Fitness Reads: Secrets for Super Bowl bodies; plus pregnant CrossFitting back in spotlight

What did the SNEWS team read this week that other industry insiders might find interesting? Read on to find out!

• Turns out the brain’s structure is not fixed by the time we’re adults. It can be altered by things like exercise and inactivity. This New York Times blog post reports that in a study of rats, the neurons of the brains in the active ones were functioning normally, whereas the neurons in the brains of sedentary rats were overactive, a factor that contributes to heart disease.

• We — and our brains — don’t have to fall victim to all that inactivity. Denver’s beloved 5280 Magazine recently published this story on how employers should go above and beyond the duty of providing voluntary wellness programs and revamp the office space so that employees move periodically throughout the day. Suggestions include adding exercise ball chairs, standing desks, chin-up bars and inversion tables.

• Of course the fitness industry is getting more technologically savvy, which is why it had such a big presence at the International CES show that took place at the beginning of the month. Club Industry’s Pam Kufahl was on the scene to report on all the coolest products she saw while in Vegas, including Precor’s Preva networked fitness software and Technogym’s Google glass-controlled treadmill. The latter allows users to interact with the product using Google glasses. That is some Jetsons stuff right there.

• The year has just started and many industry insiders predict this is going to be a big year for fitness. According to this PT Power post, some of the top trends in consumer behavior include the popularity of eating clean, working out harder in shorter periods of time and the rise in personal trainers creating products of their own.

• There’s a reason working out harder in shorter periods is gaining steam. According to this story, it’s because it works. Workouts that incorporate bursts of high intensity help muscles grow and metabolic rates speed up to burn more calories.

• Embracing our inner nerd while practicing yoga just got easier now that there are Dungeons and Dragons yoga classes offered. Apparently the first class was so crowded some folks couldn’t even get a mat, this story reported. The teacher led yogis through yoga poses while offering a narrative about swashbuckling through a forest.

• I’m pretty sure there’s not one person out there who doesn’t love to laugh. So if you’re in need of one today, check out this BroScienceLife video that discusses what your gym gear says about you. This hilarious meathead goes through everything from what wrist guards to lifting gloves say about your personality. While you’re on YouTube, peruse anything from Jenna Marbles. She will make you cry laughing.

• Medications are expensive. It gets pricey for your employers to give you sick days. One free remedy is exercise, according to this ABC News story. There are some medical maladies that exercise works on better than others. They include anxiety, ADHD, sleep problems and asthma, among others.

• CrossFitting while pregnant is back in the spotlight again. Before the holiday season, one pregnant CrossFitter got some flack for a picture she released of her dead lifting some heavy weight with a very pregnant belly. In this Sun Times story, experts weight in. Doctors quoted don’t seem “comfortable” with the idea of CrossFit workouts while women are expecting, but did say it’s up to a woman’s individual doctor to make the call.

• With our beloved Broncos headed to the Super Bowl in a few days, you might be wondering how their uber-gorgeous cheerleaders keep up their fitness routines to get ready for the big game. Or am I the only one? Well, in case I’m not, there’s this story, which reveals three cheerleaders’ diet and exercise routines, which include everything from boxing to yoga.

Did you read anything awesome this week? Email us because we want to read it too!