exercise ideas

Hard to believe we are already talking year-end reviews, but here we are on the brink of a new decade. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) has released its annual top ten fitness trends, based on its annual survey of personal trainers, group fitness experts, advanced health and fitness specialists and lifestyle and weight management consultants.

Do you sit for hours vegetating in front of the television?

No doubt, T.V. is an addictive pass-time for many, and I could preach all day telling them to get to the gym--but some would take absolutely no heed!

So, let's compromise here...

How are you with multitasking?

A lot has changed since I entered this field 13 years ago. Stability balls hadn't made their way out of physiotherapy clinics, and Crossfit was men who worked out in dresses.

IDEA is one of the largest organizations of fitness professionals in the world, here is the most recent report of fitness programming and equipment trends, gathered from club managers and program directors.

Sometimes it seems like Americans get much of the blame for unhealthy lifestyles - and advocacy groups in the States are warning that adult obesity levels are still rising.

I'm based in the UK, but I'm not about to get smug! A new study here suggests that almost two-thirds of Brits don't take enough exercise.

In an effort to get their city fitter and lighter, the city of Manchester has come up with a system to get people moving and eating better. The program (called Points4Life) works like a loyalty card, whereby shoppers can redeem "exercise" and "healthy eating" points towards goods and services, including; groceries, fitness club passes and athletic gear.

Yoga has been around for thousands of years, first practiced by ancient mystics and philosophers and now by new-age hippies, fashion models and soccer moms.

Most people assume Yoga is simply a way to increase flexibility, but Yoga's health benefits extend WELL BEYOND the ability to put your foot behind your head.

Thought you had it sorted with your three cardio sessions and your regular weights training? You might be working much harder than you need to. Here's some ground-breaking new information about exercise, along with the accompanying logic...

A shy, plump boy of thirteen sets off alongside several others at the start of the four-hundred meters track. Arms and legs pumping furiously, he's fallen behind within seconds. After a hundred meters, he gives up and stumbles along, breathing hard. Someone shouts, "Who ate all the pies?" and the rest of the class snigger.

This is the second post in a four-part series on "Dieting on a budget" - tips and tricks for sticking to your healthy habits during the credit crunch. If you missed the first part, it's at Seven ways to food shop healthily on a budget.

When money is tight, it's hard to justify monthly gym fees, expensive workout gear and regular sessions with your personal trainer. You might feel resentful about spending money on exercise - why should you have to pay to do something which feels like a chore?

Keeping active doesn't have to cost much, though. Here's seven ways to slash the price of your exercise routine - and even make some extra cash!

In the ongoing science of weight regulation, one buzz-term that has garnered some recent attention is a phenomenon called "NEAT" (non-exercise activity thermogenesis). In plain English, this is the energy expended in everything we do that doesn't involve eating, sleeping and sport-related activity. This may include walking to work, typing, fidgeting, talking or performing other daily tasks such as shopping or yard work.

James Levine heads up the NEAT lab at the Mayo clinic in Minnesota.

Here are some highlights of an interview he did in the April 2008 issue of Nutrition Action Healthletter.

"Cardio is useless, a waste of time, it eats muscle, it's boring...." The majority of fat loss experts are now swinging away from long slow distance type cardio as part of a weight loss intervention and overall health.

In theory (and it would seem in practice, too), the concept of HIIT (High intensity interval training) as a superior method for blubber-burning is valid. But is the pendulum swinging too far?

If you can burn an extra three hundred calories, six days a week, that's enough to lose an extra twenty five pounds in a year. There are lots of ways to sneak in exercise without it taking any extra time out of your day.

Just find three of these ten suggestions to fit in each day, Monday-Saturday:

"The trick is not so much to keep battering kids with the same 'exercise is good' mantra, but to persuade the less physically able and those with low self-esteem that they won't make idiots of themselves in front of their peers."

Last month, The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) released its world-wide fitness trends survey for 2008 So here are the trends, with a little dissection from yours truly.

Pole dancing fitness has carved out a niche for itself in the past few years - becoming one of the hottest fitness trends. Recently, instructors have been offering classes to children as young as 11. To be fair, those offering classes vehemently maintain that there are no “adult moves” taught, and that there is no actual “pole dancing” involved. Still, many are outraged by the concept.

Here are some points to ponder;

Health experts tend to agree that to be healthy, you need to exercise. But as soon as the questions get more specific, the experts get a lot more quarrelsome. One of the biggest debates: do you really have to do vigorous, sweaty, aerobic exercise for good health?

In their recently updated Physical Activity Guidelines, the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association took on this as well as other important questions. (The quick answer? Yep, looks like for optimal health, you may have to hit the showers after your workout.)

Have you seen one of them yet?

A runner cruises by you out on the trail, on the beach, in the park, or along the roadsides carrying something unusual. What is it? It's a trash bag! Even more amazing: the runner, often without stopping, bends down and picks up trash and puts it in the bag!

What a simple but powerful idea.