THE PREVALENCE OF OBESITY IN AMERICA HAS SKYROCKETED 300% OVER LESS THAN 30 YEARS AND THIS TREND DOES NOT SEEM TO BE SLOWING. WE DIDN’T ALWAYS HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT OUR WEIGHT BUT THIS IS NO LONGER OUR REALITY AS THERE IS AN INCREASED AVAILABILITY OF CHEAP AND CONVENIENT HIGHLY PROCESSED FOODS AND INCREASED EXERTION IS NO LONGER REQUIRED TO SURVIVE. A HEALTHY WEIGHT CAN NO LONGER BE LEFT TO OUR BIOLOGY BUT REQUIRES A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO EAT LESS AND TO BE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE. SO, BLAME HUMAN INGENUITY AND RESILIENCE FOR OBESITY, BUT WE HAVE EFFECTIVELY USED THESE SAME TRAITS TO BEGIN TO WORK OUR WAY OUT OF THIS QUAGMIRE.

TOOLS TO COMBAT OBESITY HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED AND MORE ARE ON THERE WAY. FROM BEHAVIORAL AND MINDFULNESS THERAPIES TO ADDRESS OUR AMBIVALENCE TOWARDS FOOD AND EXERCISE TO MEDICATIONS THAT SUPPRESS OUR APPETITE AND MAKE US FEEL LESS HUNGRY. AND LET US NOT FORGET ABOUT THE NUCLEAR BOMB OF WEIGHT LOSS – BARIATRIC SURGERY. THERE IS NO TOOL OR WEAPON STRONGER THAN THIS ONE WHEN IT COMES TO HELPING A PERSON ACHIEVE AND MAINTAIN A HEALTHIER WEIGHT.

THE FOUNDATION OF WEIGHT LOSS REMAINS PERMANENT BEHAVIOR CHANGE SURROUNDING WHAT YOU EAT AND WHAT YOU DO. PRESCRIPTION WEIGHT LOSS MEDICATION OR WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY WORK TO AUGMENT WEIGHT LOSS. WHEN IT COMES TO RECENT INNOVATION IN WEIGHT LOSS IT CAN BE ARGUED THAT MEDICATIONS HAVE BEEN THE MOST IMPORTANT. THE OLDEST PRESCRIPTION WEIGHT LOSS MEDICATION IS PHENTERMINE, AN APPETITE SUPPRESSANT, WHICH WAS APPROVED IN 1959. THE MOST RECENTLY APPROVED IS SEMAGLUTIDE, WHICH WAS APPROVED FOR WEIGHT LOSS IN 2021. SEMAGLUTIDE MARKED A NEW BEGINNING IN WEIGHT LOSS TREATMENT AND THE WIDESPREAD IDEA THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO REACH A HEALTHIER WEIGHT IF YOU ARE OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE. THE POPULARITY OF THIS MEDICATION HAS LED TO SIGNIFICANT SHORTAGES WHICH HAS SPARKED THE PRODUCTION OF COMPOUNDED OR CUSTOM VERSIONS OF THIS MEDICATION. COMPOUNDED MEDICATIONS ARE NOT NEW AND ARE USED BY DOCTORS’ AND VETERINARY OFFICES, AS WELL AS, HOSPITALS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

SEMAGLUTIDE WORKS BY TRIGGERING A SENSE OF FULLNESS AND SLOWS THE RELEASE OF FOOD FROM THE STOMACH. WHEN COMBINED WITH HEALTHY EATING AND EXERCISE, ONCE WEEKLY INJECTIONS OF SEMAGLUTIDE CAUSES WEIGHT LOSS. WEIGHT LOSS DRUGS LIKE SEMAGLUTIDE MAY BE APPROPRIATE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH A BODY MASS INDEX OF 27 OR GREATER WITH AN OBESITY-RELATED HEALTH ISSUE OR A BMI OF 30 OR GREATER WITHOUT ONE. COMMERCIAL SEMAGLUTIDE IS EXPENSIVE, IN SHORT SUPPLY, AND IS OFTEN NOT COVERED BY HEALTH INSURANCE. THIS IS WHY COMPOUNDED SEMAGLUTIDE HAS BECOME A POPULAR ALTERNATIVE.

