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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.
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.
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.
Women do not respond to weight training the same way men do. University of New South Wales researchers in Sydney conducted a comprehensive search of the literature on resistance training and found only 24 randomized controlled studies that focused exclusively on women. Lead study author Amanda “Mandy” D. Hagstrom, PhD, lecturer in exercise science at UNSW Medicine, said, “I was surprised. I knew there wouldn’t be many [studies], but I thought there’d be more than that.” The selected studies included almost 1,000 women.
Personal trainers often have female clients over the age of 40 who have similar complaints about losing muscle mass and gaining body fat. Although these changes aren’t unexpected and can be a normal part of the aging process, they are not inevitable. In fact, the right resistance-training program can positively affect body composition by reducing fat, maintaining and building muscle, and increasing strength in this population.
New research shows that single-leg cycling drills may be a valuable way to address dominant/nondominant leg differences. University of Calgary researchers in Canada investigated aerobic performance in relation to leg dominance.
The number-one fitness trend identified in both China and South America is the inclusion of exercise in dietary weight-loss programs, according to ACSM’s
2020 Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends. This could be the fitness industry responding to rising rates of overweight and obesity. In North America, exercise for weight loss has declined as a trend, superseded by health and wellness coaching.
Heart health is not simply about having a strong heart muscle; a healthy cardiovascular system requires a healthy nervous system that regulates the heartbeat and supports efficient functioning whether a person is feeling calm or stressed. A new study from Finland shows that more physically active and fit children have better cardiac regulation than those who are less active and less fit.
Dementia, the fifth-leading cause of death for Americans over 65, affected 5 million American adults in 2014, with numbers growing annually. Psychotropic drugs are often prescribed as therapy, but side effects include dizziness and a higher risk of falls. In the United States, polypharmacy is also an issue for this age group, with more than 44% of men and over 57% of women currently taking five or more medications. Ironically, a side effect of polypharmacy is cognitive impairment.
Are customized routines really better than a standard protocol? One recent study posed this question in reference to tai chi: Is it better to offer a standard tai chi sequence or to individualize moves to a person’s needs?
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IDEA Fitness Journal
Current Issue:
December 2019
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