Friday, April 25, 2008

Good News for “Losers” in the Weight Loss Game

Making healthy food choices and lifestyle changes are beneficial to your health whether you lose weight or not!

According to a 2003 study done by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, simply attempting to lose weight can lengthen your life and help prevent disease. This study tracked 6,391 overweight or obese participants for 9 years. The study concluded that, "Attempted weight loss is associated with lower all-cause mortality, independent of weight change." (Edward W. Gregg, PhD, et. al.)

On the average, Americans are gaining 2 pounds each year - that’s 20 pounds of fat each decade! According to Dr. James Hill of the University of Colorado, long-term weight loss can be as basic as "cutting back on a cookie or taking three fewer bites of a fast-food hamburger" (USA TODAY, 2003). These two simple examples shave off 100 calories a day from your diet and can lead to a 10 pound weight loss in a year rather than the typical 2 pound gain.

I know what your thinking, “only ten-pounds in a year?” At first it may not sound like much, especially when the hot new “PDQ Diet” is promising ‘10 pounds in 10 days’ (I just made that up, please don’t Google it - as of this writing it does not exist!). But consider how long it took you to put the extra weight on - it takes months and years to gain weight, not days. Don’t lose sight of the point here, which is your health and your quality of life.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail." I think it is safe to say that everyone who has dieted has failed in one way or another. If you believe it is worth trying again, you win. Typically we define success as lost pounds when we get on the scale, but as we see here, this is not always the case. Making a commitment to a healthier lifestyle is a positive step on the road to improved health. Keep up the good work of making healthy food choices - someday your children and your grandchildren will be glad you did!

Friday, April 11, 2008

Defining Wellness

Today I’m writing from the heart. My purpose is not as much educational as it is inspirational, so if you choose to embark on this journey with me, I hope that you will take some time to reflect at the end of our time together.

April is my favorite month in Arizona, the weather is ideal, the sky is bright blue and the desert is bursting with color. Today is an incredible day! I’m so fortunate to be working from home because it’s just wrong to be trapped inside on such a day. I’m sitting on the back patio feeling the wind in my hair, hearing the birds sing and enjoying the vibrant colors of the spring flowers blooming in our yard. This is my own personal paradise. I feel peaceful, I feel happy, I feel alive and I feel connected to the universe. This is my vision of wellness today.

The word “wellness” is so overused in our society that I think it has lost meaning for a lot of people. When I entered the workforce after my undergrad degree I had to explain the word wellness on a regular basis, the words “health promotion” were easier for folks to grasp, so I often avoided the term wellness with those outside the profession. My, how times have changed! Although we see it, hear it and use it all the time, do we really understand what it is we are talking about when we say wellness?

Here’s a definition from my website:
Wellness can be simply stated as the opposite of illness, but it is really so much more than that. Whether we realize it or not our own personal wellness, or sometimes the lack there of, affects everything we do on a daily basis. Think about it, how productive are you when you have a cold, a headache, are hungry or haven’t slept?

Our wellness is not only affected by physical needs but also by our self image, our relationships, our environment, our careers, our ability to learn, share, grow and connect with others. Most of us take our wellness for granted until something affects it, and then we choose to take action. Remember the words of Benjamin Franklin, ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’ Wellness is a balanced approach to life.

The seven dimensions of wellness include: social, emotional spiritual, environmental, occupational, intellectual and physical. If you want a definition of each component, you can visit the AW Brooks site.

This definition works for me; I understand it and seem to have success when explaining it my audiences. But there is more to wellness than what I think. Wellness for you needs to be about what you think and how you feel both physically and emotionally. What does wellness mean for you in your own unique life at this unique moment in time? Who cares what I say, what the newspapers, magazines or infomercials say? Your voice is the one that matters. It’s all about you. There, I said it – haven’t you been longing for someone to tell you that?

In the professional world, away from the sales pitches, products and promotions wellness is often about behavior change. During the early part of my career, I wanted to help people change. Now I see things differently. Now I have a clearer mission: to inspire people to make informed decisions. Maybe you don’t need to change, don’t want to change or aren’t ready to change. Fine with me. When you do make a decision about your wellness, I hope it is your decision, based on sound information and free from commercial, media or even family bias. Free from guilt or fear. If you are feeling guilty about all of the things you “should be” doing for your health then how can you ever be well? When you’re perfect and you magically have the time and resources to do everything right? Wellness is not about perfection.