DESPITE BEING A TRANSFORMATIONAL WEIGHT LOSS THERAPY, SEMAGLUTIDE IS LIKELY JUST THE BEGINNING OF A NEW WAVE OF MEDICATIONS THAT TARGET THE RECEPTORS THAT AFFECT HUNGER AND SATIETY. A LITTLE BROTHER TIRZEPATIDE HAS BEEN AROUND FOR A FEW YEARS AS A DIABETES TREATMENT AND IS EXPECTED TO BE APPROVED FOR WEIGHT LOSS IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THIS MEDICINE DOESN’T JUST ACT UPON GLP-1 RECEPTORS, BUT ALSO GIP (GASTRIC INHIBITORY POLYPEPTIDE) RECEPTORS THAT FURTHER TRIGGERS THE SENSE OF FULLNESS AND MAY INCREASE THE ACTIVITY OF FAT BURNING ENZYMES. AND GUESS WHAT? THERE ARE EVEN MORE POTENT WEIGHT LOSS MEDICATIONS THAT TARGET EVEN MORE HORMONE RECEPTORS THAT ARE BEING INVESTIGATED. 

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WHAT IF I TOLD YOU THAT OBESITY WAS EVOLUTIONARY PERFECTION? THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH THE EVOLUTION STARTED NO LONGER EXIST.THE THRIFTY AND DRIFTY GENE HYPOTHESES HAVE BEEN MENTIONED AND GIVES US INSIGHT INTO OUR BIOLOGY AND HOW IT HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC THAT EXISTS TODAY. IN THIS EPISODE WE LOOK CLOSER AT THE THRIFTY GENE HYPOTHESIS AND HOW OUR BIOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO WEIGHT GAIN IN WHAT MAY BE CLASSIFIED AS AN ORIGIN STORY OF OUR OBESITY EPIDEMIC.

THE PREVALENCE OF OBESITY IN AMERICA HAS SKYROCKETED AND MAY BE DUE TO AS LITTLE AS A 100 CALORIE DAILY POSITIVE ENERGY BALANCE. WE DIDN’T ALWAYS HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT OBESITY AS OUR BODIES DEVELOPED TO WORK BEST IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE HIGH LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ARE NECESSARY AND ONE IN WHICH FOOD IS NOT CONSISTENTLY AVAILABLE. OBESITY LIKELY BEGAN TO BE MORE PREVALENT WITH THE ADVENT OF AGRICULTURE ABOUT 12,000 YEARS AGO WHICH LED TO THE FIRST FOOD SURPLUSES AND SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE. FOOD SHORTAGE AND THE NEED TO EXPEND LOTS OF ENERGY WAS REPLACED EXCESS FOOD AND NO NEED FOR HIGH LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.

THESE ARE THE MAIN DRIVERS OF OUR OBESITY EPIDEMIC TODAY – INCREASED AVAILABILITY OF CHEAP AND CONVENIENT HIGHLY PROCESSED FOODS AND INCREASED EXERTION IS NO LONGER REQUIRED TO SURVIVE. PROCESSED FOODS HAVE THEIR OWN ORIGIN STORY AS WELL THAT WAS DRIVEN BY WAR AND DEVELOPING TIME-INSENSITIVE FOODS TO FEED MILLIONS OF SOLDIERS. LEADERS FROM THE MILITARY AND CIVILIAN FOOD MARKETS WORKED CLOSELY TOGETHER TO DEVELOP AND PERFECT PROCESSED FOOD.

