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Career Path for Personal Trainers

Earning an Online Exercise Degree

Troy Stewart Huggett, a self-employed personal trainer, wanted to obtain a master’s degree in physical education. However, he faced a stumbling block: Running his own business, Troy Huggett’s Fitness Pros LLC in Battle Creek, Michigan, meant a hectic work schedule that didn’t leave him much time to attend on-site classes. The solution? He enrolled in and earned an online…

The Growing Problem of Obesity

Statistics demonstrate that countries around the globe are experiencing a spectacular increase in obesity. Worldwide there are an estimated 1 billion obese persons (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30), and the number has been increasing rapidly over the last two decades (Loos & Bouchard 2003). In the United States 65% of adults are overweight (BMI = 25–29.9), and of these, 31% are obese…

Pilates Exercise: Lessons From the Lab

When Joseph Pilates originally set out to teach his unique exercises to German internees during World War I, little did he know that one day hundreds of fitness professionals would teach his techniques, and infomercials would sell products based on his methods. But as popular as Pilates exercise has become over the last two decades, until now no research has been conducted to scientifically va…

The Buzz About Nutrient Timing

The search for ways to enhance performance and muscle growth through dietary manipulation is not new. Questions abound regarding the optimal amounts of protein, carbohydrate and fat needed to boost performance, while nutrition recommendations based on training goals are plentiful…

Exercise After-Burn: A Research Update

Just pick up a recent trade magazine and you are almost sure to read about a new exercise program that will accelerate the rate at which you burn fat after you complete a workout. Although this promise is enticing to the exerciser seeking optimal weight loss, rarely is there any scientific evidence validating a particular workout’s postexercise capability to “incinerate fat.”

Using Glycemic Index to Improve Athletic Performance

With all the hype today about protein being the most vital nutrient for athletes
(not true, by the way), many athletes
are beginning to look at carbohydrates
differently. The truth is, carbohydrates play an essential role in the diet because they are a key source of energy and provide the glucose necessary to replace the glycogen lost during training and competition.

Eat Less to Live Longer

In an era when everything from sport utility vehicles to hamburgers comes “supersized,” the notion that less is more may seem terribly out-of-date. But when it comes to calories, eating…

Update Your E-Mail for Free News

By updating your e-mail address with IDEA, you can choose the IDEA information that you receive instantaneously. For example, you can have IDEA Fit Tips, the newsletter that keeps you up to date on current fitness news and IDEA activities, e-mailed to you every month.

The Best Mentors for Women: Male or Female?

When personal training was a new industry, many trainers did not have mentors because they were the pioneers. Now, times are different. Savvy personal trainers know that good mentors can boost their careers. (See “The Mentoring Pathway” on page 34 of the March 2003 IDEA Personal Trainer.)

Mind Your Own Business (Free!)

If you own a PFT business, take advantage of free access to an online classroom of business courses, workshops, information resources, learning tools and counseling assistance through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s E-Business Institute Web site.

Increasing Our Knowledge of Healthy Eating

The quantity of media reports on nutrition and weight management seems only to increase every year. Research in nutrition, as in most sciences, is leaping at such a rate that while the body of knowledge is expanding, the interrelations being uncovered are not always fully understood.

Current Issues in Nutrition Research

As in years past, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) Conference, held October 19 through 22, 2002, provided attendees plenty of food for thought. The following session topics were among those of most interest to health and fitness professionals.