FitBits
May 15, 2004

Exercise ETC's Review of Exercise Related Research.
Compiled by
Irv Rubenstein, Ph D, CSCS

Summer Vacation?
Summer Fitness Conference Schedules Announced!

Why not attend one of our Fitness Conferences this summer in conjunction with your family’s summer vacation? East Coast? West Coast? We’ve got you covered this summer with two of our most popular Fitness Conferences: Washington DC and San Francisco.

This year our Washington Fitness Conference will be held June 25 and June 26 at the Marriott Hotel, Dulles Airport. We’re very pleased to announce that Mark Poisall has rejoined our faculty after a leave of absence to conduct a research project for Johns Hopkins University. He will be presenting at our Washington, DC Conference.

Our San Francisco Conference will be held July 10 & 11 at the beautiful Doubletree Hotel in Burlingame, right on the spectacular San Francisco bay. This year we’re offering 24 separate workshops on everything from children’s fitness to older adult fitness and everything in between. Join us for our brand new course on “Golf and Tennis Training”!

For complete details, visit our web site at: www.exerciseetc.com

NSCA-CSCS Exam Prep
Courses Available,
May, 2004

Exercise ETC will be again be offering exam preparation courses for the NSCA Strength & Conditioning Specialist examination this summer. Our prep programs will thoroughly prepare you for this prestigious certification with guaranteed results!. These exam prep courses will be offered on July 17 & 18 in Boston, Los Angeles and Minneapolis, MN. (The Minneapolis program is offered in conjunction with the NSCA annual convention in Minneapolis) For details, visit our website at www.exerciseetc.com

SALE!
Strength Training Anatomy
Correspondence Course
Regular $89.00, now $59.00
Approved for
1.0 CECs/ 10.0 CEUs

This meticulously detailed softcover book by Frederick Devalier shows you exactly how specific muscles are used in dozens of strength exercises. The full color anatomical drawings will put strength exercises into a new perspective. Approved for up to 10 hours of continuing education credit, this program is a boon for your brain and a bargain for your budget.

Buy on-line only until May 31, 2004 for only $59.00 plus s&h. For details, visit: www.exerciseetc.com/specials.html

Credits:
1.0: ACE, NASM, NFPT
10.0: AEA, AIFE, IFPA, ISSA

For more information on Exercise ETC,
our programs and materials, visit our
web site at
www.exerciseetc.com

Exercise ETC Inc.
2101 North Andrews Ave. #201
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311

Tai Chi Rapidly Increases
Balance in Older Adults

This is the first study to look at the time course of improvement in balance from Tai Chi training. The authors compared the results of two basic tests – Sensory Organization Test (amount of sway with eyes open, eyes closed, and on a pivot board) and Limit of Stability Test (ability to shift weight rapidly and to the furthest extremes of one’s base) – in a control group, new Tai Chi students and experienced Tai Chi students.

After 4 weeks of practice, the new students had improved on the Sensory Organization Tests to the level of the experienced students and were significantly better than the control group. This level of improvement persisted for 4 weeks beyond the 8-week intensive training program. Likewise, by the fourth week, the new students had exceeded the control group and matched the experienced students on all measures of the Limits of Stability Tests. This improvement also persisted for four weeks beyond the training program. In conclusion, the authors suggest that the brain experiences “cortical reorganization” as a result of intensive training similar to stroke victims who “re-wire” their brains from therapy.

Commentary: Although the training period was only 8 weeks and testing occurred 4 weeks after the program ceased, the results are encouraging in that balance and stability in older adults are trainable. Can other training programs do likewise? Read below…

W.W.N. Tsang & C.W.Y. Hui-Chan, Effect of 4- and 8-wk intensive Tai Chi training on balance control in the elderly. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 36(4):648-657, 2004

Weight Bearing Activities Can
Improve Balance As Well As Tai Chi Can

The same authors as above tested the improvement in proprioception at the knee in older men who practice Tai Chi or play golf. They also compared these two groups on the Limits of Stability Test. The researchers also compared these two groups to both a group of younger men and a control group of older men. They also investigated the relationship of joint proprioception and Limits of Stability in voluntary weight shifting among the 3 groups of older men.

The results showed that Tai Chi practitioners and golfers performed the proprioception tests better than the elderly controls and equal to younger men. The Tai Chi practitioners and golfers also out-performed both their peers in their same age group on the Limits of Stability tests. They had slower reaction times than the younger men but relatively equal maximal excursions and directional controls. In conclusion, golf and Tai Chi help older men match younger men in joint proprioception and stability except in reaction time.

Commentary: Golf, anyone? Or any other recreational sports? The model is there to test whether such activities as tennis, badminton, or other weight bearing, multi-directional sports may be as good for balance as the ancient art of Tai Chi.

W.W.N. Tsang & C.W.Y. Hui-Chan, Effects of exercise on joint sense and balance in elderly men: Tai Chi versus Golf. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 36(4):658-667, 2004

Bored With Your Diet?
Become a “Flexetarian”

Are you a bored vegan? You may be in luck. A recent article in the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel newspaper (5/2/04) profiled a new dietary trend called “Flexetarianism.” According to the report, a “Flexetarian” is a vegetarian who eats meat. Before you write to us, no, we are not making this up. Apparently, truth is stranger than fiction.

For more information on Exercise ETC, our programs and materials, visit our web site at
www.exerciseetc.com

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