THE ENVIRONMENT THAT WE NOW LIVE IN IS FACILITATING OBESITY AS WELL. UNFORTUNATELY, WITH PROCESSED FOODS AND WIDESPREAD ADOPTION OF MULTIPLE TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS WE HAVE SUCCEEDED IN MAKING IT MUCH EASIER TO OVEREAT AND UNDER-EXERCISE. A HEALTHY WEIGHT CAN NO LONGER BE LEFT TO OUR BIOLOGY BUT REQUIRES COGNITIVE EFFORT TO EAT LESS AND TO BE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE. SO, THE ORIGIN OF OUR OBESITY EPIDEMIC IS OUR BIOLOGY WHICH IS NO LONGER ABLE TO OPPOSE CALORIC EXCESS ON ITS OWN, AND OUR ENVIRONMENT AND ONLY OUR ENVIRONMENT CAN BE CHANGED IN THE NEAR TERM. WE DIVIDE OUR ENVIRONMENT INTO OUR FOOD ENVIRONMENT AND OUR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ENVIRONMENT AND THEY BOTH MUST BE RECOGNIZED AND ADDRESSED TO MOVE CLOSER TOWARDS SOLVING OUR OBESITY CRISIS.

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Episode 17: Mindful eating: developing a healthier relationship with your food by consciously paying attention to when you eat, what you eat, how much you eat, and when you have had enough.

In this episode we discuss mindful eating and how we can use this technique to develop a healthier relationship with our food and drink and reduce the incidence of excess caloric intake. In our previous episode we discussed mindfulness and its utility in reducing stress, depression, anger, anxiety, and self-doubt. Mindfulness teaches us to show kindness to ourselves and be present and in the moment. Mindfulness has its roots in meditation and yoga.

Why is there a need for mindful eating? There is a plethora of unhealthy food choices in particular choices that are high in sugar, fat, and calories. Misleading marketing and labeling about foods being low in fat or reduced calories does not tell the complete story and plays upon our general lack of understanding about healthy eating and maintaining a healthy weight. We eat the foods that taste the best and are often led to believe that they may be a healthy choice while the whole time lacking understanding of our true energy needs, which foods are actually good choices, and the amount of food we should be enjoying. This inattentive or mindless eating contributes to caloric excess and obesity.

The byproducts of mindless eating are weight gain and weight regain that are in part due to binge eating, stress eating, eating in response to environmental cues such as television commercials about food, and eating in response to food cravings. The tenets of mindful eating work to prevent or lessen all of the above and reduce the likelihood of weight gain. Tenets include eating only when hungry, paying attention to the quantity and quality of food consumed, eating slowly and chewing thoroughly, and stopping eating when satisfied.

Mindful eating helps you gain control over eating habits, reduce binge eating, and promote weight loss. It implores you to discern if you are hungry before eating, pay attention to what you eat, how much you each, and how much you are satisfied. The true intent of mindful eating is not to reduce weight although it is often the case, especially if you’re overweight or obese. The net effect of eating mindfully is a reduction in the calories you consume on a daily basis.

Eating mindfully requires us to experience our food more intensely and being present and unencumbered when we eat. It requires us to take small bites, chew our food thoroughly, eat slowly, and stop eating when satisfied. Without behavior change like mindful eating healthy eating is useless and cannot be sustained. 

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Mindset is the attitude you hold or how you feel about something or someone and is key to everything you will set out to do from waking up in the morning and getting your day started right to giving the biggest presentation of your career to a group of colleagues. It is a major component of stress and the only one we exercise a degree of control over as it determines the value we place on the events in our lives that can result in stress.

Imagine waking up in the morning in a bad mood which results in you being short tempered with everyone in your home and this carries over to work. Everyone is affected by your poor mindset with resulting negative effects on their day. Your child goes on to school to score poorly on an important test, your spouse is unfocused at work worrying about the health of your relationship, and your team’s efficiency drops because they are all upset with you. How could this situation have played out a lot differently and everyone end up in a stronger position? Mindfulness may be the answer.

