Is it possible for a “clean” protein source to work against your muscle-gaining goals and harbor toxic chemicals and artificial sweeteners? The answer may terrify personal trainers and their clients; the details are quite disturbing. Numerous protein supplements...
Cathleen Kronemer
Cathleen Kronemer is an NFPT CEC writer and a member of the NFPT Certification Council Board. Cathleen is an AFAA-Certified Group Exercise Instructor, NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer, ACE-Certified Health Coach, former competitive bodybuilder and freelance writer. She is employed at the Jewish Community Center in St. Louis, MO. Cathleen has been involved in the fitness industry for over three decades. Feel free to contact her at trainhard@kronemer.com. She welcomes your feedback and your comments!
Rucking: A Weighted Hike for Health and Fitness
The military’s practice of marching with a weighted pack on one’s back, or “rucking”, aims to foster the development of a strong and highly desirable soldier. Why not introduce our personal training clients to weighted hikes for health and fitness? Walking versus...
Seasonal Affective Disorder: How Personal Trainers Can Help Clients See the Light
For those of us who are winter sports enthusiasts, the onset of colder weather signals the beginning of snow-related fun. Yet for others, the shorter days and colder temperatures trigger a cascade of symptoms that are anything but pleasant. Feelings of depression, anxiety, and moodiness are symptoms commonly associated with what scientists have termed Seasonal Affective Disorder, or quite aptly, SAD.
Activities of Daily Life and Posture: What Personal Trainers Need to Know
How much does our personal training clients' posture truly affect back pain? And what do activities of daily life (ADLs) have to do with it? What is Good Posture? Posture refers to the delicate balance of bones, muscles, and connective tissues as we stand, sit, and...
Myostatin: Medical Breakthrough May Lead Athletes Astray
Any serious athlete knows that good results take time: dedication to training, proper nutrition, adequate rest, all of these things are strong contributors to any successful outcome. Some athletes choose to add a variety of natural supplements to their training regimen; yet even with this boost, there is no single “magic pill“ that can instantly transform the physique. Or is there?
The Gut Microbiome and Our Health
Perhaps the time-worn expression “having a gut feeling” holds more potency than any of us realized. Studies of the intestinal gut microbiome reveal how disturbances in its biodiversity can affect everything from obesity and autoimmune diseases to chronic depression....
Can Ice Cream Help Diabetics Reduce Cardiovascular Risks?
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...
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...