Imagine going to make a purchase and you had to abide by the following rules:

1. You have to prepay and wait an extended period of time before the product is delivered.
2. You have to make payments most days of the week.
3. The product may never actually come and there is no refund if it doesn’t.
4. You may make some payments and stop before reinitiating the payment schedule, but any prior payment is lost so you must start the payment process over.
5. You may have to pay more than someone else for the same product and may actually get a lower level product in exchange.
6. Once the product is delivered you must continue to pay for the product.
7. If you stop paying for the product it will be taken away soon after that.
8. The only currency accepted as payment is self deprivation, discomfort, and pain.

Would you make the investment?

With obesity rates and health care costs spiraling out of control among the wealthy countries worldwide, many governmental agencies are implementing novel and aggressive measures to offset these costs and push consumers to reconsider unhealthy (disease-promoting) food choices. In a recent paper published in Health Affairs (2012) researchers at Columbia University Medical Center and University of California, San Francisco suggest a tax on sugary beverages would do the country a world of good. The researchers’ findings suggest, based on data from 2003-2006 NHANES and dietary survey, that a penny-per-ounce tax would reduce diabetes, save 100,000 from cardiac events and stroke, and cut down on premature death. These predictions come from the fact that Americans consume roughly 13 billion gallons/year of sugary beverages. That equates to about 42 gallons per American or 5,376 ounces. At 3 grams of sugar per ounce American average 16,128 grams of sugar/year (64,512 calories/18 lbs fat). This is an obvious problem.

New research from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business investigated the means by which to use exercise variety (or a lack thereof) for improving exercise compliance, motivation and achievement of clients’ fitness goals. The results will be in “The Dynamic Impact of Variety among Means on Motivation,” to be published in the Journal of Consumer Research in April 2012. Authors applied personal training insight to analyze how consumers choose weight-management products/activities to attain their goals. Investigators examined a simple programming pattern which consistently promoted steady motivation and goal accomplishment. This pattern involved beginning with high exercise variety during the initial stages of training, and then progressing to less exercise variety while sticking to specific activities that the client favors and is willing to work hard on.

Although many exercisers still use them, leg lifts are a contraindicated exercise. The idea that lifting ones legs off the ground for abdominal development is flawed at the biomechanical level. The rectus abdominis connects the sternum to the pelvis. The abdominals do not attach to the femur; therefore the contraction of the abdominal musculature will pull on the pelvis in the supine position – not the legs. The proper contraction of the abdominals in the supine position will cause a posterior pelvic tilt as the pelvis rotates toward the sternum. This is commonly seen during the abdominal curl-up, or crunch as it is better known. The limited range of motion employed, approximately 30° of spinal flexion, is driven via isolated contraction of the rectus abdominis. To the contrary, when leg lifts are employed the abdominals take on only an assistive role as the hip flexors take over as the prime mover. The iliopsoas, or hip flexor, is actually a muscle group comprised of the iliacus and psoas major (the psoas minor attaches to the pelvis). Additionally, the rectus femoris also crosses the hip and serves the dual role of hip flexion and knee extension.

The Holiday season is a time for giving and enjoying the company of others. The problem that exists is there are usually more examples of receiving in the form of calories than giving. Following the “30-days of eating” often comes the guilt-driven five weeks of training. Five weeks represents the average duration of time participants engage in routine activity before the first wave of notable attrition occurs. The second wave typically occurs around 11 weeks and the third at approximately 5-6 months. Certainly, any effort is better than no effort, but there are a couple of issues with the holiday weight gain and this year, more than others, there may be some concerns with the industry trends towards high intensity training modalities.

There are many products and services that are far superior to well-known brands, but never get the attention or recognition warranted by deserving accolades. Often referred to as “the best thing that no one knows about”, many business spend an excessive amount of time cultivating the best product or service but fail to market and advertise it with the same willful vigor. A very common problem in small business activity is the tendency for the emphasis to be on the daily functions and operations rather than on the sales and promotion of the goods. This is commonplace within the personal training industry. Many trainers get caught up in developing the perfect program or implementing training sessions, but place little time on growth strategies. In a traditional approach, new leads are often generated by membership sales in the big clubs or referrals in the small clubs and studios.

