A provocative article in the New York Times back in December 2019 offers a layman’s perspective on pain that raises more questions than it answers. In brief, it posits the prevalent theory that the brain perceives some ‘sensation’ and then labels it ‘pain’ in some instances and some people but not in all. So let’sRead More
Fitness Blog
Soda Safety…Again
Not long ago, I wrote about the ongoing controversy with artificial sweeteners in the American diet and culture. An article from September 2019 in the Washington Post brings more to bear on this topic, not for the findings but for the conversation around them. First, the article addresses the results of a European study inRead More
Is Overeating/Obesity an Addiction?
When the originally-named Eating Disorders Coalition of Tennessee (EDCT) was founded in the early 2000’s by Dr. Ovidio Bermudez of Vanderbilt University (at that time; now with the Eating Recovery Center of Denver, CO), Reba Sloan, R.D., now-deceased Karen Silien, psychologist, and Nan Allison, R.D., among others, its stated mission was to create awareness andRead More
Disease, Apps and Ultimate Responsibility
I receive occasional offers from other bloggers to include or add onto my site as this sharing boosts one’s own visibility on the web. I vet them for content and redundancy – that is, if I’ve already addressed a topic – as well as readability. The latter pertains to it complexity or lack thereof. Some,Read More
Bingeing at Night: A Hormonal Habit?
A recent article in the NY Times reviewed a scientific article in the December issue of the International Journal of Obesity that reinforced what many fitness and wellness professionals suspected: that nighttime binge eating may be more than habitual; it may be hormonal. The article suggested that obese people who binge eat – not all do, one mightRead More
The Real Fake News: Processed Food Is ‘Healthy’
The fitness field is replete with pseudo-science especially regarding diet, dieting and diets. While personal trainers may have some ‘expertise’ in nutrition based largely on what they learned in their certification prep courses or at professional conferences, they also have some serious biases often based on what’s worked for them. These could be appropriate forRead More
Artificial Sweeteners: Diet or Die?
Let me state from the get-go that I am not a biochemistry guru or even a registered dietician, so any comments below regarding the safety of artificial sweeteners (AS) such as saccharin, aspartame, sucralose or their ilk comes from an angle few in my profession are willing to take. Based on a hearty defense ofRead More
An Alphabet Soup for Shoulder Health
I love reading about shoulders and working with them mainly because they’re so complex. It’s not that I really understand it all, but having attended many lectures and a few specific conferences on shoulders, I retain a fascination that probably exceeds that of most personal trainers. My ‘mentor’ on shoulders is Dr Ben Kibler ofRead More
Balanced Training: For Young and for Old
A recent article in the American Council of Exercise (ACE) on-line newsletter provides a nice synopsis of the value and merits, and techniques, of balance training as a component of overall fitness. I want to address this very current and super-crucial elements of training as I do it here at STEPS Fitness. And sometimes youRead More
Wrist a Little, But Not Too Long
An internet colleague – someone I met on line via LinkedIn who is a fantastic blogger and an occupational therapist – sent me this blog she’d written on wrist pain. It is well worth sharing here. I don’t have as much knowledge about this critical joint as I should but this article fills in soRead More