Recent research has surprised scientists and befuddled nutrition experts by announcing a data-based finding that diabetics consuming ½ cup of ice cream have a lowered incidence of developing cardiovascular disease, a common comorbid ailment among individuals with Type...
Cathleen Kronemer
Eating To Reduce Hypertension: Plant-Based, DASH, or Very Low Carb Meal Plans?
Adults living with high blood pressure (a reading higher than 140/90 mm Hg) often present with a host of comorbidities, most often pre-diabetes/type 2 diabetes, high levels of LDL cholesterol, and obesity. Such conditions render these individuals more vulnerable to...
Dorsalgia: Back Pain and the Personal Training Client
Personal trainers are bound to address back pain complaints or conditions when working with adult clients. Back problems affect a considerable number of adults each year, ranking as the second most common complaint to physicians. Nearly 16 million adults — 8% — experience persistent or chronic back pain, curtailing many everyday activities. Over 2 million adults suffer permanent pain/disability. As the sixth most expensive medical condition in the United States, direct and indirect back-related healthcare costs can run over $12 billion per year.
Dorsalgia, one of the most common skeletal muscle syndromes, refers to pain in the upper back and includes sciatic pain, but excludes discomfort relating to scoliosis or lordosis. This painful condition often develops with age, particularly affecting those with a variety of comorbid conditions.
Gut Health, Weight Loss, and the NU-AGE Mediterranean Diet
Personal trainers preach that healthy insides, accomplished through clean eating, lead to improved overall health. Now conclusive research points to how improving one’s diet may alter the intestinal microbiota, further promoting successful aging and optimal weight....
Understanding VO2 Max and the Altitude Challenge
When starting a fitness client on a new exercise program, personal trainers must decide on the frequency of workouts, their duration, as well as their intensity. Seasoned athletes may hone in on more specific parameters; the consideration of VO2 max ranks high on...
Bioenergetics: Aerobic versus Anaerobic Energy Production
Bioenergetics is a complex branch of biochemistry that focuses on how cells transform energy, often by producing, storing, or consuming adenosine triphosphate (ATP), or put more simply, the study of how cells transform energy from one form to another. For personal...
The Power of Endorphins
Runner's "high" is so-called because of the euphoria associated with the release of feel-good chemicals in the brain, of which endorphins are one category. From a biological standpoint, the attainment of pleasure occurs when certain naturally-produced chemicals --...
Hormones and Obesity: How Does Satiety Affect Weight?
Obesity ranks as one of the most serious public health challenges today. Despite the best efforts of fitness/nutrition professionals, as many as 1.6 billion adults currently fit the medical parameters of “overweight”, with a frightening 400 million falling into the ...
Is Lactic Acid an Energy Boost or Drain?
All personal trainers and their clients should be familiar with what the "burn" associated with repetitive or intense activity feels like. Historically, the blame for such discomfort fell on the build-up of lactic acid, a condition referred to as lactic acidosis, and...
Is Athleticism Genetic?
Is athleticism genetic? We often use the phrase “natural-born athlete” to describe one who excels in sports. While genetics does play a role, let's discuss what else creates a distinction between a person with athletic prowess and a client who goes through the...
Is Your Client an “Active Couch Potato”?
Through dedicated data collection, research professionals have arrived at distinct categories of “exercisers” within our population. As we might predict, the subtle variations in their activity levels do impact key aspects of health which, in turn, impacts longevity....
Training Load, Injury, and Athletic Performance: Mastering the Trifecta
When training an athlete toward peak/competitive performance whether post-rehabilitation or from current ability, training load must exceed capacity. With carefully planned increases in load, the athlete’s capacity tolerance improves. However, if the applied training...
The Adonis Complex: Male Physiques and Muscle Dysmorphia
Can the drive for extreme muscularity turn into an unhealthy obsession? “The Adonis Complex”, aptly named after the Greek mythological character whose body was said to represent the ideal standard of muscularity, is a real thing. As men obsessively chase an impossibly...
Bio-Banding In Youth Sports: Prioritizing Ability Over Age
As coaches and trainers, many of us work with adolescents who show promising athletic prowess. We must take into account, however, that human development falls on a continuum; as such, not all budding athletes will mature at a level commensurate with their dates of...
Exercise and Autism: A Positive Impact on Behavior
Autism refers to the complexity of neurobiological development disorders. Affecting 1% of the population within this continent, many experts consider it among the most serious of all mental health conditions. Recent studies indicate that physical exercise can confer...
Hunger Hormones: Ghrelin, Leptin, and The Satiety Balance
Hunger hormones control the degree to which individuals sense hunger and fullness or, satiety, and can contribute to weight loss and maintenance success. Research shows that a significant percentage of dieters regain most, if not all, of the weight they shed within a...
Ketone Applications: Moving Beyond Fat-Burning and Towards Healing
Accumulating evidence suggests that any athletically-inclined individual can benefit from a shift of energy metabolism toward the utilization of ketone bodies. However, the good news does not end there. Clinical research evidence on exogenous and physiological ketones...
Hyponatremia: The Dangers of Excessive Fluid Consumption
For peak performance every day, athletically and otherwise, the human body requires water. Our cells, bones, organs, and muscles count on sufficient hydration to function properly. However, overloading the body with fluids can cause water intoxication, or...