Staying on top of Health & Fitness

I might think I know a lot about exercise, fitness, health and nutrition but how to stay abreast of all that's happening.

Much of what I learn I share as I go along through my Google Reader File.

To be realistic staying up-to-date with everything is probably an unrealistic dream because there is just so much new information every day.

However I do read a lot - books, magazines, newspapers and on-line - and it's never enough !

What would I recommend that other Personal trainers read ?In this post I'm just going to cover magazines and what arrives through RSS.

I'm qualified as a Personal Trainer with The American College of Sports Medicine [ACSM] and they have an excellent quarterly magazine aimed at Personal Trainers called ACSM's Certified News.

It's very health oriented. For instance the most recent issue - July-Sept 2008 concentrates on Men's Health Issues. It includes coverage of Osteoporosis in Men (this is usually thought of as an exclusively female issue but not so). The issue also had an extensive article on Power Training in Older Adults.

The ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal is also excellent.

It's aimed at quite a wide medical audience but is still very relevant to a Personal Trainer. The most recent September-October journal covers the latest trends in cardiovascular rehabilitation. Very interesting if your are serious about helping people get back to their life after a very threatening heart 'incident'.

I have an Advanced Health & Fitness Specialist certification with the American Council on Exercise [ACE].

ACE's magazine for Personal Trainers - ACE Certified News - is also very informative. The September-October 2008 issue has "How to attract more men to Group Fitness" as the lead article. It also has an article on Exercise-induced Bronchospasm.

ACE also has a regular Fitness Matters magazine. The September-October 2008 issue leads with Boot Camps - what are the fitness benefits.

A couple of years ago I wrote a small book on Exercise-induced Asthma and this had a section on identifying whether one has Exercise-induced Asthma or it's close cousin Exercise-induced Bronchospasm. This article reminded me that I really should up date my book to cover both these issues.

I also belong to an excellent organization known as IDEA Health & Fitness which publishes the IDEA Fitness Journal twelve times a year.

The October 2008 issue has a very relevant article with the title "A Second Chance at Health" which shows how it's possible to reverse coronary artery disease with the correct exercise program.

Included with IDEA Health & Fitness is a smaller magazine called IDEA Trainer Success. This is somewhat more oriented to the business aspects of Personal Training. This month there was along and useful article about " Strategies for retaining clients and achieving long-term success."

Every couple of months OnFitness arrives. I've mentioned this magazine before. It's not a professional magazine but it's always interesting and provocative. Also I've never seen it advertised. OnFitness is trying to grow based purely on word of mouth recommendations.

Once a month PFP lands in the mailbox. This is very business oriented with the goal of "Helping you proper as a fitness professional." However the current issue October 2008 has articles on Combating Youth Obesity and Pilates, Yoga for Athletes and Working with the Obese. All relevant for me.

I'm not certified with the National Strength and Conditioning Association [NSCA] but I do read every issue of the NSCA's Performance Training Journal. This arrives via the internet and every issue is printed, carefully read and filed. The most recent issue August-September had a really simple idea to both improve balance and reduce ankle injuries.The simple idea ? Stand on one leg on a pillow for 5 minutes (then switch and balance on the other leg - for a total training time of 10 minutes). In the High School football players who tried this there was a 77% reduction in ankle sprains. The same issue has an article about "Applying Suspension Training to Football" which reminded me that I needed to investigate how to incorporate Suspension Training into my own and my client's workouts. All of this information and the NSCA's Performance Training Journal is FREE.

Peak Performance is a contrast in many ways and in particular because I have to pay for it but it's worth it. This monthly publication is internet only and is really aimed at top level athletes and their professional coaches. I find that it stimulates ideas relevant to my clients.

I use Google Reader to bring to me information of all exercise and fitness information of all kinds. You can look at what I'm reading because my Google Reader file is public.

Examples of items I think interesting and relevant:

• How to Diagnose a Shoulder Injury (Video Guide)
• Whole Wheat Goodness
• Sneaking in Calcium: Healthy Bones for the Dairy Averse