More evidence suggests a diet rich in fiber sources reduces risk of colorectal cancer, the third most common cancer worldwide with 1.2 million new cases diagnosed each year. It has been well established that a higher intake of fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease but the relationship with cancer was not clearly supported. It has been presumed for nearly four decades that dietary fiber played a role in reducing the risk of colorectal cancer but studies attempting to demonstrate the relationship have not been consistent.

The prone plank exercise has become a common component for various types of core stability programs. Static holds in general have been used within exercise routines for fitness, group exercise and even athletic conditioning. Although very popular, the effectiveness of plank exercises is in question as little transfer into dynamic activities has been clearly demonstrated. Based on a review of literature, there is minimal evidence which supports the claim that static core stability training transfers into improved performance. In a recent study published in the Journal of Bodyworks and Movement Therapy (2011), investigators compared the effects of a 6-week unstable static versus unstable dynamic core training program on field-based fitness tests.

Communication skills may dictate the fate of a relationship. This is true at several levels in our social environment, and with an increased reliance on technology-based communication, these skills are becoming even more important. Most people can quickly recall a verbal disagreement that led to a social “situation” or an email that was misinterpreted due to a lack of verbal tone. Word selection and verbal tact become even more relevant in association with certain topics. And sometimes not just the verbal communication, but also the timing and word selection, may generate quick conflict between the communicators. Taboo topics exist in all relationships and at all levels. “Do these jeans make me look fat?” has been on the satire end of many a sitcom and most married people know it is not hard to push the buttons of a significant other. When it comes to weight related issues, all verbal communication gets exponentially risky, to the point that it may jeopardize a relationship.

Personal Trainers are constantly looking for the “hook” to get consumers to sign up for their health and fitness services. Many struggle with the same dilemma – convincing people they need to invest in themselves and justifying the cost. Self investment is a simple concept, but Americans have skewed thoughts as to what is important. This is painfully obvious by the all too typical “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality; people buy houses they cannot afford, lease cars that are way out of their price range, and run up credit card bills on clothing or to be seen at chic clubs and eateries. For what? Quality of life is more closely linked to physical and mental well-being than what other people think. Consider this: if someone asked you when you were nine years old, would you rather be obese and drive a Mercedes or healthy and drive a Toyota? Would you rather have a disease like diabetes or hypertension and live in a big house or be healthy in a medium size house? Would you rather be out of shape and carry a designer handbag or in good shape and carry a non-brand leather bag? The answers are obvious at age nine because they are logical.

The variety of movements in resistance exercise is limited to the normal safe biomechanics of the different joints. Essentially, a forward lunge is a forward lunge and a step-up is a step-up. Sure, angles may be adjusted but the movement is consistent. Diversity to the movement comes from loading, movement speed, stability, ROM and related stress adjustments to make the body do more while the movements remain safe and consistent. One way to get more from the training is to use unfamiliar loading. Traditional approaches commonly use axial loaded bar positions and lateral dumbbell holds. Thanks to the proliferation of training equipment, unfamiliar loading can add diversity, appropriate levels of difficulty and be more interesting to clients than the traditional redundancy.

Surely by now you have seen the ads; Acai Berries are being marketed as one of the newest, latest and greatest cure-alls. The high antioxidant content and plausible benefits seen in relatively new study data has led to a host of claims for acai, including a role as an anti-aging agent, anti-diabetic, anti-toxin and even as a cure for weight loss. Researchers recognize that the acai berry, similar to blueberries, blackberries, and many other berries, contains antioxidants that help protect cells from reactive oxygen species, or "free radicals” formed in the body in association with oxygen and other environmental agents. Some studies suggest that the acai berry may hold additional benefits that aid in the prevention of coronary artery disease (CAD) as well as some cancers. The most marketable of all the claims, weight loss, does not demonstrate the same level of research evidence and any claim related to its efficacy is lacking scholarly support.

Many adults can probably easily recall catchy cereal ads from when they were kids (having subliminally memorized the imbedded messages like “Trix are for kids”). Those once seemingly appropriate cereals are now strongly considered obesity-promoting products and a menace to public health. Childhood favorites such as Fruit Loops and Cocoa Pebbles have recently fallen under public fire in response to research led by Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. The investigation focused on the marketing tactics that make kids desire a sugary start to each day. Rudd researchers crunched Nielsen and comScore data (2009) that tracks television and Internet marketing to decipher how much cereal advertising young kids commonly view. The data clearly demonstrated that the least healthy cereals were the ones marketed most aggressively during prime-time TV programming aimed at children.

