From high-intensity interval training to fitness for the elderly–the world trends for 2014

The American College of Sports Medicine recently conducted the eighth annual survey for 2014 worldwide fitness trends, which was completed by 3,815 fitness professionals from just about every continent.

Such fitness trend results vary every year based on the experience of fitness professionals.

Here are the top results, plus tips on how you can safely try out these hot exercise trends.



1. High-intensity interval training (HIIT)

You’ve been hearing so much about HIIT this year because recent studies have been released about the benefits of interval training.

Among these are improved cardiovascular fitness and calorie-burning capacity in less time and with fewer equipment.

This program includes short bursts of high-intensity workouts to increase your heart rate, like running as fast as you can, followed by a short period of rest like jogging.

The program typically lasts  30 minutes or less; doing a HIIT for more than 30 minutes might be too much.

According to one of my fittest clients, Melissa Aboitiz-Elizalde, who has been trying HIIT for almost two months now, HIIT is really challenging, but doable if completed in less than 30 minutes.

It is still best to supplement it with once- to twice-a-week formal weight training.

When doing HIIT in any form (exercise videos, running or gym workout), it is best to get the guidance of a fitness professional.

2. Bodyweight training

This type of training has been significantly attracting exercise buffs because it is low-cost, doable and requires very minimal equipment. You just use your body as the resistance or as the machine to complete a workout routine.

The very popular bodyweight exercise such as pushup, pull-up, squat and core floor exercises can be done anytime, anywhere to target your major muscle groups.

For exercise variety and more challenging workout, you can use body leverage training tools you can buy in fitness and sports stores or you can order online.

You can work out at home, in the gym or in specialized exercise studios offering suspension training.

Studios offer barre-type classes as another form of bodyweight training.

3. Educated, certified and experienced fitness professionals

Clients are now getting the services of an inspiring and genuine fitness professional who can potentially play a significant role in their behavior and major lifestyle change—after considering their fitness certifications, education and experience.

4. Strength training


Majority of exercise buffs still make time to incorporate resistance or strength training in their fitness routine with or without supervision, because of the known and proven benefits of it, such as injury prevention, weight control by improving metabolism, weight loss, and improved functional/sports performance.

Strength training can be in the form of bodyweight training, use of strength machines  you can see in commercial gyms, small equipment like resistance bands, kettlebell, medicine ball and stability ball.

Strength training is popular not only among regular exercise buffs or athletes but also among the sedentary, the injured, the elderly and younger people.

5. Exercise and weight loss

Nowadays, professionals offer a combination of exercise and diet programs to their clients to make weight loss more effective. Fitness centers have personal trainers and nutritionists to ensure balance in a client’s weight-loss program.

Most fitness professionals worldwide are also learning more about nutrition and behavior change to address the alarming problem of obesity. Weight-loss apps like My Fitness Pal are now more popular than they were years ago.

6. Personal training

Thirteen years ago, when I was just starting to be a personal trainer, we were only four trainers  in a major fitness club. Now the club has 26 personal trainers.

There’s a personal trainer for a beginner or a super fit triathlete, to match his or her needs, goals and personality.

7. Fitness programs for older adults

This shows that more and more older adults (frail elderly to athletic old) are becoming more aware about the importance of improving health and fitness through regular exercise, especially with the guidance of a qualified fitness professional.

People will do whatever they can to act, feel and look young again and one of the most natural ways to delay aging is to exercise regularly and eat healthy.

Older adults, the retirees, have more time and money  they can spend to be at their best, and it’s never too late to do it.

8. Functional fitness

Functional fitness can be improved by doing exercises to improve one’s balance, strength, endurance, coordination and power to be able to effectively perform daily activities.

Most fitness professionals specialize in this training and they use fitness equipment to improve their client’s functional fitness like Bosu, medicine ball, suspension training equipment and bands.

9. Group personal training

In 2009, during a fitness summit in the US, the small group training was launched. Fitness professionals were finding ways to encourage clients to continue and spend on fitness training even during recession, so they were promoting small group training. This catered to two to four clients in an exercise session, using small equipment like bands, TRX, fitness balls, rollers.

Now, small group training is a hit because it is more affordable, fun and we can see this in small but specialized fitness studios offering interval training or HIIT, circuit training, suspension training, Pilates, yoga and even dance.

10. Yoga

Yoga comes in different forms such as Ashtanga, Sivananda, Iyengar, Bikram, Vinyasa and even fusion type of yoga. Most people nowadays attend yoga classes to help them control their weight, to improve full-body strength, balance, flexibility, core strength and control.

Here are other fitness trends:

11. Children and exercise for the treatment/prevention of obesity

12. Worksite health promotion

13. Core training

14. Outdoor activities

15. Circuit training

16. Outcome measurements

17. Wellness coaching

18. Sport-specific training

19. Worker incentive programs

20. Boot camp

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Why chia seeds are today’s ‘it’ food

Runners believe it makes them go the extra mile, bodybuilders swear it helps them build more muscle mass. Heck, even ancient Aztec warriors are believed to have sustained their energy with just a tablespoon of this exotic seed.

If you’ve been working out in the gym recently, chances are you’ve heard about the mighty chia seeds. But are chia seeds really the superfood many claim them to be, or is their sudden rise to popularity a mere product of clever marketing?

The fitness industry took interest in chia seeds when American author and journalist Christopher McDougall wrote about it in his 2009 New York Times Bestseller book “Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Ever Seen.”

In the book, McDougall documented the Tarahumara tribe in Mexico, who ran ultra marathons (typically a distance of more than 100 km) at incredible speeds with minimal or no injuries at all.

