SNEWS best fitness reads from around the web

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

• While kettlebells have been increasingly popular in the past five years, some might not know that they got their start in Russia as a counterweight for farming equipment, according to this Las Vegas Informer story. Check it out to see what other trends are recycled.

• Most of us have an employee assistance program to help when we’re having tough emotional times, but how many companies have a program where employees can go to a fitness coach for their health? We know of one after reading this Statesman article: Real estate giant Keller Williams. Check out the story for more information.

• We know you have everything you need to advise your female customers who are training for a marathon, but do you know how to suggest your female customers train for childbirth? Kudos to you if you do, but if you don’t, check out this Australian story, which discusses how women are training for one of the toughest physical feats they’ll ever encounter. Forget 26.2 stickers; It’s time for a simple “Mother” bumper sticker.

• Be prepared readers, December is prime time for “Best of 2012” stories and slideshows. Here’s another from Shape Magazine that gives us “The Top 10 Fitness Trends of 2012.” One of them is stand-up paddleboard yoga, which combines the new trend of stand-up paddleboarding with the evergreen yoga for fit folks. Others include obstacle courses, training with gadgets and running with running clubs.

• We’ve all heard it, perhaps even preach it: Get 30 minutes of moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise a day. But what does “moderate intensity” mean? Seattle Times Columnist Kelly Turner explains it for you, so you can explain it to your customers. Moderate intensity actually involves a scientific formula. Check out the story to see what it is.

• We know a lot of you deal in light commercial sales, and hopefully the folks you outfit are not doing what one club in New Jersey did to 62-year-old Tom Kuhn. He signed a contract that did not reflect what the health club sales associate told him he was purchasing. He was overbilled and then ignored by the club. Now that’s just bad business. Check out this Star-Ledger Business story.

• You may have heard that aerobic exercise results in a higher decline of blood glucose than resistance training for people with type 1 diabetes. But it turns out, according to this Doctor’s Lounge story, resistance training actually offers prolonged glycemic control. Your customers with type 1 diabetes can benefit from both.

• A lot of companies offering fitness and health products are getting love on gift-giving lists like the one we mentioned in the last read. SNEWS favorites, the self-massager Moji 360 and the Octane Q35 or Q37ci elliptical trainers, both got some recognition in this Courier-Journal story.

• Yeah, we learned this the hard way after popping a few ibuprofen before a half marathon a few years ago: Painkillers before exercise are bad for the stomach. This WebMD story goes through the specifics of just why this practice, which is common among fitness and exercise buffs to ward off anticipated pain, is bad. The article also explores a number of natural alternatives to painkillers, including Red Bali kratom.
• This is the time of year when newbie exercisers are starting their new healthy lifestyle, and perhaps their loved ones are coming to you looking for products. If you’re at a loss for recommendations, check out this She Knows post about the top gifts for exercise newbies. Ideas include the ACE FitKit by Spri and the GoFit Weighted Jump Rope.

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