When thinking about overeating, one of the first images that most likely come to mind are that of a person consuming an oversized meal or making a second or third trip to the buffet. But overeating is more than an event and is actually intimately tied to psycho-physiological factors. The behaviors that characterize overeating patterns are multifactorial and include not only the portion size but also environmental factors such as the plate size. For obese individuals, hormones will also have an effect on feeding patterns. In a recent research study, these factors were analyzed even more specifically by examining the influence of fork size (and indirectly the bite size) on the amount of food consumed. In order to test this potential influencing factor, the whole study was conducted in a restaurant due to the difficulty in replicating real life scenarios in a lab setting. The author explained that “people visit the restaurants with a well-defined goal of satiating their hunger, and in this process they invest effort and resources (e.g., time, money, and choices of food and location) to satisfy their goal in the best possible manner.”

Improvements in training and nutrition over the past couple of decades have certainly pushed the envelope for sports and performance, particularly for the aging athlete. Brett Favre, Lance Armstrong, and Randy Couture have all reached later stage professional career success. Most recently, Bernard Hopkins became the oldest fighter to win a major world championship, taking the WBC light heavyweight title from a much younger Jean Pascal at the age of 46. Nowadays, athletes are not only competing into their thirties, but are winning, and some like Hopkins actually are successful well into their 40’s. Perhaps most surprising is that these athletes are competing in their 40s in events as rigorous as professional football, hockey, rugby and even World’s Strongest Man competitions. The latest question for exercise scientists now is how far can humans go and when do they peak? Researchers from the Institut de Recherche bioMédicale et d'Epidemiologie du Sport at INSEP, Paris, France recently published an answer. Geoffroy Berthelot and Stephane Len published their findings in Age (2011), the official journal of the American Aging Association.

We all know the old adage there’s no “I” in team and in today’s organizational structures being collaborative rather than isolated has been cited as a much more effective strategy for both growth and task efficiency. The larger the environment the more organizational silos are common as people gravitate to those in their direct environment and often communicate most within peer groups. In many large companies it is commonplace to really only know and interact with a small number of people. In doing so, all of the crossover potential and “corporate resources” become stifled. In today’s business society, creating both internal and external networks has become a vital skill. Collaboratively they expand the “think tank” and potential contributions from diverse skill sets; selfishly they expand the visible reach of one’s abilities and increase potential growth in different ways. This impact is obviously underscored by the proliferation of social and business networks like Facebook and LinkedIn, where having access to more people expands the potential for resources and consequent efficiency in multiple categories of business.

The fitness industry certainly has many facets to it and the activities that promote health and well-being are numerous. This diversity provides different outlets for an assortment of goal oriented behaviors, some which are as easy as basic locomotion to others that require high levels of strength and coordination. Although there is an inordinate amount of fitness information available online and in the media, there still is a learning curve to getting started in a comprehensive fitness routine. This being said, most people can enter a fitness facility and through a combination of trial and error, imitation, basic inquiry, and some fundamental instruction learn to use an exercise bike, leg press machine, or perform a shoulder press exercise. Even more complicated devices like a physioball or TRX suspension system can be mastered by a fitness enthusiast through observation and some trial and error.

It seems to be an easy concept; lower your calories to lose weight. This of course suggests one knows how many calories they consume each day. It doesn’t seem overly difficult, but the fact of the matter is, it does not translate well to the American population. In a recent report presented by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation, only 9% of people in the United States can accurately estimate the number of calories they should eat in a day, and not surprisingly the same number (9%) actually attempts to keep track of their calories during the week.

Tens of millions of dollars are being spent on multiple awareness campaigns for the prevention of obesity and the promotion of physical activity. At this point the average American demonstrates knowledge of the problem, recognizes it as a financial burden to America, and supports the reduction of obesity in the country. Interestingly, in this report and other related documents Americans who are classified as overweight or obese by BMI still consider themselves in good health when surveyed.

