September Correspondence Course Sale
Take 20 – 50% off Selected Courses!
FitBits
September 15, 2006
Exercise
ETC's Review of
Exercise Related Research
Compiled by Chris Marino, MS, CSCS
Exercise
Decreases
Abdominal Fat Cell Size
Exercise has been known to positively impact the waist-to-hip ratio when combined with a hypocaloric diet. Continued research in this area is vital because of the link between abdominal obesity and mortality from heart disease and diabetes. Researchers at Wake Forest University Medical School recently reported that diet when accompanied by aerobic-type exercise preferentially decreases abdominal adipocyte size. The researchers speculate that hormonal factors cause fat cells in the abdomen and hip areas to have different metabolic responses to diet and exercise. These hormonal factors are not completely understood.
Researchers studied 45 obese, middle-aged women who were randomly assigned to one of three groups: reduced calorie diet only; reduced calorie diet plus low intensity aerobic exercise; and a third that dieted and participated in high intensity aerobic exercise. Both exercise programs consisted of walking three times per week. Pre- and post-measurements included body composition analysis and adipose tissue biopsies in both abdominal and gluteal regions.
As expected all three groups reduced body weight and improved body fat percentage after the 20-week intervention. All three groups experienced a similar reduction in gluteal adipocyte size, whereas the women in both exercise groups reduced the size of their abdominal fat cells by approximately 18%. The diet only group did not show any change.
This study supports the importance of regular exercise independent of weight loss expectations. Regardless of whether people lose significant amounts of body weight the reduction in abdominal fat cell size might still benefit their health.
You, T. (2006) Addition of aerobic exercise to dietary weight loss preferentially reduces abdominal adipocyte size. International Journal of Obesity. 30, 1211-1216.
Sleeping
Alone
Enhances Men’s Brain Function
Quality sleep is essential for good physical and mental health. It is recommended that Americans get at least 7 hours of sleep per night to function optimally. Unfortunately, very few Americans actually achieve this, and worse, sleeping with a partner may disrupt sleep quality, at least for men. According to researchers at the University of Vienna sharing a bed negatively impacts cognitive function and increases stress hormone levels in men. On the other hand, women actually sleep more deeply when sharing a bed.
Eight unmarried, childless couples in their 20s participated in the study. Each couple spent 10 nights sleeping together and 10 apart while being assessed for rest patterns with questionnaires and wrist activity monitors. The next day the couples performed simple cognitive tests and had their stress hormone levels measured.
Although both sexes had a more disturbed night’s sleep when sharing a bed, men fared worse in the tests, and presented higher levels of stress hormones with their results suggesting they actually had more disturbed sleep. Interestingly, and in contrast to the physiological data, men reported sleeping better when sleeping with a partner and women reported that they had the best sleep when they were alone in bed.
Researchers speculate that women are pre-programmed to cope effectively with broken sleep noting life events that typically disrupt a woman’s sleep: raising children, the menstrual cycle and menopause. This would explain why women were capable of functioning at normal cognitive levels regardless of sleep quality.
The results of this study might have a greater impact on a physically active or athletic population of men. Men who train vigorously on a frequent basis require sufficient quality rest to suppress stress hormone production and facilitate muscle recovery. Without adequate sleep athletic men may be exposed to overtraining to a greater extent than non-athletic men.
Kloesch, G. et al (2006) Forum for European Neuroscience.
High
Intensity Exercise
Recommended for Children to
Reduce Cardiovascular Risk
According to researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, high intensity physical activity (PA) improved cardiovascular fitness and reduced obesity in children to a greater extent than low to moderate intensity PA.
Seven hundred eighty children ages 9 to 10 years of age were evaluated for total PA time per day via accelerometry. Intensity was measured and classified as either moderate or vigorous. Pre- and post-assessments included body composition and cardiovascular fitness, which was measured via maximal cycle ergometer test.
