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6 Important Questions About Diabetes

1. Since high blood glucose is dangerous, is low blood glucose healthy?
When blood glucose levels fall below 70 mg/dl, the condition is called hypoglycemia or low blood glucose. Since the primary fuel of the central nervous system (CNS) is glucose, low blood glucose can dramatically impair CNS function. Hypoglycemia can lead to dizziness, confusion, slurred speech, blurred vision and sleepiness (Gulve 2008).

2. What is glycosylated hemoglobin and the HbA1c test?

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Overnight Chai Oats

Overnight oats are a perfect option for hectic mornings when you don’t have time to prepare a pot of hearty steel-cut oatmeal. Soaking raw oats overnight gives a wonderful chewy texture that requires no cooking. You can keep the oat mixture in the refrigerator for 3 days.

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Adapting High-Intensity Interval Training Programs to Walking

Numerous high-intensity interval training research studies have explored jogging, running and cycling for exercise. Walking programs may be readily developed based on the findings of these studies.

The programs below adapt the intensity of intervals for walking, using guidance from the Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale. All five of these HIIT examples draw on research-based interval programs, but personal trainers should modify them according to the fitness level of the individual.

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The Exercise–Menopause Connection

Are you in menopause? Then you’re probably familiar with the challenges that many menopausal women experience: hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, irritability and depression. These symptoms— alone or combined—can compromise a woman’s quality of life. Even worse, menopausal symptoms can create a domino effect. For example, night sweats can cause sleep problems that lead to chronic sleep deficits, which in turn may significantly affect mood, anxiety levels, alertness and mental acuity.

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Sporting Chances

Ed Downs is a fifth-degree black belt, a U.S. Martial Arts Hall of Fame inductee, an ACE-certified Personal Trainer and a more-than-20-year fitness industry veteran. He has spent much of his career working with professional athletes from a variety of sports, many of whom have trained at his TERF Athletic Facility in Miami. The creator of PROTERF train- ing, Downs has successfully developed and patented the Downs Disc, which he uses in client training programs.

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Bending American Food Culture Feature Resonates

Editor in chief Sandy Todd Webster’s article “Bending American Food Culture” in the September issue was so on point. As a dietitian, I’m constantly cognizant about who exactly is my target audience—and that “target” keeps moving. It’s clear that traditional registered dietitian services of the past—such as meal planning, cooking demos, and so on, will always need tweaking to remain relevant to current culture. Those [who are] successful in the industry are the ones who [are] able to adapt and morph their offerings for future generations.

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Thrive in Five

Before you think one more thought about holiday shopping, decorating, traveling, cooking, party planning or family wrangling, pull out your iPad or a sheet of paper and answer these five questions:

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Innovative Chair Exercises for Seniors

It’s rewarding to hear older-adult partic- ipants say they can more easily perform activities of daily living as a result of tak- ing your classes. Participants at a low level of physical function are especially likely to notice a difference. When working with these individuals in a group setting, you may need to rely on seated activities, to ensure safety and success.

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Progressive Core Exercise for Beginners and Beyond

Every day, in fitness facilities worldwide, beginners walk into group fitness classes. Remember that even the fittest students in your classes were once beginners, and possibly obese. It’s important never to lose touch with the beginner’s mind. Try to imagine what new students are feeling and thinking. They may feel intimidated, physically uncomfortable and afraid of failure. This beginning stage doesn’t end after a couple of classes—it can last some time—so be patient.

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Sample Class: 3 x 3 Progressive Cycling Circuits

Most cycling class participants walk away dripping in sweat, satisfied knowing they got a highly effective cardio workout. But do they have any sense of making progress from session to session–or even improvement within a single session? Do they have a specific goal they can reach in 1 hour and immediately celebrate? Give participants palpable proof of progress with this easy-to-follow formula designed to challenge all levels!

The Formula

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Creative Ideas That Inspire

Golden Barre, an offshoot of the Bender Barre Method®, is designed for active aging participants with injuries. This class, offered at Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada, slows down the Bender Barre experience and focuses on balance, strength, flexibility and posture.

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Expert Tips on Safe Yoga Adjustments

Think back to a recent time when you left a yoga class and felt joyfully transformed. Maybe the teacher had great auditory and visual cues. Maybe he or she made you feel safe and supported, allowing you to explore poses in deeper and more rewarding ways than you would have been able to on your own. A well-balanced yoga teacher connects with all types of learners—auditory, visual and kinesthetic.

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6 Exercise Barriers: Help Clients Break Through

Part of your role as a group fitness instructor is to help students reach their fitness goals. This is not always an easy task. Each person has different objectives, as well as unique obstacles to overcome. If you can understand some of these factors, you’ll be in a better position to meet participants’ needs, and you’ll be a more effective teacher, coach, motivator and leader.

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“Have you trained any clients who have undergone gastric bypass surgery? Do you have any special precautions or suggestions?”

Working with clients who have had gastric bypass surgery requires some extra caution and attention. I first met one such client about a year after her surgery. I asked her a ton of questions because I wanted to understand her motivation, why she decided to have the surgery, what her experience had been living with the result, what her restrictions and limitations were and how she was working within those limitations—her successes and challenges. One of the things I’ve learned about fitness and clients is that everything stems from their thinking process.

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Analyzing Flash Deals

Fitness professionals around the world have jumped on the flash-deal bandwagon to try to generate more business and attract new clients. It looks like an attractive arrangement: Flash deals, such as Groupon or LivingSocial offers, put your business in front of a whole new audience, bring some new faces through the door and help you grow and expand your client base and revenue.

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Make This Halloween a Healthy One

halloween candy

Halloween has evolved over time from “All Hallows’ Eve,” a night of warding off the evil spirits of the dead, to a night centered around children, costumes and candy.

As childhood obesity has escalated, more parents have become wary of the calorie-laden trick-or-treating tradition. We asked some of IDEA’s expert nutrition authors and presenters how they keep their kids healthy without spoiling the holiday fun.

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Breathalyzer Signals Fat Burn?

Have you ever wished for a quick way to test whether a client is burning fat? Scientists from Researchers Laboratories in Yokosuka, Japan, believe they have found an answer—in the form of a portable breath analyzer device.

The researchers developed the device to measure acetone, “a metabolite derived from fat-burning [and] produced in the blood, that is expelled through alveoli of the lungs during exhalation.”

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Virtual Advisor Helps Older Latinos Move More

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nearly 79% of Hispanic adults in the United States are overweight or obese. One possible way to improve that statistic is through the use of a virtual physical activity advisor, suggests a new study.

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