Archive for September 2016

Many professionals who combine health coaching with fitness training use motivational interviewing, a method intended to stimulate a client’s active problem-solving capacities. The first large randomized clinical trial evaluating the use of MI has now demonstrated its effectiveness in helping patients to change health behaviors in ways that directly resulted in fewer hospitalizations. Mayo Clinic investigators in Rochester, Minnesota, conducted the study to test the feasibility and effectiveness of MI for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Practicing mindful eating may boost heart health and improve blood glucose levels more than simply following a healthier eating plan, suggest findings from a study published in Obesity, the scientific journal of The Obesity Society (2016; doi: 10.1002/oby.21396).

As wellness coaching continues to gain steam as an avenue for sustainable behavior change, so too does research into the efficacy of this approach.
To understand the impact of wellness coaching on behavior change, scientists from the Mayo Clinic recently facilitated a 12-week, in-person, one-on-one coaching program that included 100 employee members of a worksite wellness center. The vast majority of participants were female (90%) and around age 42. They completed questionnaires on health behaviors, eating self-efficacy and goal-setting skills pre- and postintervention.

Yes, looks can be deceiving. And while it’s common to use weight or BMI to estimate a person’s health risks, a report from Annals of Family Medicine (2016; 14 [4], 304–10) suggests with prediabetes it’s important to go deeper.

Researchers from the University of Florida have reported that prediabetes is on the rise. Fortunately, there may be a solution. Another study—this one from Duke Health—examined the effects of different exercise intensities on glucose homeostasis. The good news is it doesn’t have to be “go big or go home” for people to benefit.

According to a report from Les Mills, Millennials—born between 1980 and early 2000—are the leading age group for fitness classes and gym workouts and are likely to consider fitness a sport. This group also presents with specific payment-system needs that many fitness facilities may overlook, according to Jami Hughes, director of sales for Forte Payment Systems. She offers these insights on how to accommodate the Millennial market:

Do you let your little ones stay up past 8 p.m.? You may want to rethink that practice, say researchers from The Ohio State University College of Public Health. Preschool-age children who go to bed late are at risk of becoming obese by their teenage years, says a new study.
The report, printed in The Journal of Pediatrics (2016; DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2016.06.005), featured bedtime data on 977 children around 5 years of age, as reported by their mothers in 1991. The most common bedtimes were 8, 8:30 and 9 p.m.; however, the spectrum ranged from 6:45 p.m.

Body image dissatisfaction is associated primarily with women. However, a study published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.12538) suggests the condition may also affect men—and may be more psychologically harmful for them than it is for women.

According to the World Heart Federation, whose mission is to fight cardiovascular disease worldwide, 15 million people have a stroke each year. That’s equal to the population of Los
Angeles. Six million of them die, and 5 million become permanently disabled. Researchers recently compiled a list of potentially modifiable behaviors that together account for 90.7% of strokes.

Elizabeth (Liz) Joy, MD, MPH, FACSM, is the medical director for community health and clinical nutrition at Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City. Dr. Joy practices family medicine and sports medicine at the LiVe Well Center at Salt Lake Clinic. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Utah in the department of family and preventive medicine. She completed a family medicine residency and primary care sports medicine fellowship at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and earned her master's degree in public health at the University of Utah.

The Hotel del Coronado in Coronado, California, is making a splash in aquatics with Mermaid Fitness. This offering is conducted at the hotel's pool, where participants don colorful mermaid tails. The 45-minute class, open to both the public and hotel guests, is a "fusion of swimming, core, cardio and strength training set to upbeat music," according to the website.