Archive for October 2005
The Growing Problem of Obesity
Statistics demonstrate that countries around the globe are experiencing a spectacular increase in obesity. Worldwide there are an estimated 1 billion obese persons (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30), and the number has been increasing rapidly over the last two decades (Loos & Bouchard 2003). In the United States 65% of adults are overweight (BMI = 25–29.9), and of these, 31% are obese…
Read MoreStudy Evaluates Exercise Capacity in Women
Exercise capacity decreases with age—this is something most fitness professionals already know. But until recently, scientists did not know how much exercise women should be able to do relative to their age. Researchers answered this question in the August 4 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (2005; 353 [5], 468–75) by creating a nomogram, which is a graph…
Read MoreAcupuncture and Exercise Reduce Pelvic Pain for Pregnant Women
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Read MoreBuff Up Your Muscular-Fitness Testing Skills
Many studies have shown that maintaining or increasing muscular strength and endurance throughout the lifespan is important for preventing disease, maintaining health and preserving the ability to perform normal life activities. Knowing how to measure a client’s strength and endurance allows the personal fitness trainer (PFT) to establish baseline values in order to design an effec…
Read MoreLeftover Turkey Soup With Pasta
Here’s a healthy way to use up all your turkey leftovers during that long Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Pair this soup with some crusty whole-wheat bread and a simple green salad for a total meal that takes only a few minutes.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup minced onion
1…
A Prescription for Procrastinators
“I had to work late this week, so I didn’t have time to work out.” “I need to lose weight before I can start exercising.” “I’m late because my dog ate my favorite workout shoes.”
Do these excuses sound familiar? Clients everywhere seem to come up with some unique reasons for skipping workouts or ignoring their trainers’ …
The Latest on PEP
The Latest on PEP
In July the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations approved a fiscal year 2006 spending bill for the Departments of Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services that contains $74 million for Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) grants. This amount is $19 million more than the president’s request. The good news is tempered by a bit of bad, h…
Read MoreObese Men Not as Fit as Obese Women
There may be a good reason to approach the sexes differently when designing exercise programs for obese clients. A study published in the July issue of Chest (2005; 128 [1], 256–62) found that severely obese men were more carbohydrate intolerant and had less physical endurance than severely obese women. This conclusion led researchers to believe that gender plays a strong role in p…
Read MoreOverweight Girls Face Puberty Sooner
Overweight Girls Face Puberty Sooner
Girls who are overweight or obese may experience puberty sooner than their thinner peers, according to a study in the August 11 online edition of Pediatrics (2005; 116 [2]). The study contests the theory that girls who start their periods at a young age are predisposed to be obese adults.
Researc…
Enticing Teen Girls to Eat Well
When it comes to diet, teenage girls need a lot of…
Read MoreForgiveness Linked to Less Back Pain
Loving-kindness meditation, an ancient Buddhist practice used to develop love and to transform anger into compassion, eased back pain in chronic sufferers taking part in a pilot study at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.
Forty-three subjects were randomly assigned to either the meditation intervention or usual care. Standardized measures assessed patients&rsqu…
Speed Demons
Technology
By Joe Dysart
Speed Demons
Get back in the Web’s fast lane with the latest utilities.
QuickCleanTM, by McAfee (www.mcafee.com/us/) ($24.95)
One of the most prominent PC software makers, McAfee has been making products like QuickClean for years, with outstanding results. This little gem essentially goes on “space patrol” inside your PC, eliminating every performance-slowing file it can…
Feldenkrais Clinic Offers Low-Fee Services
The Feldenkrais Resources Center in Berkeley, California, is offering people with limited income the opportunity to benefit from the Feldenkrais Method at reduced fees ($25–$40). Trainers use gentle touch to guide clients through existing movement patterns to heighten body awareness and to explore alternative movement patterns. The goals are to find new ways of movement that reduce …
Read MoreIntense Focus
East Side Athletic Club in Clackamas, Oregon, offers Karma Kidz yoga class to its littlest members. In this special brand of yoga, children ages 3–6 imitate animals and play games that include creative expressions and “freeze” dancing. “The class is full with 14 children,” says IDEA member Selena M. Moffitt, group fitness coordinator. “Our instructor has t…
Read MoreBalancing Your Work and Home Lives
Do you find yourself getting frustrated as you try to juggle …
Read MoreWomen who take daily doses of extra-strength Tylenol® need to monitor their blood pressure
Women who take daily doses of extra-strength Tylenol® need to monitor their blood pressure, according to a study published online in the August 15 Hypertension. The study involved 5,123 women participating in the Nurses’ Health Study at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. None had high blood pressure when the trial began. Wome…
Read MoreSpiritual Meditation Provides Stronger Pain Management
People who practiced a spiritual form of meditation for a 2-week period had less anxiety, a more positive mood, and less pain when exposed to a stressor than people who practiced secular forms of meditation, according to research results published online, July 28, in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine (2005; 10.1007/s10865-005-9008-5).
Researchers from Bowling Green State Univ…
Reclaiming Joy in Your Life
Are your weeks filled with all work and no play? Do you find yourself being serious all of the time? Are you seeking new approaches for finding joy?
Learn how other fitness professionals add fun back into their lives when they realize they’re stuck in a rut. Try their ideas—or let them inspire you to come up with your own.
Spending Quiet …
The Legalities of Emergency Care
Legal & Risk Management
By Sean Riley, MS, JD
The Legalities of Emergency Care
Understand your risks and responsibilities. As a personal trainer, you work with a variety of populations, from seniors to athletes. This diversity perpetuates a number of legal issues, particularly with regard to emergency care. With the senior population, you must be able to identify the symptoms of, and remedies for…
Get Centralized and Automated
Training for Growth
By Sherri McMillan, MSc, and Alex McMillan
Get Centralized and Automated
Streamline your operations and hit revenue goals. As consultants who travel around the world, we see many personal training businesses or departments that struggle with the same issues: I no personal training director or a director who trains 30…