The Future of Fitness in 2010 and Beyond
What is going on all you fitness crazed braus and sisters? I do hope you are well…It is December and it is time for my annual fitness year in review.Sadly, it seems that the fitness industry at large has not made any great inroads into providing a short term, long term or any term solution to our country’s large scale obesity epidemic that is not just a national crisis (oh yeah, it is a CRISIS on a freakin’ GRAND SCALE) but, a world wide catastrophy (Alright, officially a pandemic).SCARY STUFF, MAN… SCARY, SCARY STUFF!The sickening fact that our country has become through both poor nutrition (NOTE-no thanks to some real crap and far too long perpetuated information from the mainstream) and a lack of REAL EFFECTIVE exercise, (NOTE-i.e. GARDENING, even if it is ALL OUT, REDLINE, HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL WEED PULLING AND LAWN MOWING does not qualify as exercise…) not only more fat, more lethargic and more sick and getting sicker; we have succeeded in passing down to our youth a new disease called TYPE II Juvenile Diabetes. Now, this is just straight up NUTTS!Man, things have gotten’ screwed up big time! And, now we have to make things right. So, what I am going to do is provide some real positive upside strategies that, for lack of a better term, will be the fitness ‘trends’ of 2010. These ideas will help both our youth and adult populations find what maybe better solutions to acquire better health and well being.What is done is done. Now, it’s time to get this country back to being the STRONG & FIT nation we deserve to be!Sound good to you?…Cool! Here we go…2010-The year we will finally get our fit together and GET. FIT. DONE.Fitness Trend #1- Fitness Boot Camps Will Take Over One-On-One Personal TrainingHey, after this two year long recession who can afford a $60 one-on-one personal training session anymore? Answer=Very few.Well, with problems comes solutions. And, the emergence of the fitness boot camp has provided the solution to the personal training problem. Boot camps are the HOTTEST thing going on in the fitness world right now! The boot camp model provides the ultimate win-win for both trainers and clients making one-on-one training virtually obsolete. Fitness trainers are better able to leverage their time because they can provide their service to larger groups and maximize profits. Fitness clients (boot camp members) are better able to access personal training services in a unique and dynamic team environment that provides great motivation, energy, social support & accountability for only a third or less of the cost of the average personal training session.If you are looking to lose weight, look GREAT and feel better in 2010, do yourself a favor… save some of your hard earned $ and simply get better results by joining a local fitness boot camp.This will be the best decision you will make ALL year!Fitness Trend #2- Interval Training Will Give an UNDISPUTED Beating To Long, Boring Aerobics Workouts… A BEATING!Why is High Intensity Interval Training gaining rapid popularity? Because it freakin’ works…BIG TIME!It crushes endurance type training because endurance training (lasting 30-60 minutes or more)focuses on volume of training. Here is a typical example: Your average runner will pound the pavement for the same amount of miles, at the same pace, over and over, day after day, week after week, month after month…beating down their bodies and getting less than exciting results from that investment of time and energy. They are burning off weight by wasting away muscle and destroying their metabolism at the same time. This method sounds like a poor ROI for someone who really wants incredible, long lasting results from their exercise program.Now, bring in the power of HIIT. High Intensity Interval Training focuses on a much more substantial variable for productive exercise; and that is quality or intensity of training. HIIT works similar to resistance training in that it stimulates the body’s systems to maintain and even gain lean tissue. And gaining muscle is the key to a ‘fat rippin’, look better, feel better, BE BETTER METABOLISM!Hey, did you know that fat burns in muscle? More Muscle…Faster Metabolism!Put in yet another way-Unless you want to LOOK like the top 30 minute finishers at any marathon race, it is probably not a good idea to train like one!If you want science behind this idea just look at these two landmark studies-The Tabata Study and The Gibala Study2010 is the year you will “Ripp It Up” with ALL-OUT-EFFORT type of HIIT work, and you will look better naked for it!Fitness Trend #3- If We Want Improved Health, Performance and A Killer Body Then…We need to get rid of those unnecessary sugars in our diets!This is not some kind of trendy, fad type of rhetoric. If anyone still thinks a high carb, low-fat diet works then they probably have not recognized the obvious devastation that this type of diet has caused.Here is a very short list:- 2/3 of our population is Overweight/Obese.