Weight Management/Weight Loss
Peanuts Can Curb Appetite
A new study in the British Journal of Nutrition (2013; 109 [11], 2015–23) has found that eating either peanuts or peanut butter as part of your break- fast can control blood sugar throughout most of the day, even following a high-carb lunch.
Science Shows Yo-Yo Dieters Probably Can’t Win
You likely have clients who
have been dieting most of their
adult lives. A study published
in the International Journal of
Obesity (2013; doi: 10.1038/ijo.2013.138)
For Good Cholesterol, What’s More Important Than a Healthy Weight?
Individuals with a certain level of high-density lipoprotein tend to have better heart health. recently, a study determined that strength training might positively impact Hdl levels, regardless of body weight.
What Really Works In Fighting Obesity?
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The Physiology of Fat Loss
Fat may seem like the enemy of civilized people—especially sedentary ones. Yet we cannot live without it.
Fat plays a key role in the structure and flexibility of cell membranes, and it helps regulate the movement of substances through those membranes. Special types of fat, known as eicosanoids, send hormone-like signals that exert intricate control over many bodily systems, mostly those affecting inflammation or immune function.
4 Key Components of a Food Journal
Food journals can be a great tool to help you lose weight. Journals allow you to document everything you eat in a day in one convenient location. Scientific literature has established that keeping track of what you eat and drink is an effective tactic for making dietary changes.
You can record your food intake on paper or electronically. An effective food journal should include these basics:
How to Help Clients Avoid Holiday Weight Gain
Welcome to the holidays . . . the gift-giving, party-hopping, dessert-eating, over-indulging, stress-evoking frenzy! We all know it. The time from Halloween to New Year’s Day is precarious for health-conscious people and can throw anyone’s health routine out of whack.
“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.
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.”
Doubling Protein Hedges Against Muscle Loss When Losing Weight
Is losing a significant amount of muscle mass part and parcel of losing weight through exercise and diet? A new report appearing in the September issue of The FASEB [Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology] Journal (2013; [9], 3837-47) challenges this belief.
The New Science of Counting Calories
Recent research shows why nuts, fresh fruits and uncooked foods can be attractive choices for weight-conscious clients.
Virtual Reality and Weight Loss
Can watching a virtual-reality avatar help someone lose weight? Scientists from George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, in Washington, DC, think so.
The Thinner Winner Contest
Drive your revenue, boost your membership and help your community slim down with a weight loss contest. In just five easy steps, you can promote, run and celebrate a community-wide Thinner Winner contest. The details can be tweaked to fit your community.
Launch a Thinner Winner contest now or transform an existing weight loss contest.
How Does Thinner Winner Work?
The Thinner Winner Contest
Weight loss contests are not reserved for the bright lights of reality television. When properly executed, these contests help fitness pros slim down community residents while beefing up the bottom line. In five steps, you can promote, run and celebrate a community-wide Thinner Winner contest. You can tweak details, but results will be the same: Your current clients will stay happy and engaged, you’ll attract new clients, you’ll generate buzz in your community, and you’ll amass a wealth of transformational stories to fuel your business.
Obesity Starts in the Brain
Michael R. Mantell, PhD, earned his doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania and his master’s degree in clinical psychology at Hahnemann Medical College, where he wrote his thesis on the psychology of obesity. He has served as chief psychologist both for Rady Children’s Hospital and Health Center of San Diego and for the San Diego Police Department. In addition to working in private practice, Mantell coaches world-class athletes and fitness enthusiasts for mental and behavioral performance enhancement.
Building Networks of Nourishment
??Mindful movement specialist Lawrence Biscontini, MA, has won awards from ACE, IDEA, Inner IDEA®, Can-Fit-Pro and ECA World Fitness. He has created programming for international clubs and spas, including Equinox®, 24 Hour Fitness®, Gold’s Gym® International, Bally Total Fitness™, and Golden Door® Spas, where his work received a Condé Nast Traveler Award. He has been a consultant and trainer for leading spas in Europe, Asia and the United States and has served as a contributing author to IDEA Fitness Journal, AFAA’s American Fitness and AsiaSpa.
Minimal-Intensity Exercise Best for Insulin Improvements?
?Hoping to improve their health, many people opt for vigorous styles of exercise. New research, however, suggests that minimal-intensity, longer-duration physical activity may be best for insulin action and plasma lipids.
The study, published in PLoS ONE (2013; 8 [2]; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055542), included 18 apparently healthy subjects around 21 years of age. Each participant was randomly selected to follow one of three protocols.
The Biomechanics of Obesity
Anthony Carey, MA, CSCS, ACE-AHFP, owns Function First in San Diego, voted one of the city’s Best Personal Trainer/Studios in 2010 and 2011 and its Best Health & Fitness Club in 2012. Aside from being named 2009 PFP [Personal Fitness Professional] Trainer of the Year, he has written two best-selling books, The Pain-Free Program: A Proven Method to Relieve Back, Neck, Shoulder, and Joint Pain (Wiley 2005) and Relationships and Referrals: A Personal Trainer’s Guide to Doing Business with the Medical Community (CreateSpace 2012).
Short Sprints Good for Fat Oxidation
High-intensity interval training is one of the hottest types of training these days. Several studies have examined its long-term effects. Recently, researchers wanted to learn about the impact of a single short bout of HIIT.
