Archive for April 2019
More Long-Term Aerobic Fitness Benefits
New research adds to growing evidence that current cardiovascular fitness levels affect heart disease risks as far ahead as 9 years in the future. “Even among people who seem to be healthy, the top 25% of the most fit individuals actually have only half as high a risk [of heart disease] as the least fit 25%,” said principal investigator Bjarne Nes, PhD, of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
Read MoreFitness Pros Influence Body Satisfaction
Women in a group exercise class experienced greater body satisfaction and better moods when the instructor made motivational comments related to strength and health instead of weight or appearance.
Read MoreRewards of Lifelong Exercise
If you were to tell clients they could have the heart health of a 40-year-old and the muscular fitness of someone in their 20s when they were in their 70s, they’d likely want to know more. Well, you could tell them this: A recent study found that lifelong exercisers averaging 75 years old had the cardiovascular health typical of someone in their early 40s and the muscular health of a 25-year-old. The key is to exercise regularly, year after year.
Read MoreThe New Label Lingo for Oils
Some food labels may get a little more cluttered. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, said in a statement that the agency will begin allowing some oils, such as olive oil and sunflower oil, to display the following health claim: “Supportive but not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that daily consumption of about 1?¢ tablespoons (20 grams) of oils containing high levels of oleic acid may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.”
Read MoreFewer Carbs May Increase Your Metabolic Rate
Anyone who’s achieved a weight loss goal, then watched his or her waistline expand over the following months, can attest to the incredible frustration of seeing hard-earned results fade away. The reasons for weight regain are many, but a big contributing factor is how the body tends to recognize missing pounds as a need to slow metabolism and burn fewer calories, making it harder for people to maintain weight loss.
Read MoreBlood Pressure, Diet and Aging
It’s official: The typical Western diet is a major driver of rising blood pressure as we age, not age itself as previously thought, according to research from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health published in JAMA Cardiology. The study revealed that members of the isolated South American Yanomami tribe, with virtually no Western dietary influences, typically have no rise in their blood pressure numbers from age 1 to age 60.
Read MorePoultry and Salmonella Risk
The most recent recall of romaine lettuce linked to an outbreak of dangerous E. coli O157:H7 drives home the reality of weak links in our food production chain. That includes numerous chicken slaughterhouses, the USDA reports. The agency found that a concerning number of poultry processors audited from October 29, 2017, to October 27, 2018, flunked the salmonella performance standard for handling chicken parts, such as breast meat.
Read MoreWhen Fruit Is Not Really Fruit on Food Labels
Have you ever picked one grocery item over another because its packaging claimed it contained real fruit or vegetables, only to learn that the product has virtually none of these healthy ingredients?
Read MoreMove Over, Happy Meal®
Recent research shows how our dietary choices can help turn a frown upside down.
Read MoreEat Fish for a Long Life
If you want to enjoy many more birthdays in great health, it could be a good idea to cast your line for omega-3-rich fish more often. In a 13-year study of older Americans, published in the journal BMJ, those with higher circulating blood levels of marine-derived, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids—such as docosapentaenoic acid—were significantly more likely to age healthfully than their peers with lower levels of these omegs-3s in their blood.
Read MoreGut Hormone Ghrelin May Derail Healthy Eating
It happens to the best of us: You walk into the supermarket intent on filling your cart with nothing but healthy foods, only to be blindsided by the oh-so-enticing smell wafting from the bakery aisle. It turns out you can blame your hormones for why you’re standing with muffins at the checkout line, according to re?¡search in Cell Reports.
Read MoreVariable Deadlifts & Deadshifts
We define what variable deadlifts are and address the need for variable lifting, as well as the deadlift’s forgotten cousin, the deadshift.
Read MoreThe State of Health and Wellness Coaching
In 2017, the Global Wellness Institute launched an initiative called the Wellness Moonshot, seeking a collaborative effort between the wellness and healthcare communities to rid the world of chronic, preventable disease (GWI 2017). According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes and cancer—all of them noncommunicable diseases—account for more than two-thirds of premature deaths worldwide (WHO 2018).
Read MoreInside the Latest Physical Activity Guidelines
The more we move, the better we live. Even a few minutes of exercise is better than sitting still.
These are just two of the conclusions in the recent report from the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, whose recommendations form a sound foundation for integrating exercise into our daily lives.
Read MoreThe Power of Simple Lifestyle Changes
Lifestyle choices have a significant impact on quality and length of life. With many Americans living longer than ever, fitness pros are on the front lines of a complex challenge: How will we help people remain active and engaged from their 60s into their 90s and beyond? How can we help them stay healthy to rein in healthcare costs?
Read MoreHow Resistance Training Affects Metabolism
Resistance training does much more than build strong muscles. Research has confirmed that resistance training affects metabolism, too.
Read MoreDebating Alcohol Consumption and Risk
In our September 2018 issue of Fitness Journal, we reported on an international study published in The Lancet that found any level of drinking above 100 grams of alcohol (3.75 ounces) per week increases heart disease risk and shortens lifespan.
Read More3 Tips to Create Rapid Change in Your Business and Get Out of the Red
If your fitness business is struggling right now, then this is for you. I am going to share with you my three tips to create rapid change in your business and get out of the red. First things first, let’s agree on the three ways to make money in your business. The first is to cut an expense. The second is sign up a new member. And the third is to sell a current member something new.
Read MoreNeuromuscular Power Circuits
The dynamic motions of sport require peak power—that is, the most strength a muscular contraction can muster in one of these quick bursts. Sporting athletes depend on peak power for jumping, running, throwing, striking, swinging and kicking. Scientists prefer the term “neuromuscular power” (to just “power” itself) because neural factors—including motor unit recruitment, muscle fiber firing frequency and synchronization of a muscle’s contractile forces—are involved.
Read MoreHow Location Can Make or Break Your Business
Whether you are an owner of a brick and mortar fitness space or an independent fitness professional, your business’s location can be a major factor in your success. According to a study conducted by New York based marketing firm distillery, using the data from cell phone location tracking logs, the average gym-goer has a short 4 mile drive to their gym. The distance will vary by style of facility but the longest distance reported in the study was only 6 miles.
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