SNEWS best fitness reads from around the web

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

• We’ve heard a lot about functional training, but perhaps those buzz words aren’t as meaningful to your customers. Check out this Patriot Ledger story that explains what functional training is and how to maximize it.

• No wonder more doctors are recommending their patients start an exercise regimen. Turns out exercise is more effective at preventing deaths than taking lipid-lowering medicine. Check out this story in the Telegraph about how exercise is cheaper and more effective than taking drugs to lower lipids. The ticket to optimal mortality seems to be a combination of the two, the article says.

• This is the time of year when colds are starting to debilitate us and interrupt our everyday lives. While we know to call in sick so we don’t spread our germs, questions remain as to whether we should engage in our regular workouts. Check out this Cedar Rapids, Iowa ABC affiliate story that offers tips on whether you should exercise with a cold.

• Life Fitness recently announced the launch of its new “Green to Go” certification program, which rewards facilities for purchasing energy-efficient cardio products. The products do such things as using the person’s energy output to power the equipment’s attached television screens. Facilities that participate are able to get certification to prove their green commitment.

• Alabama is focused on getting kids fit. The state has established its own physical fitness test that’s a bit more rigorous than the President’s Challenge Fitness Test, and some schools have decided to increase physical education classes to 45 minutes — more than the state-mandated 30 minutes — because officials say PE classes often mark the only exercise children get all day. Check out this Associated Press story.

• The SNEWS team loves hearing about fitness trends, future or past. Check out this Kansas City Star story that recaps the 12 best fitness trends of 2012. Among the top trends is trail running, Cross Fit, zombie runs, an emphasis on fitness for kids (let’s hope this is not a trend, rather a movement) and barre classes.

• Do some of your customers have a super-fit friend of whom they’re secretly jealous? Encourage them to exercise with them rather than turning green with envy. According to this story in the Atlantic, exercising with somebody who is in better shape than you are can make you better at whatever exercise you’re doing.

• We’re not all as rich as celebrities who hire personal assistants, trainers and nutritionists to keep them on track. Lucky for us mere mortals, the Basis fitness gadget will help us when we’re veering off the healthy path. Check out this PC Magazine story about how the product works. Though the product was supposed to launch in early 2012, it’s coming to market now, retailing for $199.

• When you do the right things for the wrong reasons, often it doesn’t last. This U.S. News story discusses how when people exercise to look good, their weight loss efforts often are derailed because they are not motivated for the right reasons. The article goes on to discuss the most motivating reasons to exercise, including doing so because it makes you feel good, makes you smarter and makes you more confident.

• Chances are you get some folks coming through your doors to shop for friends and family members who are looking to get fit in the new year. Check out this gift guide published in the Seattle Times and see which of these gift ideas you carry in your stores.

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