Work it Out!

Confession: I kind of blew off exercise for a couple weeks around the holidays. I just got so busy between work and gift shopping and holiday parties and excuses, excuses, blah blah blah...I know, I know. I did what I warned others NOT to do and I neglected my physical fitness. Anyway, I'm paying for it now. Determined to shave off that five extra pounds gained over Christmas, I went back to the gym this week...and, well, I've been hobbling around the past two days, thanks to my sore, aching muscles.
Speaking of fitness, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) recently announced the top fitness trends for 2010 based on a survey of personal trainers, group fitness experts, advanced health and fitness specialists and lifestyle and weight management consultants. These findings conclude that consumers will be looking to arrange their fitness regimens with time and money in mind this year. Tighter budgets and hectic schedules will also bring unique and efficient workouts to the forefront of the fitness world.
Here are some of the highlights of the full list:

* Cost-Conscious Workouts. The impact of the economy continues to affect the choices of fitness enthusiasts and health clubs alike. Gyms will alter programming and training to better serve the needs of the cost-conscious member, while in-home workouts utilizing small, portable fitness equipment will be popular among individuals watching their budgets.
* Group Training. Individuals will scale back on personal training sessions to take advantage of small-group training and group class participation as another way to save on expenses. Health clubs may alter some programs to better suit the needs of larger groups. Likewise, individuals may find that the group setting offers additional motivation and support of their fitness efforts.
* Time-Efficient Workouts. Shorter yet higher-intensity workouts will be more appealing to those with busy schedules because they can reap significant fitness rewards with relatively minimal time investment. Boot-camp style workouts will continue to be one of the most popular of these trends in 2010, offering the ability to burn a sufficiently large number of calories while simultaneously improving muscular fitness. Circuit training will also be a time-efficient workout of choice due to its combined strength and endurance activities.
* Exergaming. Exergames will continue to climb in popularity and be taken to the next level: fitness clubs. By integrating fitness-based video games into their programming, clubs will offer unique exercise sessions for game-lovers and those looking for variety within their workouts. Studies conducted by ACE on exergaming-type systems, including Nintendo's Wii Sports and Wii Fit and the PC-based Dancetown, offer insight into the benefits associated with these alternative fitness options.
* Specialty Exercise Classes. Specialty classes such as ethnic dance, hooping, pole dancing and Zumba will remain popular. Fusion-type classes will be popular among fitness enthusiasts that want to switch up their typical workout programs. Additionally, more gyms will offer unique group exercise programs and mind-body activities.
* Fitness Training Tools. Technology is continuing to infiltrate the fitness world. The use of tracking and online training and scheduling tools will increase in the coming year with more people looking to better gauge their progress by accessing and monitoring details of their fitness programs. Some popular examples of tracking gadgets include GoWear fit and Fitbit, while online tools such as TrainingPeaks software offer fitness programs and meal plans that people can access 24-7. Mobile applications are even bringing fitness on-the-go through iPhone applications and other downloadable programming.

Interesting, huh? Especially the part about how technology is impacting the exercise world.

On a different note, here is a clip of the dearly departed, forever awesome Teddy Pendergrass. RIP.

Save the ta-tas!

Okay, apparently it's time to add my two cents to the political firestorm surrounding the mammogram issue. Unless you've been living under a rock the past week, you've heard about the U.S. Preventive Task Force's recommendation that women in their 40s forgo annual mammograms unless they have certain risk factors, like genetic mutations that make them more susceptible to breast cancer. The task force also said self-exams are useless and recommended women over 50 get mammograms every other year instead of annually.

And what was the basis of their decision? Apparently, a review of clinical data showed that annual mammograms have only reduced the risk of breast cancer death by 15 percent. At the same time, the panel of doctors and scientists concluded that such early and frequent screenings often lead to false alarms and unneeded biopsies, without substantially improving women's odds of survival.
"Harms of screening include psychological harms, additional medical visits, imaging, and biopsies in women without cancer, inconvenience due to false-positive screening results, harms of unnecessary treatment, and radiation exposure," the panel said.
Of course, it's important to note that these new guidelines are influential but not binding. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, for example, emphasized that the task force does not not set federal policy or determine what services are covered by the federal government.

"My message to women is simple. Mammograms have always been an important life-saving tool in the fight against breast cancer and they still are today," said Sebelius. "Keep doing what you have been doing for years - talk to your doctor about your individual history, ask questions and make the decision that is right for you."
All I have to say is, I understand that many women have had to go through painful, and often costly, procedures only to discover a "false positive." But having lost friends and loved ones to breast cancer, isn't the anxiety worth the possibility that it could result in an early breast cancer diagnosis for someone else?

So please, please, PLEASE ladies...listen to the American Cancer Society and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, both of which still recommend routine annual mammograms starting at age 40. I just hope that the nation's insurance companies don't use the panel's recommendations as a reason to stop paying for mammograms.

Alright, my rant is finished and I'm climbing off the soapbox. By the way, I'll be working on some recipes this weekend in preparation for Thanksgiving...so I promise to post some yummy, low calorie recipes and menu ideas next week before the big day.