Archive for June 2011
Women’s Body Image Woes
It’s documented that a portion of the population suffers from low self-esteem and body image issues. Some of those individuals may be willing to make significant sacrifices to obtain the “ideal body,” suggests The Succeed Foundation Body Image Survey, which included 320 women from 20 British universities. The women ranged in age from 18 to…
Read MoreHost Successful Group Exercise Department Meetings
For a variety of reasons, as a group fitness director you need to meet with your instructors regularly. However, actually getting instructors to attend department meetings can be a daunting task. Ali Helms, fitness director at the Jewish Community Alliance in Jacksonville, Florida, offers tips for hosting a successful—and well-attended—department meeting:
Read MoreWhat are some effective, easy-to-find, tasty foods with anti-inflammatory properties?
Answer
Certain foods—such as berries—deserve the spotlight when it comes to lowering inflammation. But more important than individual foods is an overall eating pattern that is rich in colorful plant-based foods, balanced with quality protein and healthy fats. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans give this same advice. The good news is that you can easily find inflammation-fighting foods in your local food market.
Read Morefig squares
The quinoa flakes and almond meal provide an extra protein boost in this fig-filled dessert with a crumble topping. Find quinoa flakes in the cereal aisle at health food stores. The fig filling can be made a day or two ahead and with fresh or dried figs. Try the fig filling as a spread on whole-grain toast or crackers, too.
Fig Filling 1 p int fresh figs, chopped or 2 cups dried figs, chopped
1 cup apple juice 1/2 cup honey 1 tablespoon orange peel (optional) 1 teaspoon (tsp) cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt
Read Morego mediterranean!
If the scientific evidence to eat a traditional Mediterranean diet was not already compelling, it just reached that status.
Read Moreis diet tied to ADHD?
We all likely knew a classmate in school who couldn’t sit still—a child who was often in trouble for fidgeting or doing silly, impulsive things that annoyed the teacher. Perhaps you were that kid or are now raising that type of child. The National Survey of Children’s Health from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in late 2010 that an estimated 10% of American children aged 4–17 had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children with ADHD can be restless and challenging to handle.
Read Morethe epigenetics diet
For myriad reasons already known, eating a vegetable-based diet is one of the most healthful things you can do for your body. A recent research review in the journal Clinical Epigenetics adds more evidence to the case.
Scientists from the University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB), showed that, in particular, vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage are filled with compounds that could help reverse or prevent cancers and other aging-related diseases as part of the “epigenetics diet,” a new lifestyle concept coined after the article’s publication.
Read Morefabulous figs
Fresh figs are a summer treat in the United States, arriving in June and disappearing by September. Tree-ripened figs can be scored at some local farmers’ markets in California, where 100% of dried figs and about 98% of fresh figs are grown.
Read Moresatiety “signaling pathway’ identified
food focus
Read MoreHow the Mind, the Body & the Environment Affect Our Health
Dr. Esther Sternberg is one of the world’s leading researchers in the complex and evolving science of mind-body interaction and its affects on illness and health. As section chief of neuroendocrine immunology and behavior at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Sternberg has made discoveries that have helped answer such weighty questions as, How and why does stress affect our health, and do our surroundings have the power to heal?
Read MoreReforming the Way Americans Eat
CEC approvedquiz 4: Page 118From the White House to local school boards, our government has ambitious goals for improving how we eat and challenging policies that encourage unhealthy diets. Objectives of current health initiatives include the following:
Read MoreBrief Bouts & Baby Steps
&EEvery day, consumers are bombarded with bogus claims about the benefits of quick workouts. Magazine covers offer the “60-second ab exercise” that will “peel off 7 pounds” or tout faster workouts to “burn double the fat in half the time.” Fitness infomercials claim that just minutes a day will “get you ripped, guaranteed” and boast testimonials from users who have (supposedly) lost more than 50 pounds, or three dress sizes, with just 3 minutes of exercise a day.
Read MoreContinuing Education Quizzes
Serving Your Base and Looking for Opportunity in Special Populations
The 16th annual IDEA Fitness Programs & Equipment Trends survey was distributed to member club owners, fitness directors, managers and program directors in order to gather information on current programming and equipment offerings and to gauge industry trends.
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