Aging happens over time, and with it comes many changes to the mind and body. I know it sounds tautological and mundanely simplistic, but science is still investigating what and why things deteriorate as we age. While most of age-related research is on diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, etc, the one that mayRead More
resistance training
REAL News June 2018
June 2018 All You Ever Wanted to Know About Planks but Were Afraid to Ask A brief history of spine pain and therapy takes us through the 1950s when the abdominal curl/crunch was highly recommended by Drs. Kraus and Williams to help those with mechanical low back pain. Then in the 1970s, McKenzie came upRead More
Pump You UP: The HIIT Weight Training Method
Seems there’s no end in sight of research studies and lay articles on HIIT – high intensity interval training. Ever since the new century unfolded, nothing this explosive – other than 9/11, non-existent WMDs, the Great Recession, and Trump’s election – has made such an intrusion into the daily lives of so many. For thoseRead More
Do Strong Arms Make for Strong Brains?
A recent study out of the UK has demonstrated a relationship – NOT a causal one but a correlated one – between strong arms, as measured by grip strength, and a healthy brain. So I’m typing this with one hand at a time while doing curls with the other. Or, perhaps, I should relax andRead More
REAL News March 2018
March 2018 Potty Talk: FODMAPs & Athletic GI Distress Gastrointestinal distress is relatively common in endurance athletes: 30% – 50% report it. As blood is shunted from the gut to the working muscles during intense training, “acute enterocyte injury, increased intestinal permeability and altered motility” can cause bloating, diarrhea, pain and flatulence. So canRead More
New Study Shows Older Folks Need More Protein + Strength Training
In the past 15 years or so, much research has been done on the topic of nutrition and resistance training – what to eat, how much to eat, and when to eat…or supplement. Most of these studies have looked at young male athletes, leaving out a large segment of the population – women, the elderlyRead More
The Greatest, Bigliest Exercise Ever
Weight loss and weight management are major bugaboos for the fitness/wellness world, not because they’re not useful draws and marketing ideas but because they’re so very hard to do, like breaking up. As I’ve posted so many times before, the science of weight loss is still very much in the air with really only oneRead More
Part 2: Sane Weight Loss: The 2/3 Diet
In Part 1 of this two part series, I discussed the two articles on dieting and my experience speaking with professionals who help those with eating disorders resume/restore a healthy/healthier relationship with food…and exercise. I wrote about how difficult it is to lose weight for those who are overweight, and how challenging it is for eatingRead More
Five Senior Inspirational Leaders to Help You Go the Extra Mile
Welcome to STEPS Fitness’s first ever guest contributor on this blog. Sally Phillips, a freelance writer, has offered to share her writings with me to share the personal stories that motivate and inspire others. I usually dispense the science. It’s nice to sometimes hear from real people who make real changes. Many seniors submit toRead More
What’s the Best Workout for Boomers? Any Workout is Best
A NYT article last week posited the power of interval training to alter the mitochondrial genes in the elderly – aaargh, those over 64; that is, MY age – versus in younger exercisers. With an attention-grabbing title – The Best Exercise for Aging Muscles- the respected author, Gretchen Reynolds dug deep into salesmanship/saleswomanship/salespersonship to grabRead More