What did the SNEWS team read this week that other fitness insiders might find interesting? Read on to find out.

• The coolest things come to Colorado – obviously – SNEWS does reside in the beautiful state. But now the state is home to not only the coolest cats on the planet, but also a new workout that fuses dance and climbing called the Dance-Climb Fusion. It’s just like it sounds. Check out this Daily Camera article about the new workout. 

• Several fitness manufacturers got a shout out in this Livestrong post titled ’20 Fitness Gadgets that Actually Work’ including the TrekDesk, Bosu Ball, the Elliptigo and a few TRX products. Seems like it would be smart to have some of these things in your stores. 

• With all the technology out there that allows users to track their workouts and fitness statistics, the ones that are most successful are those that have virtual trainers people can connect with, according to this Reuters story. Read on to find out more about companies that offer this type of technology.

• All of us, including your customers, hit fitness slumps. But this Seattle Times story gives us tips on how to push past the slump, including trying something new like hiking or a fitness DVD, signing up for a race, making fitness bets with friends and rewarding ourselves, among others. It’s a good story to share with customers.

• Forget marathons, turns out one key to reaching fitness goals is simply to lace up your shoes and walk, according to this NBC affiliate WPTZ story. Walking for fitness was one of the primary activities people who reported among people who actually me the national recommendation for physical exercise. The article also offers helpful tips on how to make the most of a fitness walk.

• The bottom line is a lot of times people are intimidated to get their health in order. Mostly because gyms these days are packed with scantily clad sexy beasts. That’s where you come in, specialty retailers, offering a private alternative to the gym. This Post Bulletin story discusses how to talk to people who are a little nervous to get started with exercise.

• It’s always good news to specialty fitness retailers when people are addicted to exercise. Then you can help feed their addiction. Check out this feature story in The Register-Guard about Tom Williams, an exercise addict with extremely healthy habits.

• Last week in our SNEWS Qs, a fitness retailer told us focusing on trends is key to remaining profitable in the future. Check out this Whatcom Magazine story that gives us an overview of the top 10 fitness trends of 2012 including TRX, Crossfit, balance and stability balls and gyms specifically for kids. Read it to find out more!

• Exercise is a gem for pretty much everything. But this Forbes story told us that it makes us smarter by increasing our energy, making us more focused, improving our memory and improving our productivity among other things.

• So not only does exercise make us smarter, it also curbs our stress levels, makes us happy when we’re sad, builds self-esteem and improves body image and it helps keep Alzheimer’s disease at bay according to this U.S. News story. So, if your customers still aren’t sure about purchasing products from you, now you’re armed with reasons to give them why they should.

Have you read anything interesting you'd like to share with us? Maybe we'll include it next week's column with a little shout out to whoever sent it to us. Send a link to the story with the subject line "SNEWS Reads" to be considered.

--Compiled by Ana Trujillo