If you are in this profession, remember that wellness is not about programs, processes or policy – it’s about people. All too often we (as professionals) get too caught up in finding the ideal intervention. There are a myriad of cookie-cutter programs out there and the message is “your company can get results just like Company XYZ”. But you’re not Company XYZ, and people are not cookie dough. You can still follow industry best practice, but follow it in a way that makes sense for your people. What does wellness mean to your company? What does wellness mean to you. Perhaps the most important question. You won’t find the answer in a blog, a book or a binder so stop looking outside and start looking in. I found it years ago on a bike ride one glorious desert morning. I can see it right now in the soft petals of a cactus flower. It blooms for just a few hours, just one day - today. What a precious gift! Where will you find it?

Thursday, April 3, 2008

CBS News Casts a Dark Shadow on the Fitness World

Yesterday, the CBS Early Show aired a story called “Certified Trainers Ungoverned” which made some blanket statements questioning the validity of the entire fitness industry. The “certified” trainers responsible for the injuries reported in this piece should be questioned, but casting a shadow over the entire industry is uncalled for. Interestingly, not once did the story mention the facilities that hired these “certified” trainers. In fact, one of the trainers mentioned did not have any certification at all. Shame on the facility for not hiring qualified staff – and kudos to the many, many fitness centers, clubs, gyms and personal training studios who do hire real, certified, educated, qualified trainers and instructors.

What does certified really mean? As investigative reporter Susan Koeppen proved, anyone can get a “certification” as a personal trainer. She got one on the Internet in 45 minutes for less than $50 – scary!

When I entered the industry after completion of my undergraduate degree in health promotion/wellness, I obtained a certification from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) as a Health Fitness Instructor (HFI), a fitness degree (BA/BS) is required to sit for the test. When my professional career shifted more towards sports conditioning and I was working with more athletes, I obtained a certification from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). This certification also requires a degree. Both of these organizations require regular continuing education credits, publish professional research journals and are highly respected in the industry. There are other respected certifying bodies in the industry that also have rigorous standards for certification (and continuing education), but since I’m not a member of any other organization, I’ll stick to what I know to be true.

The word “certified” is not meaningless to me or to anyone who has worked hard to acquire and maintain this level of professionalism. I agree that the industry does need to be licensed. But even licensing does not guarantee the safety or the sanctity of the profession. Case in point, a Registered Dietitian (RD) is the only professional licensed to write a diet – but yet, the market is flooded with diet books written by people without the letters “RD” behind their name. I have seen people call themselves “nutritionist” without being an RD, DTR or even having a degree in nutrition and I think it stinks! In the CBS story, Marc Rabinoff, Ed.D., Chair of the Department of Human Performance And Sport at Metro State College said that the fitness industry is the “wild, wild west” and at the extremes, I guess he’s right. But there is something we can do!

A Call to Action! Business owners, club managers, hiring managers and anyone involved in the fitness industry – please consider industry best practice. Following the ACSM Health/Fitness Facility Standards and Guidelines is a must. Hiring degreed, certified (ACSM, NSCA or other large, known certifying agency) fitness staff is best practice, and should be the only practice. Contact your local college or university and find out what training programs and degree programs are available for would-be personal trainers in your area. In remote or rural areas, finding trainers with college degrees may not be realistic, but certified and qualified is still possible.

How to find qualified trainers. Please do your homework – don’t just hire someone because they look good or can talk a good game. Here’s a great place to look for highly qualified staff – your local YMCA or community college. In the Phoenix area, the Maricopa Community College District fitness centers are open to the public and all of the fitness instructors have a bachelor’s degree and many have a master’s in a fitness related field. I know other community colleges across the nation have similar programs. YMCA’s and community colleges are also affordable and don’t require long-term contracts. As far as clubs and gyms are concerned, find out if they are a member of the International Health and Racquet Sportsclub Association (IHRSA). IHRSA’s mission is to grow, protect and promote the health and fitness industry. If the club is not an IHRSA member, ask if they follow the ACSM facility guidelines – if the answer is no, walk out the door and don’t go back.