1234 words; estimated reading time: 6 minutes, 10 seconds. The social merits of physical activity are widely recognised. In fact, exercising in the company of others seems to be a really powerful motivator for exercise engagement across our lifespans. Sure, some people prefer to work out in solitude, lost in their thoughts, the calming …
A quick peek at ACSM’s annual trends and fads survey.
Blurring lines For over 25 years I had the privilege of teaching two college courses; one on exercise prescription for fitness and health, and the other on strength and conditioning that focused on athletic populations. New research emerged, ideas and attitudes changed, and the content and style of those two courses changed substantially over my …
So much information Could I have been that arrogant, that stupid? Turns out yes I could – in spades! In fairness, I’d been raised on a steady educational diet where knowledge was king; knowledge was power. It never occurred to me that it could be any other way. Certainly, none of my teachers or lecturers …
I recently downloaded a PDF ‘Osteoporosis and You’ from the Osteoporosis New Zealand website. Fifteen pages of content, with barely half a page of non-specific exercise information, yet they somehow managed 2 and a half pages of dietary guidance for optimal bone health! I shouldn’t be surprised, but……of course, I still am! Disappointed, disheartened! I’m …
Possibly very little, yet it seems that this training mode, philosophy, cult – call it what you will, provokes some extreme responses in exercise and health professionals. Full disclosure, while I haven’t had any direct involvement with or particular knowledge of Crossfit™ (CF), my morning runs often took me past groups engaging in some CF style …
I was doing some prep for a lecture last year. The topic, osteoporosis and exercise. I came across a curious suggestion in a paper by Srinivasan et al (2002). They tried some low-intensity loading of animal bone, basically by applying a bit of bending load to bones. In that context they found that the low …
One of my graduate assistant roles at the University of Alberta was to conduct fitness tests for the Faculty’s Fitness Testing Unit. The Unit targeted the general population and their health and wellbeing and was well subscribed. We followed standardised fitness testing protocols that included skinfolds, a bike test to estimate aerobic fitness, a sit …
Sometimes I wonder about the supposed advances in sciences, particularly the rapid emergence of technologies, and whether they are often more problematic than helpful. We live in a world where we prefer to see things as causes and effects. Mostly we like to believe that when something happens there has to be an identifiable cause …