The tribe’s choice of energy drink? A “home-brewed Red Bull,” wrote McDougall, called chia fresca, made of chia seeds mixed in water with sugar and lime. A tablespoon of chia, McDougall wrote, “is like a smoothie made from salmon, spinach and human growth hormone.”

Wrote the author, “If you had to pick just one desert island food, you couldn’t do much better than chia, at least if you were interested in building muscle, lowering cholesterol and reducing your risk of heart disease; after a few months on the chia diet you could probably swim home.”

Bolder

Shy Sison Vesagas, a tax lawyer and mother of one boy, first heard about chia from her triathlon teammates. Curious, she tried the seeds December 2012 and noticed that, since taking the seeds, she doesn’t get cramps anymore while running. She said long runs, anything over 15 km, always gave her cramps. She also noted she has been running faster and longer, and even her skin got clearer (she’s also a smoker).

A vegetarian for 19 years, Vesagas said she adds a tablespoon of chia seeds to her coffee three times a day. Chia, when added to water, turns into a gelatinous, chewy substance. “I feel bolder now, more confident, since I don’t get cramps anymore,” she said.

Chia, or Salvia hispanica, is a member of the mint family from Mexico and South America. Eaten raw or added to dishes, chia seeds do pack a lot of bang for the buck. Their Omega-3 fatty acids are much higher than salmon, they’re a good source for complete protein, have more fiber than flax seed, and contain a wealth of antioxidants and minerals.

International Krav Maga Federation instructor Abe Tolentino began taking chia seeds over a year ago when he read about their anti-inflammatory properties. As an instructor, he said, his joints took a beating. He makes green smoothies or puddings with chia seeds. He admits, though, that he is not really sure if the chia seeds have been beneficial so far.

“I have no clinical studies to show that they make a difference. I’m generally a healthy person. For my raw vegan friends, though, it’s the highest source of Omega-3 from a non-animal source,” Tolentino said. His diet consist of 50-70 percent raw veggies per day.

There are also claims that consumption of chia seeds promotes weight loss because it curbs the appetite, balances blood sugar levels, and lowers cholesterol and trigylcerides and blood pressure. Registered nutritionist, dietitian and weight-management consultant Pam Joyce Laiz, however, cautions the public to remain skeptical of any product whose claims have yet to be extensively studied by science.

“While it is true that chia seeds contain so many nutrients in just one small serving, claims of their benefits are not proven and need more scientific studies. These are all testimonials. There is, in fact, no such thing as ‘superfood.’ That’s a term coined by marketing people. You cannot get complete nutrition eating chia seeds alone,” Laiz said.

She said Vesagas’ cramp-free running, for instance, may be attributed to the fact that chia seeds are high in potassium and are extremely hydrophilic. Meaning, they hold water well and retain the electrolytes. For endurance athletes, this is good news, Laiz said. But unless you’re athletic, she said it is best to stick to just one tablespoon or less of chia seeds a day.

Chia seeds are high in fiber, so that consumption of more than a tablespoon a day can cause bloating and constipation. She said that is generally not a problem for active people such as athletes and fitness buffs, who tend to consume a lot of water every day.

Healthy metabolism

The Omega-3 fatty acids in chia seeds, as in most plant sources, are also short-chain, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), not the long-chain eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) found in fatty fish like salmon. So don’t take chia seeds expecting the benefits of fish oils. The body, however, converts ALA into EPA and DHA, albeit in really low doses.

Although it is not known if both short- and long-chain acids are equally beneficial, especially since EPA and DHA seem to be the popular choice for Omega-3, adding both into your diet, said Laiz, is, in fact, beneficial to the body.

“ALA promotes integrity of cells in the colon. That means a healthy metabolism and digestion. One is not necessarily superior over the other. What’s important is, you get the benefits of both short- and long-chain acids,” Laiz said.

Excess consumption of Omega-3, she said, could cause the blood pressure to dip extremely low, dilate the blood, and malabsorption of other nutrients. Laiz said the daily recommended intake of Omega-3 is only 300-500 mg per day, although it is still safe to go up to 3 grams per day (3,000 mg). Chia seeds, she added, contains around 2,250 mg per tablespoon. (A tablespoon has 68 calories.)

Since chia seeds are a complete source of dietary protein, packed with all the essential amino acids, muscle wasting, a concern mostly by bodybuilders and those wanting to build muscles, will be minimized. Muscle wasting happens when proteins break down faster than they are replaced. Amino accids, such as those contained in chia seeds, are the body’s building blocks.

Chia seeds, however, do not act like diet pills. Laiz said because digestion is slowed down, it can give you the feeling of fullness. But this feeling, also caused by its high fiber and protein content, does not necessarily curb the appetite. If you want to lose weight, the most sensible thing to do is to cut your calories and start moving.

Since the transit time in the gastrointestinal tract is slow, the conversion of carbs to sugar is also slower, so that may stabilize blood sugar, she said. Since it lowers the blood pressure, it may also be beneficial to hypertensive people.

But before running to your nearest health store, Laiz said chia seeds interact with drugs. If you’re taking medications for, say, diabetes, hypertension or cholesterol, consult with your doctors first. She added that heart patients must also seek their doctor’s advice before adding chia seeds into their diet.

Laiz’s conclusion? Chia seeds are a good source of nutrition—loaded with high nutritional values than most food sources in such a tiny serving—but they do not provide you with everything you need. A well-balanced intake of nutrients is still recommended.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net