SNEWS best fitness reads from around the web

What did SNEWS read that fitness industry insiders might find interesting? Read on to find out!

• We don’t know what you think, but we think the First Family is pretty fit. This Washington Post article dives into the fitness and nutrition routines of President Obama, the First Lady and their two daughters, and it looks like the Obamas keep it old-school with their fitness routine, including jumping jacks, push-up and jump rope.

• The IDEA World Fitness Convention that happened earlier this month had an increased focus on nutrition, mostly due to the fact that clients of personal trainers are asking them about food and nutrition. Perhaps some of your customers might be asking you about nutrition as well. Arm yourself by reading this article about four foods that are sold as health food, but are not, including soy and agave nectar. 

• No doubt the 2012 Olympic games are going to motivate people to get off the couch and start training for 2016. So if you, and your customers, are curious about the equipment the athletes have available to them in the Olympic Village, check out this Examiner story and photo slide show. We were particularly taken with the life-size Connect Four. Turns out it’s not just about games, but fun too! 

• Exercise is intimidating if you haven’t done it for a while and perhaps you’ve gained a few pounds. There’s a lot of reasoning with yourself as to why you shouldn’t do it, or why tomorrow is a better day to start. No doubt your customers are the same way. Check out this Pantagraph story that offers several straightforward tips on how to make time to exercise, including not overthinking it and doing something you enjoy. 

• If your customers aren’t asking for these products recently featured in this Los Angeles Times article, perhaps they might start. Check out this feature on four fitness items that put a new spin on old stuff, including the Rock 360 (MSRP $75), similar to the ab wheel but easier to use; and the Sklz Core Push-Up Instability Strength Trainer (MSRP $60).

• There’s really nothing better then getting your workout in with your family, whether it’s a game of flag football that inevitably involves mild violence or a nice class at the local elementary school. One community in Columbia, Mo., chose the latter option with its offering of Step Into Fitness program for families, held at a local elementary school. Check out this Columbia Tribune story on the subject. 

• Alzheimer’s disease currently affects about 5.4 million Americans, but according to this Diet in Review blog post, which summarizes several studies, exercise helps in the growth of new brain cells, subsequently improving memory and warding off Alzheimer’s. Don’t want to take your information from a blog post? Check out this Time article about the same subject.

• Not exercising is nearly as bad as regularly smoking, according to this Medical News Today article. The article stated that inactivity is similar to smoking tobacco in terms of causing illness. Lack of physical activity was responsible for 121,000 preventable deaths in Europe, 100,000 in the western Pacific region, 60,000 in the Americas, 59,000 in Southeast Asia, 44,000 in the eastern Mediterranean region, and 15,000 in Africa, according to the story. 

• According to this New York Times article, researchers from World Health Organization and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine recently reported that, worldwide, people’s waistlines are expanding. The worst data of all comes from the teenage group. 

• But good thing there are programs like one coming from Boston University and the city of Boston. The entities are teaming up to fight teenage obesity in a program that will last five years and begin next year. It’s to be called the Boston University Health, Fitness and Wellness Program and it will provide teenagers with access to exercise training, nutrition counseling and wellness programming, according to this Boston Herald story.

Have you read anything interesting you’d like to share with us? Maybe we’ll include it next week’s column with a little shout out to you. Send a link to the story with the subject line “SNEWS Reads” to be considered.

–Compiled by Ana Trujillo