Archive for June 2006
Getting By With a Little Help From Your Friends
“I’ve just got to talk to my girlfriends or I’ll go nuts.” Most women know the feeling. Turns out, hormones may be behind this feeling—and the bo…
Read MoreGo With the Flow
We want every class we teach to be well-rounded and efficient, and yet we often shortchange participants by neglecting the much-needed cool-down/flexibility segment. Let your students know how important it is to gradually cool the body. Keep them focused all the way to the end with creative variety. The following cool-down keeps things interesting by combining rhythmic movement, balance a…
Read MoreMedia Morsels
Safety Seats in Short Supply for Obese Kids
Although child safety seats are required by law, there aren’t nearly enough seat types for the increasing number of obese children, according to a study published in the April issue of Pediatrics (2006; 117 [4], 1197–1202). Researchers estimate that a total of 283,305 children 1–6 years of age would have a diffi…
Arthritis Sufferers Don’t Exercise Enough
If you have clients with arthritis, you may already know that pain is one of their barriers to exercise. Making clients understand that exercise can help them not only with their pain but also with their function is sometimes a challenge. But at least your clients are trying. A study in the May issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that people with arthritis don’…
Read MoreInspiring the Inspirers
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Read MoreTai Chi or Jogging for Lower-Body Conditioning
Long-term practice of tai chi can improve muscular strength in the lower body, particularly around the knees and ankles, as much as long-term jogging, according to a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (2006; [40], 50–54). This is good news for older adults looking for gentle movement alternatives that provide powerful conditioning benefits.
Researc…
The Elbow Joint
Anatomy Review
The elbow is a “hinge” joint formed by the distal end of the humerus and the proximal ends of the radius and ulna bones. The elbow moves into flexion and extension. The trochlea and capitulum of the humerus articulate with the trochlear notch of the ulna and the radial head, respectively.
The specific articulations of the elbo…
Multiple Answers about Multivitamins
Should you take a multivitamin? What kind? Get answers to common questions about supplementation below from Sally Kuzemchak, RD, LD, a licensed and registered dietitian and writer in Columbus, Ohio, and Jenna A. Bell-Wilson, PhD, RD, LD, an assistant professor in medical dietetics at O…
Read MoreSoda Industry to Stop Most School Sales
Sugary sodas are going to be much harder to find in America’s schools by the beginning of the 2008–2009 school year. The Alliance for a Healthier Generation—a joint initiative of the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association—has worked with the nation’s largest beverage representatives to limit portion sizes and reduce the number of calori…
Read MoreFairway Safety and Performance
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Read MoreFuture Classrooms May Be More Active
Do children really need to sit at desks while they learn? Not necessarily, say some forward-thinking researchers. In fact, the classroom of the future may even incorporate movement into regular lessons. Mayo Clinic obesity researcher James Levine, MD, PhD, and child researcher Lorraine Lanningham-Foster, PhD, are testing a radical concept: Together they have designed what they believe to be the…
Read MoreBarefoot Cobblestone Walking Lowers Blood Pressure
The ancient Chinese practice of walking barefoot on paths made of river stones is good for health in more ways than one. Researchers from Oregon Research Institute, motivated to identify low-cost forms of exercise to improve functioning in older adults, found that cobblestone mat walking not only improved balance and mobility but also reduced blood pressure more than regular walking,
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Oh, Man!
Years ago when I was teaching group exercise classes, I re…
Read MoreWeight Loss Not a Good Reason to Exercise
Are any of your female clients or participants exercising solely to lose weight? A recent study out of the University of Michigan indicates that this mindset is detrimental to maintaining a consistent, long-term regime. The study, reported in the journal Sex Roles, found that women who exercise for a body- shape motive, such as wanting to lose weight or to become toned, spend about 40% …
Read MoreRecipe for a Winning Training Session
Have you ever reached the end of a training session and asked yourself, “Is that all there is?” Do you sometimes feel that you are simply going through the motions with clients? Maybe something is lacking in the way you design your clients’ sessions.
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Take the Stress out of Exercise
Ten days after Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29, 2005, and pushed a 10-foot wall of water into Mandeville, a city on the north shore of Louisiana’s Lak…
Read MoreHigh Cholesterol and Prostate Cancer Linked
There may be an association between high cholesterol and prostate cancer, according to Italian researchers. About 3,000 men participated in a 9-year study, published in the April 12 online edition of Annals of Oncology. Participants who had prostate cancer, particularly older men, were twice as likely to have high cholesterol as those without prostate cancer.
Study authors noted…
Funky Step Beginnings
Want to get your classes started with high energy and fun, but not sure how to make it happen? Light the fire with this funky, straightforward step combination. How do you add funk? Use snaps, claps, shimmies, and hip and body rolls to jazz up traditional moves. Don’t forge…
Read MoreHow Have Lifestyle Coaching Services Impacted Your Personal Training Business?
The relationship that develops between client and personal trainer is vastly enriched when the trainer assumes the role of mentor and coach. Understanding the important role that coaching plays in the client success model, we felt it was imperative to add coaching to our list of …
Read MorePeople Are Talking About . . .
Body by Brandy 4 Kidz, a Roxbury, Massachusetts, gym for children that features pint-sized elliptical trainers, weight machines that “max out at 50 pounds” and exercise bikes wired to video games; . . . Endorphins Baby, a 30-second public service announcement in California that introduces youth to the “secret high found in endorphins—the all-natural hig…
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