Sleep? Why is this subject on a fitness website? Because, as a middle aged woman like many of you, I am beginning to experience the onset of perimenopause. Many nights I wake up between 1 and 3 and just can’t get back to sleep. I am fighting insomnia, and paying a heavy price. Fatigue upon …
As an ACE Certified Personal Trainer, I receive professional journals on a regular basis. ACE recently sent their newsletter which contained an interesting article, “The Top 10 Mistakes People Make in the Gym”. I’d like to share some of these with you- they are all too common! – The all- or- nothing approach. Not having …
The US National Institutes of Health recently announced the launch of a massive campaign to fight obesity- an epidemic that affects close to two thirds of the population of the US. YES, close to two thirds of us are now classified as obese, costing us nearly $117 billion a year in direct medical costs and …
Two recently published research studies caught my eye and I want to draw your attention to them. The first study, which Iread about on WebMD, discussed the results of an extensive review of seven large clinical studies that had evaluated the effectiveness of Vitamin E supplementation for the prevention of heart disease. The review concluded …
In my previous blog, I discussed the myth surrounding “fat burning” exercise techniques. Previous articles and discussions have debunked the other multitude of myths surrounding the “secret” to burning fat including fat burning pills, foods, exercise belts, drinks etc. Bottom line- they do not work! To truly understand how our body burns fat, we must …
A recent question posted to the Health/Science writer at The Boston Globe has prompted me to cover an often confusing issue regarding burning fat via cardiovascular exercise. Do you burn more fat when exercising at a lower heart rate, and hence lower intensity, versus exercising at a high heart rate/intensity? As Judy Foreman so expertly …
A recent research study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise proved once again that walking can be an excellent way for many of us to stay in shape and reduce our risk of deadly diseases like diabetes and heart disease. 80 women between the ages of 40 and 66 participated in the …
Food Logs, or food diaries, are one of the most necessary and effective ways to help dieters lose weight and keep it off. Research has proven that dieters who use food logs for accountability are 60-70% more likely to be successful with their weight loss goals. In my training, I always ask for food logs …
Our long held belief in the fitness industry was that stretching pre-exercise reduces risk of injury and improves exercise performance. BUT, several recently published studies, one of which was published in The Journal of Strength And Conditioning Research, is refuting this common practice. This study demonstrated that stretching prior to intense sport activities such as …
I often get asked the questions,”What type of cardiovascular exercise is best for me?”, “Does walking count?” The answer is of course, very individual, and it depends on your goals, baseline fitness and exercise experience. Many people who first begin an exercise program can, and should, use walking as a way to burn calories and …
Many dieters give up dairy products like milk and cheese thinking the fat content is inappropriate for a sound weight loss regimen. In addition, adult women and men, in general, neglect drinking milk, thinking “it’s just for kids”. However, several recently published research studies have shown a link between consumption of dairy products and successful …
With so much contradictory nutrition information thrown at us on a daily basis, how do we know what works and what doesn’t work? What is healthy or unhealthy? The recent low carb craze, like many other diet crazes of the last few decades, has gotten way out of hand. Carbs are not our enemies! Our …