SNEWS best fitness reads from around the web

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

• A big trend these days across multiple industries is getting back to basics. The fitness industry is no different. Body weight training is becoming all the rage and companies like TRX and others that offer suspension-training contraptions are all the rage these days. Check out this Tahoe Daily Tribune story about the history and benefits of body-weight training. 

• Sometimes pain is not gain, and sometimes resting is more beneficial to your body than going all-out for yet another workout. Check out this Post Bulletin column by Shelly Greenfield about how when your body is asking you for a rest, whether it’s because you’re excessively tired or in pain, you better give it what it wants or risk injury.

• We love retreats and after reading this ESPN story about the Muscle Milk Fitness Retreats, we want in next time it happens (media pass, please?). This two-day event featured everything from yoga to spinning to stand-up paddleboarding.

• It seems that childhood obesity has become more of a problem after many schools across the country cut their physical education programs several years ago, but more and more parents are becoming aware of the problem and wanting to fix it. Perhaps those parents are coming into your stores wanting to do something about their overweight kids. If that’s the case the Kids Fitness Blog has great resources for them.

• Our SNEWS Reads a few weeks ago included a study that said exercise didn’t really help alleviate the symptoms and effects of depression, and the medical research community that believes the opposite is firing back with a study of their own, results of which were recently published in the Journal of American Medical Association. According to this study exercise can help improve mood and motivation in patients who are suffering from heart problems.

• Many of the first-time runners who walk into your store are most likely going to want to run their first 5K sometime in the near future. Check out this Atlanta Journal-Constitution story that features advice from Personal Trainer Anthony Martinez, who offers first-time 5K runners and seasoned runners alike advice on how to spice up 5K training with some strength workouts.

• We all know lack of exercise leads to all kinds of health problems from obesity to diabetes, but what we didn’t know until we read this Futurity story, is that lack of exercise and midsection weight gain can also lead to sexual dysfunction in men. This article sites a study recently published in the British Journal of Urology International. 

• So not only can exercise keep you sexually functional, it also keeps your brain sharp, according to this ABC Brisband story. The audio clip here said people learn better and perform better at work and at school if they engage in regular exercise.

• It’s no secret that Marilyn Monroe was a beauty and not like these waif-like actresses these days who we’d like to force feed butter. After reading this article, we found out that Monroe, who passed away 50 years ago this week, was actually pretty fitness and health savvy, doing effective small workouts and eating sensibly. 

• For some of us, our iPhones are our everything – they tell us when our nephew’s birthday is coming up, they wake us up with beautiful music every morning and they play us tunes while we’re on a run in the mornings. Turns out, our iPhones can also be our personal trainer, according to this All Things Digital post. Check out the post, which highlights a few fitness apps that can help you get sculpted and toned. Share this with your customers and sell them the appropriate accessories for the tasks featured.

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