Archive for March 2020
For Better or Worse, Social Media Friends Influence Food Choices
Visiting social media outlets is a daily ritual for many. Among the online platforms, Facebook reigns with almost 2.5 billion active users every month. A research team turned to Facebook users to discover how social media influences eating habits.
Read MorePopular Weight Loss Strategies Stand the Test of Time
How many times during a week do clients tell you they want to lose weight or talk about what they are doing to change their body weight? Among 48,026 U.S. residents over the age of 20 who answered the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2015–2016, 42% responding said they were actively trying to lose weight.
Read MoreGood News for Whole Grains
The average American Heart Association healthy-diet score for U.S. adults improved between 2003–2004 and 2015–2016, according to the AHA Statistical Update 2020. Two scales were used to measure diet quality. On one of them, scores for a poor diet decreased from 56% to 47.8%; on the second, poor diet prevalence dropped from 43.7% to 36.4%.
Read MoreLifestyle and Longevity Go Hand in Hand
When it’s likely that you are going to live into your 80s and 90s, isn’t it a good idea to work toward a healthy life span? Five lifestyle choices—the ones fitness professionals regularly recommend—may help you do it, according to a new analysis published online in the BMJ.
In this prospective cohort study, 73,196 women in the Nurses’ Health Study (34 years of data) and 38,366 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (28 years of data) reported their adherence to the Alternate Healthy Eating Index; how often they engaged in moderate-to-vigorous exercise for at least 30 minutes per day; whether they maintained a body mass index of 18.5–24.9 kg/m2; whether their alcohol intake was moderate (up to one serving per day for women and up to two for men); and whether they smoked.
Fresh Food and Vegetables Appear in Schools
Back in 2013, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the Smart Snacks in School standards, which aimed to reduce fat and sugar in students’ diets by encouraging schools to provide healthier snacking choices like whole grains, low-fat dairy, fruits, vegetables and leaner protein. The standards were put in place after research indicated that schools which offered foods and beverages containing solid fats and added sugars were helping to add “empty calories” to youngsters’ diets. Consuming empty calories can increase overall energy intake, leading to overweight and other health conditions.
Read MoreThe Med Diet Stands the Test of Time
Among 250 healthy, overweight adults participating in a randomized controlled study, more than half (55%) went for IF (restricting intake 2 days a week), while 27% chose the Mediterranean diet (emphasizing whole grains, fruit and vegetables), and 18% opted to go Paleo (modified to allow some legumes and dairy). Participants also chose whether to try high-intensity interval training or a standard exercise regimen. After a brief educational session on their chosen diet, they completed assessments of their food intake, biometric measures and physical activity; these assessments were repeated at intervals.
Read MoreSkip Anti-Bacterial Mouthwash After Workouts
Before you freshen up with anti-bacterial mouthwash after a heavy sweat session, ask yourself whether it’s really necessary. Working out commonly leads to a drop in blood pressure, but using an anti-bacterial mouthwash after training significantly reduces this benefit, according to a study published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine (2019; 143, 252–59). Rinsing with water, in contrast, does not affect blood pressure.
Read MorePhysical Activity in Youth Leads to More Veggies in Adulthood
There’s another good reason to help children maintain their physical activity. In a Finnish study, being more physically active in youth was linked to greater fruit and vegetable consumption during adulthood.
Read MoreChildren Are Less Active Worldwide
Global surveys show that children are becoming less and less active. A study conducted at University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, concluded that, in developed countries, children of all ages are at risk from declining physical activity levels—seen as early as 4 years old.
Read MoreThe COVID-19 Crisis: Transforming Our Lives and Our Industry
The fitness industry—like the rest of the global community—has been transformed in previously unimaginable ways since the COVID-19 crisis upended every bit of structure and normalcy we once knew.
Read MoreYoga Boosts Brain Fitness
Practicing yoga benefits both brain structure and function by increasing grey matter in brain regions responsible for memory recall and emotion regulation, among other changes, according to research findings published in Brain Plasticity (2019; doi:10.3233/BPL-190084). Researchers at the University of Illinois and Wayne State University reviewed 11 studies that examined the effects of yoga on brain structures, function and cerebral blood flow.
Read MoreRecipe for Health: Mushroom-Quinoa Curry Burgers
A meatless burger seems like such a good idea: a nice round of plant-based protein that fits in a bun with favorite toppings. But the manufacturing process that produces that burger may diminish the possible health benefits, observes nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky, RD, LD, speaking for the Mayo Clinic News Network.
Read MoreFitness for People With Fibromyalgia
Do you work with a client who has fibromyalgia? Here’s some good news: In a study of 466 women with fibromyalgia, researchers found that those with higher levels of overall fitness also experienced higher health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Spanish researchers from various institutions conducted the study to determine which components of fitness would be most valuable to target in people with fibromyalgia.
Read MoreExercise and Longevity for Women
A new study further supports the benefits of maintaining cardiovascular fitness during middle-age and beyond. In a study presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s EuroEcho 2019 meeting in Vienna, high cardiovascular fitness was linked with significantly lower death risks from heart disease, cancer and other causes for middle-aged and older women.
Read MoreCooking Shows Educate Kids on How to Eat Better
Demonstrating how to cook healthier foods was an effective way to teach kids about nutrition, found a study of 125 children, ages 10–12 years, who watched cooking shows in the classroom. For comparison, one group of the children watched video clips of a program showing how to cook healthier foods while another group watched the same show featuring unhealthy foods. Afterwards the children were offered a snack.
Read MoreAny Amount of Running Boosts Health
Get motivated to reboot your clients’ running programs for springtime. The good news: Any amount of running is associated with a 27% lower risk of death from any cause, a 30% lower risk of death from heart disease and a 23% lower risk of death from cancer, according to a study reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (2019; doi:10.1136/bjsports-2018-100493). An international team of researchers came to this conclusion after reviewing 14 studies that included more than 232,000 participants.
Read MoreThat Half-Full Glass Tilts Toward Better Eating
A new report in Nutrition Journal reveals that dispositional optimism—expecting that more positive things will happen in the future—may lead to better food choices. At baseline and every 6 months, 19,335 volunteers participating in France’s NutriNet-Santé study completed at least three online 24-hour diet records (2014–2018).
Read MoreHow to Achieve Greatness
About 6 years ago, San Diego–based personal trainer Kevin Root opted not to attend the IDEA World Convention. As a newly certified professional, he felt the event could overwhelm him with information. It’s a choice he regrets.
“Looking back, I robbed myself of valuable hands-on experience and knowledge,” he admits.
Root, who splits his time between boutique studio Bird Rock Fit and a big-box gym, the La Jolla Sports Club, eventually decided that IDEA World was a necessary investment to progress his career. He attended for the first time in 2015.
Online Nutrition Searches Follow Food Trends
It’s rewarding to see that some people are searching reliable sources of nutrition information rather than blindly following the fads and opinions littering the online world. The American Society for Nutrition, which publishes four peer-reviewed journals, released a list of ASN articles that received significant press coverage and sharing on social media (some had well over 1,000 tweets).
Read MoreIs Soy Good for You?
The growing popularity of soy products in U.S. and European diets has raised considerable controversy. While the soy-rich diets of Asia generate documented health benefits, questions persist about the safety of soy in some products.
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