Osteoporosis, literally translated means “porous bones.” It is a progressive bone disease that occurs due to a loss of bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue. More than 10 million Americans currently have the disease. In women over 45 years of age, osteoporosis accounts for more days spent in hospitals than many other diseases including diabetes, myocardial infarction and breast cancer. The development of the disease is linked to three compounding factors: deficient level of peak bone mass, a reduction in bone mass after age 30, and further loss after age 50. Therefore, the best preventative measure is to optimize peak bone mass by consuming adequate calcium and being physically active during childhood and young adulthood.

Antioxidants are known to protect the body against the potentially damaging effects of free radicals and their metabolic products such as reactive oxygen species (ROS). These products are managed in the body through intercellular synthesized enzymatic antioxidants as well as from ingested forms such as vitamins A, C, and E, carotenoids including β-carotene, and other plant-based polyphenols. Free-radical ROS have at least one unpaired electron that can cause oxidative damage to cellular membranes, tissue proteins, DNA, and other components of the body.

A new report by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) heeds the Surgeon General’s recent proposition to aggressively address the elevated prevalence of obesity in the U.S. adult population by examining trends related to energy intake and macronutrient consumption from 1999-2000 through 2007-2008. It is the intention that by understanding these trends, the development and assessment of program and policy initiatives designed for nutrition education and obesity prevention can be attainable. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), being the primary national data system for information used to monitor the nutritional status of the U.S. population was used to develop this report.

Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have recently reported multiple studies that reveal psychological stress leads to shorter telomeres, or DNA damage. Telomeres are caps located on the ends of chromosomes (DNA strands inside cell nuclei which dictate genetic characteristics) that protect and stabilize genetic data while serving as a measure of cellular age and health. Each time a cell divides a fraction of the telomeres drop off; after a specific number of cellular divisions the telomeres reach a critical length and the cell normally dies. Recently, scientists have discovered that shorter telomeres are linked with a broad range of aging-related diseases and indicate elevated risk of cardiovascular disease and a variety of cancers. The recent UCSF study findings suggest that exercise may prevent this damage and increased risk of disease by reducing telomere erosion.

Even though we have reached 2011 there are still many misconceptions about health and fitness and even common media sources present incorrect information and partial facts. It is fascinating that sufficient evidence-based information exists to properly guide the decision making process and thousands of media platforms are available to disseminate the information to those that pursue it; yet many people follow antiquated advice and methodology including many fitness professionals. True this is not limited to the fitness profession as there are still some physicians for example, that suggest age-appropriate resistance training may stunt a child’s growth; but it seems to be a prolific in the fitness industry. When it comes to health and fitness most people do not know how to reach the goals they perceive as important and therefore it is up to those educated in the discipline to properly guide the public using safe and effective techniques in instruction and behavior management.

The diversity in movement applications that can be used to enhance health and performance related fitness allow for numerous activities and training modalities. The plus side of the many new pieces of equipment is that they can often be used to more efficiently get results and provide variety to a workout. The first step of a professional is identifying the purpose of the equipment and its role in a program. In some cases the gimmick outweighs the benefit. Although client’s need motivation, and interest and fun are key elements of that motivation, it is important to not lose focus of well devised programming in exchange for personal “entertraining.”

Tracking performance is a requisite to improving the body through desirable and purposeful adaptations. New exercisers experience notable improvements in a shorter period of time compared to their trained counterparts due to neural improvements as the body develops greater efficiency. It is not uncommon to see double digit percentile improvements in each of the first two months. During this phase, even subpar personal trainers will generate results as the body rapidly adjusts to physical activity. Once the body has made its initial adjustments to the routine stress and reached its early tissue potential physiological adaptations begin to slow down. This is when competent trainers begin to shine. Due to the rapid adaptations and the psychological impact of seeing improvement - it is a smart idea to identify these changes for progressive adjustments as well as client motivation. This demonstrates the relevance of recording data during each workout the client performs so that forward thinking and preparations reflect the physical state of the individual.

With all the attention given to the obesity epidemic and lack of physical activity in America it would be safe to say most people know that exercise is important component in the maintenance and improvement of health. This being said, sedentary living and rates of obesity and overweight have reached all-time highs. The collateral effects include national health care issues. Researchers at the University of Missouri found that healthy adults who received interventions focused on behavior-changing strategies significantly increased their physical activity levels, whereas the use of cognitive based interventions did not. The government and private sectors spend millions of dollars on awareness and education (Let’s Move, Play 60, etc..) to try to change knowledge and attitudes about the importance of physical activity, yet according to researchers these methods may not improve physical activity.

