When people think about exercise, they naturally think about the heart. Whether you are weight training, playing sports, or engaging in aerobic exercise (i.e., running, swimming, cycling), your heart gets a workout. According to numerous studies, exercise and physical activity can not only prevent disease, it may even reverse the effects of various conditions, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. To better explain the relationship between … [Read more...]
Exercise and Depression
Exercise has long been recognized for effectively helping people shed pounds, get stronger, get more physically fit, and prevent chronic diseases (i.e., cardiovascular disease, diabetes). In short ... it's a "wonder drug". Exercise has also been proven to be an effective treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression. Unfortunately, previous studies had not provided a clear indication of exactly how much exercise a patient needs … [Read more...]
Exercise and Diabetes
November is not only the month where the "turkey madness" begins (with US Thanksgiving and December's holidays feasts), it's also National Diabetes Month (in the US and Canada). According to the International Diabetes Foundation, 371 million people worldwide live with diabetes. In fact, diabetes affects an estimated 20.8 million Americans (about 6.2 million are undiagnosed and therefore unaware that they have the disease), with an estimated 1.5 million Americans … [Read more...]
A Brief History of Fitness
Human beings have been engaging in physical activities throughout history to stay healthy and fit (whether they realized it or not), but the history of fitness didn't really begin until the 1970s. Prior to 1970, blue-collar workers held the majority of jobs in America. For this working class, manual labor was a normal part of everyday life. Pushing, pulling, lifting, carrying, running and a wide variety of physical tasks were part of a typical workday. Exercising … [Read more...]
CrossFit and the Rhabdomyolysis Controversy
CrossFit is a popular fitness trend popping up in both neighborhood gyms and trendy metropolitan locations across the country (and around the world). Since its launch in 2000, CrossFit programming is now used in over 7,000 affiliate locations around the world. Along with its rising popularity is the concern for an increased incidence of a condition called "rhabdomyolysis", muscle damage and potential acute kidney failure due to extreme exercise. CrossFit programs … [Read more...]
Core Essentials – Core Stability
CORE Essentials from TodaysFitnessTrainer The "core" is a hot topic among fitness enthusiasts, sports performance advocates, and medical professionals treating low back pain. Core stability and core strength are terms that are often used interchangeably when speaking about strengthening and training the muscles of the torso/trunk. The two terms are, in fact, quite different is their meaning. Training for core stability requires resisting motion at the … [Read more...]
Bodyweight Training for Muscle Growth – The Basics
Bodyweight training is an amazing mode of exercise for promoting total body conditioning (i.e. strength, endurance, flexibility, balance, and coordination). Unfortunately, if building muscle mass and size is important to you, this mode of training is not the fastest or easiest way to accomplish your goal. Regardless, it can be done and requires very specific focus and attention to training technique and a good understanding of the body to get maximum results. The … [Read more...]
Muscle Performance and Calcium
When people think about improving their muscle performance through diet and nutrition (whether they are working out at the gym or playing a competitive sport), protein powders, protein shakes, and amino acid supplements typically come to mind. Unfortunately, increasing amino acids in the diet is just like "putting the cart before the horse." Building a bigger, stronger, or faster muscle is useless if the muscle won't contract effectively (or at all). The one … [Read more...]
Understanding Planes and Axes of Movement
Understanding Planes & Axes of Movement from TodaysFitnessTrainer "Understanding Planes & Axes of Movement" (the SlideShare presentation) is the newest addition to the "Understanding Exercise" series. This is the much anticipated follow up to "Understanding Exercise - Planes, Axes and Movement" (posted in 2012). These movement concepts are difficult to learn and understand without the right visual tools. This presentation better demonstrates these … [Read more...]
The Evolution of Modern Fitness (version 2.0)
Evolution of Modern Fitness (version 2.0) from TodaysFitnessTrainer In 2012, TodaysFitnessTrainer.com released the "Evolution of Modern Fitness (as portrayed by the media)" with amazing feedback from readers and fans. In the next installment to the series, we have updated the list to include some celebrities and milestones that didn't make the original list (2012). The Evolution of Modern Fitness (version 2.0) 1938 - Superman “Faster than a speeding … [Read more...]