Fitness in the News: Disturbing Trends in Obesity Treatment

I get treating obesity like a disease, I understand why the medical community is taking this stance and I get that the educational gambits they are taking, hammering on parents and individuals to get into shape and to shed those excess pounds (they don’t even bother to call them unwanted anymore) and I get that this campaign against obesity is designed to do what the campaign against smoking did — but there’s a problem here. It’s been a few centuries since people considered big to be beautiful and obese and overweight individuals are hardly ever considered sexy. Previous campaigns against … Continue reading →

Okay, I Admit It – This Freaks Me Out

I write about fitness and health. I write about working out and losing weight. I write about motivators and tools and much, much more. I write about it because it’s interesting to me and hopefully helpful to you. I am constantly scanning the news reports for the latest trends, the latest discoveries and even the latest research studies available to help people achieve their fitness goals. So this morning, as I was scanning my news alerts and news stories – I found my jaw falling open at the latest round of scientific research that was announced by the GW Pharmaceuticals … Continue reading →

In the News: Radio Station Staff Fired

Last week I wrote about the sad story of the mother who died of water intoxication after competing in a contest at a local radio station. Today I wanted to give you an update on what’s happening with this issue as well as some facts we didn’t have last week, 10 employees of this Sacramento-area radio station were fired including the three morning disc jockeys that were involved in the on-air water-drinking contest. Currently there are no criminal charges being explored by the local sheriff’s department because it was a contest and the contestants were not coerced. However, there was … Continue reading →

Bad News: Water-Drinking Contest Results in Death

A local radio station in Sacramento, California recently held a “Hold Your Wee for a Wii” contest that challenged participants to drink as much water as they could without going to the bathroom. One of the contestants, a woman named Jennifer Strange, 28 years old and the mother of three, died after participating in the contest in order to win a Nintendo Wii for her children. The coroner listed her cause of death as water intoxication. Water Intoxication Strange complained of a bad headache to her supervisor and left work early Friday just a few hours after participating in the … Continue reading →

Children’s Fitness Tax Credit

Yesterday, the Canadian government’s new children’s fitness tax credit took effect. There are challenges to this tax credit by many who believe it will simply benefit those parents who already have their children in organized sports. In fact, some parents have started collecting signatures via an online petition to include the arts (music & art, etc.) in the tax credit. For parents who spend $500 or more on organized sports for a child under the age of 16, they will receive a fitness tax credit of $500. A second benefit for children with disabilities joins this tax credit. Arguments Against … Continue reading →

Personally, It’s About Darn Time … Milan is Barring Ultra-Skinny Models

Milan is the Italian fashion capital and if you’ve ever taken a look at the catwalk models or read the news stories about them, you may have been one of those staring in askance at those models with their sub-zero sizes and their waif like appearances. One such model, a Brazilian, died a few months ago from complications due to her severely emaciated body. She weighed just 88 pounds when she died. Well, Milan has been listening to the outrage and now they are acting on the pressure to stop presenting such an unhealthy body image to the world and … Continue reading →

Our Companies Are Starting to Sound Like Our Mothers

When I worked in the corporate arena – okay, the IT field – not so much corporate as it was still an office atmosphere, I enjoyed the fact that there was a gym on site. We could get a good workout in morning, noon and night and all you needed was your company ID to get in the door. There were a couple of televisions available to watch and three or four cardio machines (including a pair of treadmills and a pair of stationary bikes) and standard weight training stations. Now, remember, this was about six or more years ago … Continue reading →

Fitness Trend Predictions for 2007

Do you know who the ACE is? The American Council on Exercise is considered the fitness authority in America and they offer certifications for personal trainers, fitness programs and more. The Council dedicates a great deal of their research into fitness industry and more. Every year, they offer their 10 fitness predictions for the year to come. According to their research, 2007 will bring programming that offers low-cost fitness options and alternative forms of exercise for different populations from the young to the old. Among their other predictions are: Specialized fitness programs will be expanded for older adults – while … Continue reading →