Many of the common ailments and skeletal inefficiencies that affect athletes and fitness enthusiasts are actually created by the activities they engage in on a routine basis. Strength and fitness training facilities alike provide numerous machines and equipment to stress the body for what seems to be better performance. Cardiovascular machines help to improve heart and vascular efficiency, selectorized machines help develop bigger muscles and bilateral symmetrical exercises like the squat can produce impressive improvements in strength. So if all these benefits are yielded from a fitness facility or traditional exercise approach than how may they also contribute to musculoskeletal problems?

“One has to get in shape to get in shape”. This simple tagline sounds like a redundant thought but actually underscores the importance for personal trainers to understand and put into practice appropriate starting points and progressions for their clients. Individuals who hire certified personal trainers are often looking for rapid results. However, human physiology has its own pace regardless of the goal. Certainly, water weight can be reduced quickly by cutting carbohydrates, but for effective long-term weight loss goals to be met and sustained, proper progression is necessary. Starting a new exercise program too aggressively is a pitfall for many personal trainers. Those who have years of experience and the appropriate knowledge and understanding of key fitness concepts such as Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and Rate Pressure Product (RPP) consistently implement appropriate starting points for new clients and effective short-term goals that are achievable and build upon each other, resulting in long-term goal achievement.

Screening and assessment is a requisite first step in developing the needs analysis for new clients. One of the relevant components to consider in this process is body composition. It is one component of health-related fitness that should be assessed in the evaluation process as it is clearly understood that elevated levels of body fat cause negative physiological actions within the body leading to systemic low-grade inflammation and an increased risk for all-cause metabolic and cardiovascular disease. Body composition by definition is the ratio of body fat mass to fat-free mass; expressed as a percentage of body fat. There are many direct and indirect methods to assess body fat and elevated risk for disease such as (but not limited to); use of height/weight tables, measurement of body mass index (BMI), measurement of the waist-to-hip ratio, hydrostatic weighing, air displacement plethysmography (Bod Pod), dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and other internal imaging mechanisms, circumference measurements, skinfold measurements, bioelectrical impedance, and near-infrared scanning. These different methods of assessment have varying degrees of accuracy and practicality.

The rising prevalence of obesity, cardio-metabolic disease and related disorders in developed countries worldwide has demonstrated significant negative impacts in social, economic, and health care sectors. Experts site the high costs of disease related treatment and loss of workplace productivity as relevant factors affecting America's economy. There are currently more overweight than underweight adults worldwide for the first time in history and excess weight and physical inactivity are considered the primary root of the problem. According to new research from the American University in Washington, D.C. in addition to the energy imbalance, the obesity epidemic is largely due to growing insecurity, stress, and sense of powerlessness in societies where high calorie, high-sugar, and high-fat foods are readily available.

Weight loss always seems to be at the top of the list of desired accomplishments for people at the beginning of a new year. There are many methods, or combinations of methods, that can be employed to lose weight - but not all will produce equal aesthetic and health-related benefits. Applying dietary modifications in conjunction with a combined resistance training and aerobic exercise program has been shown to be the best overall method for losing weight in a healthy manner. It is well documented that maintaining a negative caloric balance while ensuring the maintenance of lean mass is the optimal way to lose weight. Interestingly, the anaerobic component of exercise is the key to success as excess aerobic training causes a reduction in lean mass particularly when combined with caloric restriction.

As New Year’s resolutions abound, the freshly motivated will be looking for surefire remedies to initiate weight loss and increase lean mass. For many people the first step is buying supplements to make the process more efficient. One of the most popular supplements for the newly-motivated fitness enthusiast is a 2-5 lb. container of processed protein which is available even at Costco. Protein supplementation has been shown to be favorable for weight loss and improving body composition in conjunction with balanced nutrition and routine exercise. Protein shakes (when supplemented for a meal) may reduce total caloric intake, suppress appetite (whey), and allow for proper synthesis of muscle mass with appropriate training. Many individuals tend to over-consume protein however; basing their decisions on invalid and amplified recommendations set forth by fitness enthusiasts, bodybuilder magazines, and supplement-industry marketing campaigns that commonly affirm 1-2g of protein should be consumed per pound of body weight for optimal weight loss or anabolic results.