The results showed that a lower body fat was associated with higher amounts of vigorous PA, whereas there was no association of body fat with moderate or total PA time. Also, children who participated in greater than 40 minutes of vigorous PA per day had less body fat than those who participated in 10 to 18 minutes of vigorous PA daily. Although total PA, moderate PA and vigorous PA were all associated with higher CVF, children who engaged in greater than 40 minutes of vigorous PA had a higher CVF when compared to the other groups.
Cardiovascular fitness in childhood is positively associated with heart health and obesity later in life. Although moderate intensity and frequent physical activity of longer duration can help improve cardiovascular fitness, this study suggests that by encouraging children to participate in more vigorous activity we may experience less incidence of childhood and adult obesity in the future.
Ruiz, J. et al (2006) Relations of total physical activity and intensity to fitness and fatness in children: the European Youth Heart Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 84:299-303.
Omega-3
Fatty Acids
Help Relieve Some
Neck and Back Pain
A diet high in Omega-3 Fatty Acids (FA) has been linked to a myriad of benefits that include improved body composition, reduced risk of heart disease and cancer, and improved mental function. A recent study has revealed that Omega-3 FA may represent an alternative therapy to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in providing relief from some types of neck and back pain.
NSAIDs are often the first intervention for Americans seeking pain relief. In fact, between 5 and 10 percent of the US population uses NSAIDs regularly. Despite the proven effectiveness in treating both acute and chronic pain NSAID users commonly report side effects that range from headaches to dizziness and gastrointestinal distress. The results of this study indicate that Omega-3 FA, which are found in fish oil, may have a similar effectiveness to NSAIDs but do not cause side effects.
Researchers recruited 250 patients suffering from non-surgical neck or back pain who were using NSAIDs for pain relief. The patients were instructed to take 2,400 milligrams of Omega-3 FA supplements each day for two weeks. The maintenance dosage thereafter was 1,200 mg daily. The participants were mailed a questionnaire one month following the start of supplementation. The questionnaire was used to gather information about the participant’s level of pain, use of NSAIDs and to report side effects if any from the Omega-3 FA supplementation.
Nearly 60 percent of patients reported discontinued use of NSAIDs, 60 percent experienced an overall decrease in pain, and 80 percent claimed satisfaction with the new treatment. None of the patients in this study experienced any side effects from the Omega-3 FA supplements. It is important to note that more than 20 percent of the patients continued at the original dosage of 2,400 mg, and that the researchers did receive only 50% compliance.
Maroon JC, Bost JW. Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) as an anti-inflammatory: an alternative to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for discogenic pain. Surgical Neurology, April 2006. 65(4): 326-331.
September
Correspondence Course Sale
Take 20 – 50% off
Selected Courses!
To order, click on: www.exerciseetc.com/specials.html
Non-Traditional
Exercises for
Shoulders, Abs & Knees
Sale $49.00 -- Regular $69.00
This awesome CD-ROM will show you dozens of new and innovative exercises utilizing swiss balls, elastic tubes and the client’s own body weight. Whether your client's goal is hypertrophy, improved performance or increased function, you'll appreciate the detailed photos and descriptions of this program. (Sorry, but this CD-ROM will not work on a MacIntosh computer!)
Credits: 6.0 AAAI-ISMA; 0.6 ACE; 6.0 ACSM; 3.0 AEA; 6.0 AFPA; 6.0 AIFE; 6.0 AMFPT; 6.0 APAI; 0.3 CSCS; 6.0 IFPA; 6.0 ISSA; 6.0 NBFE; 3.0 NCSF; 6.0 NDEITA; 6.0 NESTA; 6.0 NETA; 3.0 NFPT; 6.0 NHCA; 6.0 NIHS; 0.3 NSCA-CPT; 6.0 NSPA; 6.0 SCW-EDU; 6.0 SFA; 6.0 WITS.
Low
Back Disorders
Sale $69.00 -- Regular $149.00
Stuart McGill's groundbreaking text will teach you how to make the best decisions when designing preventative or post-rehab programs for your clients. Learn how to assess your client's physical characteristics to design and implement safe and effective programs, and learn specific exercise do’s and don’ts for client who suffer from low back pain. Course includes hard cover textbook.
