NCSF Blog

The increased popularity of social interaction in guided exercise instruction has allowed personal training to take on an expanded role into small group coaching. This training style allows participants to enjoy instruction from a qualified professional, which in turn provides a greater reach to client markets who otherwise would be unable to participate due to lack of resources or an interest in the one-on-one model. The added benefit, documented from data on participation rates, suggest that the small group model may be superior in terms of retention, weekly participation and overall motivation. There seems to be a matrix between professional instruction, social interaction/inadvertent competition, and the collective motivation of the combined peer and instructor support. This bodes well for all stakeholders and defines an important evaluative component of one’s program. Ensuring it meets these criteria warrants an audit of weekly participation rates, participant perceived value (enjoyment and motivation), as well as the average tenure of participation.

Inherently the fitness industry is subject to trends, as exercise enthusiasts tend to gravitate toward novel products and activities. Not surprisingly, when the minimalist trend in shoe wear hit the retail stores many runners and cross trainers quickly hopped on the bandwagon. The popularity of the new shoe features created a rapid market shift with minimalist shoes now making up 15% of the $6.5 billion running shoe market.

Similar to the case of androstendione found in Mark McGwire’s locker, the media surrounding Ray Lewis’ miraculous recovery of a normally season-ending injury, due to a simple spray of deer antler extract, once again has stimulated huge attention to a performance supplement. In the case of McGwire, the prohormone was likely being used to mask the later admitted steroid use as research indicated no efficacy and actually an unintended side effect of increased estrodiol among males. Currently the jury is still out on whether the deer antler provides any benefit as a performance enhancing agent, purported to heal cartilage and tendon injuries more quickly while boosting strength and endurance.

During the first few months of any new year many struggle to maintain their exercise compliance. Initial motivations are not sustained to support the demands of lifestyle changes. Commonly, the main complaint is not the exercise but the minimal time available to keep up their “ideal” exercise regimen. This perception is often is due in part to the real and perceived occupational, family and social factors that affect our daily lives. For those citing a lack of time as a true determent to fitness, newly-published research may provide some comfort as well as solutions.

As schools continue to cut physical education from the mandatory curriculum to reduce costs, research is progressively showing the importance of daily physical activity in the development of young children’s cognitive abilities.

At one time or another, most people have trained with a friend or colleague who was in better physical condition and found themselves achieving impressive results. Common sense suggests that this is due to the motivation to “keep up” with the experienced individual by the weaker counterpart. The mental aspect of falling behind drives them to push harder than they would when left to their own accord. Scientists cite different drivers of motivation including negative/positive reinforcement, support, the availability of spotting assistance, or the sense of accountability and camaraderie that comes with working out in pairs. New research from Kansas State University reinforces this assumption by demonstrating that the key to motivation are the feelings of inadequacy experienced by the less-fit individual.

People suffering from Type 2 diabetes have chronically high blood glucose due to insulin resistance. The exact cause of Type 2 diabetes is not known, but research commonly attributes it to obesity and a lack of activity. Recent research estimates that 6.4% of the world population is diabetic. By 2030, the estimate is projected to reach 7.7%, with developing countries experiencing the most significant increases. Complications from Type 2 diabetes include blindness, dementia, gum disease, cardiovascular disease, and a greater risk of lower limb amputations. Furthermore, sufferers typically have a 10-year shorter life span than the general population. A new study conducted by University of Southern California (USC) and University of Oxford research teams indicates that consuming large amounts of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may be one of the major contributing factors associated with this rising global epidemic of Type 2 diabetes.

It is common for health-conscious individuals to maintain their exercise regimen throughout the majority of the year only to find themselves struggling to stay on schedule during the holiday season. Numerous articles have identified this annual behavioral shift where many in America will gain ‘holiday weight’. For most this will be a 1-2 kg increase from pre-November weight, for others the ranges will double. The unfortunate outcome is the well-documented annual accumulation average of approximately 0.5-1 kg each year. Over the span of ten years, even minimal weight gain during the holidays can make for a considerable difference in one’s body composition. This ends up being starkly noticeable when observing Holidays past captured in pictures of one’s yesteryears.

New research funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, has led to the development of a new algorithm which ranks foods based on a continuous numerical score. Higher scores identify healthier foods and lower scores represent foods to avoid.

For many, Thanksgiving represents a day in which family and friends get together to enjoy each other’s company over a large meal (or number of meals). The holiday is centered on social eating and drinking, creating the perfect environment for the overindulgence of high-calorie food and drink. Often, refusing food is a challenge, because the mindset of the day supports savoring simple joys and giving thanks for the food on the table and friendships made over the years. Turning down second or third helpings, or a taste of a special holiday dish “made just for you,” can easily result in offense, depending on the familial and cultural dynamics present in the household. Even in this environment however, there are a few simple steps that one can follow to minimize overconsumption of calories while still enjoying Thanksgiving and the holiday season.