Scientific literature defines mindfulness as a form of present-moment attention and awareness. It is understood to be open, nonjudgmental, friendly, curious, accepting, compassionate, and kind. It is a much more general approach than meditation and is a lot more informal allowing mindfulness to be exercised while performing even daily mundane tasks such as washing the dishes or brushing your teeth. To understand what mindfulness is, you must first understand that your prevailing experience is mindless and that your are sleepwalking through much of your daily lives caught in a wild barrage of thoughts and worries.

Mindfulness involves developing the skill of bringing your attention back to whatever is happening in the present moment and not on your thoughts or worries which can manifest as stress, negative thinking, anger, and self-doubt. Most of us are very hard on ourselves and our internal voice is very critical and hard to please. If you are unforgiving to yourself how likely is it you are also hard on other people? Mindfulness shows you that you have an innate capacity for kindness, you just need to create the right conditions. Practice showing kindness to yourself by focusing on activities that nourish and build you up not deplete or break you down.

The objective of mindfulness is to bring your attention back to whatever is happening in the present moment and not on your thoughts or worries. This is often achieved by selecting a focus, or something that grounds you in the present, and maintaining your attention on this focus to remain in the present and not on your thoughts and worries. One of the most common mindful practices begins with your focus on your breath or breathing. When you bring your awareness to your breathing you are in the present or in the here and now. When you find yourself worrying or focused on negative thoughts or self-talk you can use your breath as an anchor or a place to return your awareness to again and again. You can also practice being mindful while brushing your teeth, washing the dishes or even walking. 

There are health and wellness benefits, and a small possibility of drawbacks, derived from practicing mindfulness. Scientific research has shown benefits in coping with disease and pain, mental health, greater self-awareness, greater acceptance of emotions, and increased empathy. Mindfulness can bring about challenging and difficult experiences as a person explores and makes himself more aware of the problems and experiences that may burden him. 

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Episode 15: What is Preventing Me from Accomplishing My Life and Wellness Goals?

In this episode we discuss goal setting and goal accomplishment. The New Year is rapidly approaching, and people will begin the annual ritual of pledging to be better versions of themselves. This focus on self-improvement is focused particularly on improving health and increasing wealth. Despite annual promises to do better the rate of obesity continues to climb and the savings rate has increased by less than half a percent over the last 10 years.   

Why is our rate of goal achievement so abysmal? It is obviously multifactorial, but a major contributor is adversity. Once adversity shows up, and it can take many forms, may people think this is reason enough to give up. Adversity drains you of physical and mental energy and giving up when the road gets tough has become almost second nature. “Calm seas have never made a good sailor.” Think about this statement and realize it’s adversity that has propelled many ordinary people to extraordinary positions in life. 

What’s even more shocking is that close to 80% of people never set personal goals, and of the 20% of those who set goals only 30% of them are successful at achieving them. Various roadblocks get in the way of goal achievement including setting general instead of specific goals, your personal values do not support the goal, you do not think it’s important to set goals, you do not believe you can accomplish the goal, or you are not ready to set goals. Having a solid support system in place increases your confidence for setting goals.

So, why do people who set goals go on to fail in terms of achieving them. Change is a difficult process and often results in stress and resistance to change. Increased resistance is one reason so goals should not be forced upon a person and you should not try to tell someone how to go about accomplishing his or her goals. Vague and nonspecific goals are often not accomplished because they cannot be confirmed, and no time frame is set. A person’s social and cultural influences can have negative effects on her ability to take the necessary steps towards goal accomplishment.

There are pervasive characteristics present in those who are successful at accomplishing the goals they set. These people set specific goals that are within their realm of capability or support their strengths. They also have a deep desire or reason to accomplish their goals and have a track record of success. They understand the need to change and embrace the change process.

