Walk Jane’s Talk for Friday, December 23, 2011

Those New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, get in shape and clean up your diet are not hopeless. Here are the latest and greatest trends to help you be the best you can be.

The American College of Sports Medicine predicts in 2012 that these trends will not only help you get in shape, have fun and stay in shape, but do it safely and with the most precision. You don’t want to waste time or money in the gym or do things that aren’t effective for you.

The first trend is that more people will hire educated and experienced fitness professionals who are certified by accredited national bodies. This is because working with a fitness professional will save you time, money and injury.

The professional trainer must be certified by an agency that insists on practical examinations as well as written exams. They are not just “book smart” but can teach you in a sensitive, motivating, non- intimidating way, enabling you to understand why and what you need to do for yourself.

Also, only a certified fitness professional will be able to carry liability insurance. I recommend the National Academy of Sports Medicine as the best certifying agency in the country. I have been certified by them since 1990, and they remain the top in the field. Ask any prospective trainer who they are certified with and how long their training was. It is also best if they have a degree in physical education.

People use trainers for their technical knowledge, as well as the motivation and support that they give. Work with someone who you like and who likes you. It is a relationship. A way to reduce the cost of using a personal trainer is to team up with a friend or your spouse and share the workout.

The second trend is a move toward strength training for everyone. Strength training increases muscle mass to elevate your metabolism so you burn more calories every day. It enhances your balance and your body shape. Everyone, all ages and both genders should have some component of strength/resistance training in their workout. Strength training should be practiced at least twice a week.

As baby boomers age, they want to stay in shape and remain active. Senior fitness classes specifically designed for older adults will rise in popularity, as well as seniors working with personal trainers. The focus for boomers is on strength training, flexibility, balance, core strength, bone and muscle building, fun and social activity.

For older people, a focus in the New Year will be toward functional fitness, which is fitness that makes everyday chores easier because you work the same muscles and do the same type of motions as in your daily life. This helps you remain independent and able to “age in place” rather than facing moving in with the kids or going to a nursing home. This training will be increasingly important as more boomers think about their later years. It is also important for anyone with chronic disabilities or who has a partner who is frail and needs physical assistance.

The national boards acknowledge that we have a weight crisis on our hands and it needs to be addressed by mature people and our children.

The obesity rate is soaring and along with it the incidence of diabetes, heart and vascular diseases and other obesity-related diseases that shorten lives and reduce the quality of lives. Overweight children are subject to bullying at school and exclusion from social events.

Adults are scorned and also suffer social isolation and lack of support because of obesity. Working with special classes or with a trained professional to reduce caloric intake, improve diet quality and increase calorie burning through a comprehensive exercise program is the fastest and most strategic way of reducing body weight and improving overall health and self esteem.

Core training is essential to any effective training program. Pilates is a form of exercise that is core based, but any workout needs to have some abdominal exercises to be complete. Core training not only improves your physique. It also improves overall strength, protects the back and improves your posture and balance.

Finally, another trend that will continue is dance-based workouts that are great for the aerobic system and to lose weight. Zumba and other dance based workouts are fun and social once you get the hang of the moves, you’ll be center stage before you know it. Just don’t forget the other components of fitness. All my very best for a healthy new you!