NCSF Blog

Surprisingly, some consumers still have difficulties properly deciphering the information on food labels when making optimal choices related to their nutritional needs. In some cases, such as in restaurants, limited or no information is provided which makes choosing healthy meal options a true guessing game. A new study published in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing showed once again that if consumers have clear and accurate data, they tend to make healthier choices when compared to being left in the dark. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania added color-coded “traffic-light” and/or numeric calorie-count labels to online food ordering systems and found consumers ordered meals with about 10% less total calories when compared to a menu featuring no labeling.

Function: The single-leg RDL to hip flexion with rotation exercise can be used to improve high hamstring/gluteal activation and flexibility, pelvic stability, multi-planar mobility, kinetic chain connectivity, and lower body proprioception.

Purpose: The DB Bench Swing to Stand is a functional abdominal exercise that also serves to improve force transfer through the full kinetic chain.

Performance Pointers:

• Start with the arms fully extended at the side of the body with the back against the bench and the feet flat on the floor
• Initiate the movement by simultaneously swinging the dumbbells forward while performing trunk and hip flexion to sit up from the bench
• As you attain a seated position and the dumbbells are progressing into shoulder flexion, use the upward swing to achieve an overhead dumbbell position while simultaneously completing the transition to a standing posture
• In the end position you should be standing tall with the dumbbells directly overhead (biceps to ears), and then gradually descend back to the start position for the next repetition

According to new research presented at ENDO 2016, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in Boston, anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) abuse is associated with severe increases in blood pressure. “The results provide scientific evidence that anabolic steroids cause systolic blood pressure increase and hypertension that may be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease,” states the lead study author Jon Bjarke Rasmussen, MD, doctoral fellow in the Department of Internal Medicine of Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark. The researchers found day and night blood pressure values to be considerably higher among the ongoing AAS abusers when compared with both former abusers and non-users. “Anabolic steroids are increasingly used in the broader population, and some studies suggest that approximately 20% of men who do recreational strength training have experience with anabolic steroids,” Rasmussen added.

The FDA recently released a public warning concerning imported dietary supplements and nonprescription drug products. According to Cariny Nunez, M.P.H., a public health advisor in the Office of Minority Health at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), dietary supplements scammers often target advertising to people who prefer to shop at “nontraditional places” such as ethnic or international stores. The aforementioned consumers often are purchase motivated by magazines, infomercials, flea markets or online marketing; especially those who have limited English proficiency and access to health care information. “These scammers know that ethnic groups who may not speak or read English well, or who hold certain cultural beliefs, can be easy targets,” Nunez says. For example, some Native Americans, Latinos, Asians and Africans may have a long tradition of relying on herbal or so-called “natural” remedies for ailments. Many advertisers put the word “natural” somewhere on the package, knowing it inspires trust in certain groups.

Knowledgeable personal trainers are able to modify almost any exercise to provide challenges for clients with differing aptitudes and training needs. There are many ways an exercise can be modified such as changing the position of the load, movement plane(s) involved, stability or coordination requirements, and total muscle groups/body segment involved. Often exercise modifications are applied within the exercise prescription just for the sake of novelty to reduce boredom - but in most instances a trainer will want to provide alterations to mastered movements that match the client’s intended goal(s). In the following we will examine two potential exercise modifications, and how these movement modifications create new challenges and potential improved adaptations.

There are many fad diets that become popularized through health and fitness magazines. The gluten-free diet has gained a lot of attention recently even by those who are not truly gluten intolerant or suffer from celiac disease. This trending nutrient focus has been amped by celebrity testimonials and hyped by news coverage. The gluten-free diet surrounds an effort to limit gluten protein intake found in grains such as wheat, rye, oats, and barely. Some physicians warn that going gluten-free is definitely not for everyone; it is not necessarily healthy nor does it inherently promote weight-loss. In fact, many physicians advise that only people with diagnosed gluten sensitivities adopt this special diet. What is interesting about many who end up following a gluten-free diet is not the gluten affect but rather that they end up cutting out a lot of processed grains, starches and poorer food choices - which may in itself help reduce gastrointestinal issues and inflammation over time.

The popularity and effectiveness of employee fitness and wellness programs has greatly increased in recent years. 70% of US employers now offer some form of employee wellness program, up from 58% in 2008 according to the Society for Human Resource Management. Despite this trend and the benefits wellness programs can provide to productivity and workplace moral, many companies will face new challenges in 2016 related to such programs. In the following we will summarily address some of the prominent trends related to fitness and wellness program development anticipated to take the lead in improving employee health in 2016.

Concentric, eccentric and isometric muscular contractions are often taught and thought about as parts of a whole – in reference to an exercise from start to finish. However, exercises can be modified to include only concentric, eccentric or isometric muscle action based on the client’s goals and needs. Concentric-only actions are often used for improving power and acceleration; isometric actions are frequently used for improving stability or endurance; while eccentric actions can serve a number of specific needs related to performance, muscular health and tissue recovery. An eccentric contraction occurs as a muscle is forcibly elongated to decelerate a load under control. They often occur as a byproduct during standard training programs, as part of dynamic muscular actions, but exercise professionals should recognize the uses and benefits of eccentric-specific training. This way they can exploit it properly when it fits the needs of program design.

Keeping clients engaged, imparting quality improvements and saving time are all tenets of personal training. Using exercise combinations that intelligently apply force couples is an effective way to accomplish all three. Try this example – push-up to pike – to improve central peripheral stability by combining to staples of human movement. The exercise is at an intermediate to advanced level and should be performed in a single fluid, connected motion. Those with less flexibility or strength may use flexed knees and push up from a raised surface such as a bench.