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Indoor Cycling Sample Class: Explore Your Zones

A properly designed indoor cycling program can enhance cardiovascular health, regardless of age or ability level. But you must integrate various intensity levels to get the most from participants. Ideally, cardiovascular training should provide a mix of the following intensity zones (as used in the Schwinn® Indoor Cycling Program):
Zone 1 (easy/comfortable)
50…

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Skip It, Stand It

The 14th Street Y in New York City offers Punk Rope, a high-intensity jump rope–based fitness class set to punk rock music. Designed by IDEA member Tim Haft, Punk Rope…

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Key Fitness Trends in America

Here are just a few highlights from this year’s Tracking the Fitness Movement (2004 edition), a study conducted for SGMA International by American Sports Data Inc.:
Fitness walking is listed as the favorite form of exercise for 10.3 million people.
Use of recumbent stationary bikes has risen by nearly 60% since 1998.
Users of elliptical-…

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Physically Fit Kids May Do Better in School

If you’re offering your services to local schools, here’s a new argument to add to the PowerPoint presentation. University of Illinois researchers have found “a strong relationship between academic achievement and fitness scores.”
The investigators examined the relationship between physical fitness and cognitive function (attention and working memory) among group…

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Acupuncture for Pain Relief

Pain relief from acupuncture is real, not the result of the placebo effect. Mounting research evidence supports the conclusion that acupuncture provides clinically important pain relief. For example, in a study presented at an American College of Rheumatology meeting in San Anton…

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Seeing the Difference

When Caroline Forsberg had to retire her seeing-eye dog of 11 years, Anise, she presumed she would be paired with another guide dog soon. After all, that was the way it had always been. But this time was different. Forsberg, who lives in Albany, New York, was denied a companion be…

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Yoga May Help Kids With ADHD

The regular practice of yoga is known for helping adults achieve a sense of relaxation and inner peace. A recent study suggests that yoga may also benefit children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
According to research published in the Journal of At…

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Surviving the Low-Carb Craze

Walk through any grocery store today and, chances are, you will be bombarded by a plethora of food offerings billed as “low-carb.” And it’s no wonder, considering that anywhere from 10 to 24 million Americans have jumped on the low-carbohydrate bandwagon (Reuters 2004). But is this way of eating destined to fall by the wayside like the low-fat craze of the 1990s?

Man…

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The “Talk Test”

Aerobic exercise is a decisively important component of any fitness program. However, establishing and maintaining ideal exercise intensities for optimally safe and effective workouts can prove challenging for both exercisers and fitness professionals.
In designing cardiorespiratory exercise programs, it is meaningful to consider that many people engage in aerobic exercise to control…

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Made to “FITT”

Personal fitness trainers (PFTs) draw from a distinct body of scientific knowledge to create appropriate and individualized cardiorespiratory exercise programs for clients. A great amount of research has been done on heart rate zone training, optimal frequency and time of exercise, exercise progression, and the effects of these factors on caloric expenditure during exercise.
If t…

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Senior Moments

The cooldown should be like frosting—sweet, smooth and so delicious that students want to stay until they finish the very last section of cake—err, I mean, class…

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Meditation: Just the Basics

Meditation is going mainstream. Today, 10 million Americans—more than twice as many as a decade ago—practice some form of meditation, according to TIME magazine (Stein 2003). And with contemporary medical experts claiming that regular practice of this ancient activity improves well-being and health, the trend may well continue. But what is meditation; why is it gaining …

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The Buzz About Nutrient Timing

The search for ways to enhance performance and muscle growth through dietary manipulation is not new. Questions abound regarding the optimal amounts of protein, carbohydrate and fat needed to boost performance, while nutrition recommendations based on training goals are plentiful…

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Increasing Your Sleep Savvy

Do you have difficulty falling asleep at night? Once you get to sleep, do you wake up frequently? Do you feel lethargic in the morning? Are you drowsy by midafternoon and unable to stay alert as you go about your day? If you answered yes to one of these questions, you may be one of the millions of people who are chronically sleep deprived and not even aware of it!
To get better s…

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