Credits: 9.0 AAAI-ISMA; 0.9 ACE; 9.0 ACSM; 7.0 AEA; 9.0 AFPA; 9.0 AMFPT; 14.2 BOC; 1.5 CSCS; 4.0 IFPA; 9.0 ISSA; 14.2 NATA; 4.0 NCSF; 9.0 NDEITA; 9.0 NESTA; 90.0 NETA; 7.0 NFPT; 1.5 NSCA-CPT; 9.0 NSPA; 9.0 SCW-EDU; 9.0 SFA; 9.0 WITS.
Introduction
to Elastic Tubing
Sale $15.00 – Regular $20.00
DVD Included!
Elastic tubing equipment is portable, lightweight, inexpensive and can offer your client excellent benefits. This program will teach you the most effective way to use elastic tubing for upper body, lower body and core exercises. You’ll be amazed at how many innovative uses there are for elastic tubes!
Credits: 2.0 AAAI-ISMA; 0.2 ACE; 2.0 ACSM; 2.0 AEA; 2.0 AFPA; 2.0 AIFE; 2.0 AMFPT; 2.0 APAI; 0.1 CSCS; 2.0 IFPA; 2.0 ISSA; 1.5 NCSF; 2.0 NDEITA; 2.0 NESTA; 2.0 NETA; 1.0 NFPT; 2.0 NHCA; 2.0 NSPA; 2.0 SCW-EDU; 2.0 SFA; 2.0 WITS.
Stock
Up & Save:
Inflatable Balance Discs
$20 each or 2 for $30.00
By popular request, we are repeating our sale on inflatable balance discs! These sturdy balance discs are ideal to challenge core strength and improve stability. Try them for crunches, squats or lunges, or place them on the seat of your favorite exercise machine to increase the activation of the spinal muscles. Sold nationally for up to $24.95 each, these 13” discs are shipped to you already inflated to the correct PSI. The disc has a textured side as well as a smooth side, which makes it ideal for massage therapy and post-rehab training. Limit four discs per order, please.
To
order, click on: www.exerciseetc.com/specials.html
New
at Exercise ETC:
The Virtual Classroom
On-Demand Education For the Tivo Generation
Exercise ETC is pleased to be able to offer the latest in on-line education. Now, via our Virtual Classroom program, you are able to attend on-line exam review courses and Continuing Education programs from the privacy of your home or office. If you have a computer with an Internet connection, come to our Virtual Classroom!
Our Virtual Classroom program offers these benefits:
- Real time education from the comfort of your home or office
- High speed streaming audio and video
- Real time interaction with the program instructor
- The ability to review the program as often as you like through access to our program archives.
This fall we will be offering the following courses through our Virtual Classroom Program:
- ACE Personal Trainer Exam Review Program
- CSCS Exam Preparation Program
- NSCA-CPT Exam Review Program
For details, visit our web site at: www.exerciseetc.com or call us at 1-800-244-1344.
CE’s:
2 for $2.00
Really:
2 CEC’s /CEUs for Just Two Dollars
To initiate our virtual classroom series, we are offering a special CE event on Saturday, September 23 from 12 Noon until 2 PM EST (9 AM – 11 AM PST).
Exercise ETC’s Executive Director Guy Andrews, MA, CSCS, will present a 2-hour course entitled “Exercise for Chronic Diseases: Exercise & Auto-immune Disease.” This informative talk will discuss how exercise can benefit clients who are managing chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer or HIV/AIDS. This program has been approved for 0.2 CECs through ACE, NSCA and NASM and for 2.0 CEUs through AFAA, NATA, WITS, SCW and most national certifying bodies.
As
an introductory special, this course will be offered for only $2.00
to the first 20 people who register on our web site. To do so, visit:
http://exerciseetc.com/virtual.html
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