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How to Be an Empathetic Personal Trainer

New beginnings. When Patty Shoaf first met Barbara 19 years ago,
she realized quickly that this would be a client like no other. “I
arrived for a consult at her house and a classy, high-heeled,
67-year-old woman wearing a skirt walked in,” Shoaf recalls.

Tips for Working With Older Caregivers

Adults over 50 who are caring for aging parents are not like other fitness clients of similar age.

For starters, caregivers tend to be less healthy. A study by the insurance company MetLife noted that “adult children 50+ who work and provide care to a parent are more likely to have fair or poor health than those who do not provide care to their parents” (MetLife 2011). Another study showed that 17% of caregivers felt their health had gotten worse as a result of their caregiving responsibilities (Feinberg et al. 2011).

Research Looks at the Brain; Diabetes

Two distinct mental strategies used to manage pain—focusing attention externally and re-appraising the pain—involve different brain pathways, according to new research using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The study appeared in the journal Anesthesiology (2011, 115 [4], 844–51).

A Simple Solution for Type 2 Diabetes Prevention?

Over the past several years, adequate sleep has been associated with appetite suppression, weight loss and improved energy levels. New research suggests that 8 hours of nightly shuteye may also protect against type 2 diabetes.

Powerful Postures to Melt Stress

In today’s complicated world, just listening to the evening news on television or radio can raise cortisol rates in the body. High stress levels, combined with current technological advancements, almost unending sensorial bombardment, and the ever-changing dietary habits of many developed countries, can deny the body time for repose and resynthesis.

Understanding Inflammation

Inflammation is the body’s immune, self-protective and healing response to harmful stimuli, irritants, pathogens and damaged cells. Most inflammation is acute, such as when you sprain your ankle. Symptoms of inflammation include swelling, redness, pain and (sometimes) impaired movement or function.

Is Magnesium a Diabetes Healer?

A Tufts University study led by Adela Hruby, PhD, MPH, has found that healthy people with the highest magnesium intake were 37% less likely to develop high blood sugar or excess circulating insulin, common precursors to diabetes.

Among people who already had those conditions, those who consumed the most magnesium were 32% less likely to develop diabetes than those consuming the least.

The second association held true even when researchers accounted
for other healthful factors—such as fiber—that often go along with magnesium-rich foods.

Exercise and Type 2 Diabetes

Did you know that diabetes affects nearly one-tenth of the U.S. population—a widening epidemic with more than 5,000 new cases per day (ADA 2013)? Type 2 diabetes, formerly called non-insulin-dependent diabetes or adult-onset diabetes, accounts for about 90% of diabetes cases (IDF 2014).

Adopting a “Don’t tell” Stance With Kids and Healthy Food

Whether eating carrots will improve eyesight or consuming spinach will build Popeye-like strength is immaterial to children. In fact, telling them such things as a way of coaxing them to eat certain foods actually repels them, according to a forthcoming study in the October issue of Consumer Research.

Working with Diabetic Clients

Look around your exercise floor. Although there are no outward or telltale signs, it is likely that several of your members or clients have some form of diabetes. It is also likely that many of these people either are unaware of their condition or have difficulty managing and regulating the disorder. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 20.8 million pe…