Dec 28
This gallery contains 1 photo.
Earlier this month the NY Times reported that Weight Watchers made a good program better. Basically they made all fruits and veggies FREE and upped the points on less healthy calorie sources. “not all calories are the same” Weight Watchers calls the new program Points Plus. In the NY Times article a Weight Watchers rep conceded [...]
Sep 18
You may have seen news stories or articles highlighting the benefits of high-intensity interval training as a substitute for longer workouts performed at moderate levels of exertion. I wrote about it in response to one article in particular. This more recent article from the journal “Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise” demonstrates that high-intensity [...]
Sep 12
This gallery contains 2 photos.
An increasingly popular trend in fitness is “corrective exercise” training. This relatively new approach to fitness begins with a screening that focuses not on the components of fitness, but with posture and movement assessments. The idea is to identify faulty posture and dysfunctional movement patterns. Trainers schooled in one method or another claim that basic [...]
Sep 4
I’ve always thought anyone hiring a Personal Trainer should hold them to the same standard of professionalism they would expect from any other service provider or health professional. I see no reason to expect any less. Unfortunately, the industry is littered with unqualified professionals who may not even know…what they don’t know. A harmless but [...]
Sep 3
This gallery contains 2 photos.
A growing trend in fitness is the use of fitness balls for stability training. The fitness ball has practically become a symbol of fitness and exercise. (Have you seen my logo lately?) I am a big fan of exercise ball training and have no fewer than 10 fitness balls, in different sizes and weights, in [...]
Aug 9
This gallery contains 1 photo.
The ‘moderate activity’ guideline had significant public health implications. Contrary to typical commercials, this was a real ‘scientific breakthrough’ in health and fitness. But fitness advertising went in another direction. Commercials took the theme of moderate exercise in minutes a day and promised maximum fitness benefits rather than minimum health benefits. No wonder people have been confused!
Aug 8
This gallery contains 1 photo.
The importance of a balanced fitness program cannot be overstated. A deficit in one component will hurt total fitness.
Jul 7
This gallery contains 1 photo.
In follow-up to my previous blog on this topic, here is an article about one study that compared weight loss across various diet compositions: http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2009/03/12/6116.html They found the same weight loss results (which was very little) from different diets. The one factor that more than doubled weight loss totals was regular meetings with a counselor or [...]
Jun 14
This gallery contains 8 photos.
People now put more trust and faith in sales pitches than facts, but their skepticism is misplaced. The ads are biased. The science is not.
May 18
This gallery contains 7 photos.
Fitness competitions typically involve grueling training programs and can sometimes lead to regimens that are very extreme. In this article the women speak about intense training combined with healthy diet practices.
May 7
This gallery contains 7 photos.
After making several jokes about the infamous Shakeweight, I wondered if I needed to learn more…the strength benefits of vibration training are real, the cellulite reduction claims are fake…and the Shakeweight really doesn’t constitute vibration training…