-Diabetes up 400% since the food pyramid of 1986 (Recommends lots of grainsand cereals, and low fat)-A new disease…Juvenile Onset Diabetes (another name for Type II Diabetes)-Cancer diagnosis have gone through the roof! Highest rates in history.Hey, what does a tumor FEED on? SUGAR! Hmm…-Cardio Vascular Disease (High carb diets stimulates the liver to drench thethe circulation with triglycerides and LDL’s)-High Carb diets cause and support Metabolic Syndrome-A recent John Hopkins University Study has changed the way doctors will treat certain cancer patients. By eliminating carbohydrates in cancer patients’ diets, oncologists have found it unnecessary to treat many types of tumors with toxic doses of chemo as well as radiation to shrink or, entirely eliminate the presence of these tumors.Great books to read and establish a sound understanding of how our bodies REALLY respond to the foods we eat are:’The New Diet Revolution’ by Dr. Robert Atkins, M.D.’The TNT Diet’ by Jeff Volek, PhD RD.’Protein Power’ by Dr.Michael R. and Dr.Mary Dan Eades, M.D.’s'The Paleo Diet’ by Loren Cordain, PhDKNOWLEDGE IS POWER! READ!Fitness Trend #4- Fitness Boot Camps For Kids? Yeah, Why Not!Lets face it many of our school districts have limited or eliminated gym class based on budgetary or other B.S. reasons. The reasons are not that important as the fact that now we have a real issue of addressing the fitness of our youth outside the school setting. (Unless the kids are involved in sports at their school). No worries though, because of Youth Coach Brian Grasso and his International Youth Conditioning Association, there is now a growing trend of youth specific exercise programming in fitness facilities throughout the world. The IYCA has developed incredibly effective programming that is relevant to age groups ranging from 6-9, 10-12, 13-15 & 16-18. The programming takes into consideration the neural development of pre and pubescent kids so they can learn and adapt movement and exercise in appropriate developmental patterns. A real important fact with youth and exercise is this: Kids that are exposed to fun and effective exercise early on tend to continue with a healthy and fitness oriented lifestyle for LIFE!To learn more please go to International Youth and Conditioning AssociationFitness Trend # 5- Fitness Anywhere & The TRX Will Rule The Fitness RoostMan, I started using the TRX four years ago. When I was throwing the straps on top of the cable machine at our local health club, everyone was looking at me like I had 3 heads on my shoulders.Well, four years later I have to say “if you are not using the TRX, you are the odd man out!”Hey, If you have a chance to use THE MOST PROGRESSIVE & VALUABLE EXERCISE TOOLthe fitness industry has seen in years, JUST DO IT!You may never go back to “machines” again. http://www.fitnessanywhere.com/Alright those are my Top 5 fitness trends for the next year.Now, I want to close this up by asking- “If I were to give you some real easy tips to follow (well, maybe not so easy in practice) for the ultimate, one-two belly fat burning punch for that kick ass New Year… New Body You…Would YOU Follow Them?”a.Change your mindset about foodEat Lean, hormone and antibiotic free meats;cage-free eggs;wild caught fish(salmon); raw veggies(e.g.BIG ASS SALADS); moderate amounts of locally grown and/or organic fruits; raw nuts and seeds; WATER…WATER…WATER;low-sugar whey protein powder (post workout); and ‘Goof Off’ now and then. (Read TNT Diet by Jeff Volek)…Look for my book. It will be available soon!b. Find a local ‘KICK ASS TRX USING FITNESS BOOT CAMP’ and ENLIST!c. Eliminate stress from your life as much as you can. Control whatever you can, and the rest well, is not up to you anyway, so just chill.Follow these a b c’s and YOU WILL HAVE THE YEAR OF YOUR LIFE! I PROMISE!It’s 2010 Baby! Time to ‘Ripp It Up’ and GET. FIT. DONE.You WILL Have an AWESOME Year!