filming website content. Bingo! Meet Ron Klineschmidt, a Sarasota native who started his own video production, Studio KRP, with an emphasis on wedding videos. Well, Ron agreed to the ongoing gig of producing at least two videos a month for Fitmotivation and the rest is history. When we first started filming he strolled onto the pool deck with one case. Now it takes both of us 10 trips to unload his car for each filming due to all of the equipment he has accumulated.
THE WEBSITE WIZARD
The Fitmotivation On-Demand Video Platform is clearly a large technological undertaking. And let's just say there is a reason I am in fitness and that the technology certainly does not come from MY brain. The wizard behind the curtain is Mike Ruschak, pictured above with his daughter Allie. Mike has helped me with website and technological needs for 20 years, literally since he was in college. Mike and his tech team assistants, Lonne Lyon and Luigi Guarnuccio all have full time tech jobs in Rochester, NY, but give up their evenings and weekends for the tech needs and continued website and app development for both Fitmotivation and Poolfit.
AND CAN'T FORGET
I also want to give a shot out to a couple other key players. Making our graphic design look good is long time team member Sheryl Ewart from Montreal. And finally, a big thank you to Green Hearted Marketing and Hannah Gani-Lewis for handling out marketing needs and helping us surge our social media presence in 2024.
FILMING THIS WEEK
Arriving on Thursday, the day of the 10 year anniversary and filming four videos is a new instructor to the Fitmotivation team. Meet the 51st instructor, Kelly Bullard, a global fitness professional who has been inspiring and educating instructors for over 25 years. Kelly is most recognizable in the Zumba world. She is a Zumba Education Training Specialist (ZES) for Zumba Fitness and has presented trainings in over 38 countries. Zumba Fitness and Aqua Zumba are licensed programs and her videos will not include any Zumba content. However, she does teach several classes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, including aquatic fitness and she has some fun and energetic content planned for subscribers.
-------------------------
And just like that, 10 years has gone by. None of this would be possible without all who have supported us with their subscription dollars. Many of you have been subscribed for the full 10 years and I cannot thank you enough. Below is my closing message for this very special anniversary.