Amy Dixon, fitness columnist for Women's Health, will be leading two 45-minute workouts at AMCon Sunday October 28, sandwiched between the MPA-IMAG sessions and AMC's official late-afternoon kick-off, and on Monday, October 29, following the afternoon general sessions and preceding the Monday night dinner.

Dixons energetic workouts will either put attendees in a healthy frame of mind or help them burn off the dinnertime calories. Or both.

Dixon disclosed what she has in store for both days. "On Sunday, I am going to be teaching a complete standing core workout with a 2.5-pound medicine ballnon-stop functional movement with an emphasis on core definition, fat-burning and strength. Mondays offering is a class she created called Full Circle. Think power yoga meets boot camp. This is a total body workout and the only piece of equipment you'll need is your own body weight."

Yoga will be an important ingredient. "Elements of yoga will be infused in the stretching and cool-downs from both workouts," Dixon pointed out. "But Power Vinyasa Flow Yoga makes up a majority of the Full Circle class, since it's about moving through the postures as well as flexibility training."

Asked if she'll incorporate music into the routines, such as Pink's "Get This Party Started" or Olivia Newton-John's "Let's Get Physical," Dixon said, "Expect a nice mix of current music that will keep the energy high and the party pumping...I hadn't planned on Olivia Newton-John."
  
It's hard to gauge the age and sex breakouts for the workout sessions at this point. But Dixon said, "I have been told that I should be getting a good mix of men and women. Usually, more women attend group fitness classes, and the age range will be 30 to 40, give or take."

Dixon, the Group Fitness Manager for Equinox in Santa Monica, not only writes her Womens Health column but is also the star and choreographer of two Women's Health DVDs just out, Total Workout in Ten and Ultimate Fat Burn. In addition, shes a fitness and nutrition educator at the college level, a personal trainer, a cardiac rehab specialist, a Schwinn cycling master trainer and the writer and former director of a wellness program established for the national Senior Friends organization.

While Dixon conceded that her workouts will make AMC attendees hungry, she stressed the importance of moderation. "It is imperative that we all understand what we are putting in our mouths as well as the nutritional make-up of the food. Gaining and losing weight is all about calories in and calories out.  If you eat more than you burn, you will gain weight! So I will definitely remind attendees that exercise doesn't give you a blank check to consume whatever you want."

For Dixon, fitness is not something new or trendy. "I have always been into fitness," she said. "My daddy was a high school football coach. I've always been able to hold my own in most sports and started gymnastics and dance at the age of 4. I went on to compete at the world level in power tumbling at the age of 12." In high school, there was the track team and cheerleading. "And then came college, where I got my bachelor's degree in exercise physiology.  Sharing my love of fitness literally fuels me.

That's why she laments the fact that Americans, although they've probably never been more into physical fitness and proper eating habits than today, are also struggling with obesity. "The fact of the matter is that we are a culture of excess," she observed. "Whether it be food or drink, we are putting it away in BIG portions. Yes, diet and exercise is a large component of the media today but, for the most part, people are wowed by celebrities who are blessed with a trainer every day and a celebrity chef. I can honestly tell you that a majority of the world truly doesn't understand what it takes to be healthy. It is hard work!