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This is the second episode of a two-episode series where we discuss Covid-19, aka the coronavirus, a very sensitive political issue in society today. Political and religious issues can result in some very strong and contrasting opinions. My intent in this episode is not to be confrontational, but to provide facts and consensus opinions regarding this terrible disease to help you better understand it and to better protect yourself and your families. 

In our first episode we worked to develop the basic understanding required to approach issues surrounding Covid-19 in a responsible manner. What you now know is that Covid-19 is a type of coronavirus that was traced to bats. You now know that coronavirus is spread by respiratory droplets either through the air or on surfaces. You now know that there a two basic types of tests used to detect coronavirus: antigen tests that are used to detect current infection with the virus and antibody tests that detect if a person has been previously infected. You now know the Centers for Disease Control recommends a symptom-based strategy be used in cases of mild to moderate Covid-19 infections to determine when a person with confirmed infection can end their isolation. You now know there are several steps you can take to protect yourself and family from Covid-19 that include self-isolation, social distancing, not sharing personal items, wearing a cloth covering or face mask that cover your mouth and nose when around others, and hand and surface washing.

There still are misconceptions about the dangers the coronavirus poses to our health and wellbeing. Mortality rate is the number of people who die divided by the total number of people infected. The Covid-19 mortality rate in the US is 3.5% which is 35 to 58 times higher than the mortality rate for the flu virus. SARS and Ebola viruses had a much higher mortality rate than Covid-19 that was 11% and 39.5% respectively.

There is no medical treatment that cures or vaccine that prevents Covid-19 infections, but there is ongoing research. The most important step in treatment of this virus is prevention. Mild to moderate infections are treated with self-isolation and over-the-counter pain relievers and fever reducers. You should seek medical attention immediately if you experience worsening symptoms. There are treatments available for people with severe infections that improve their likelihood of survival that include remdesivir an antiviral treatment developed to treat Ebola, dexamethasone a steroid, and convalescent plasma that contains antibodies for people previously infected with coronavirus.

There are controversial issues coronavirus and two of the most pressing ones are school re-openings and facial coverings. Parents are being faced with tough decisions as they decide whether or not to send their children back to in-person schooling. Science has proved that closed schools affect children negatively including socially, emotionally, behaviorally, and academically. Low income, minority, and disable students suffer disproportionately when in-person educational options are not available as they do not have the capacity to facilitate distance learning and are more dependent upon school resources like lunches and after school programs. The available scientific evidence reveals that in-person schooling, with appropriate mitigation measures, is in the best interest of students. Mitigation measures include decreased class sizes, limiting student and staff mixing, and using cohorts, alternating, or hybrid schedules.

There has been controversy surrounding mask wearing and prevention of Covid-19 spread. Science and medicine have proved that exemptions that justify not wearing masks are almost nonexistent. If you have a breathing issue so severe that you can’t wear a mask, t

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This is the first episode of a two-episode series where we discuss Covid-19, aka the coronavirus, a very sensitive political issue in society today. Political and religious issues can result in some very strong and contrasting opinions. My intent in this episode is not to be confrontational, but to provide facts and consensus opinions regarding this terrible disease to help you better understand it and to better protect yourself and your families. We will start with the fundamentals or the basics about this virus. 

Covid-19 is a virus that originated in bats and is spread through respiratory droplets. The virus originated in China where bats infected other animals that were sold in live animal markets ultimately infecting people. This virus rapidly spread around the globe and has now infected over 5 million Americans. 

Diseases are spread many ways and as mentioned Covid-19 is spread through respiratory droplets. These droplets can spread through the air from a cough, sneeze, or simply talking. It can also spread when an infected person’s respiratory droplets land on surfaces and someone comes by later and touches the unclean surface and then touches their mouth, eyes, or nose without washing their hands in-between.

There are two types of tests for Covid-19. The first and most common type of test is antigen or diagnostic tests that are recommended to detect current infection. Test samples are collected from the respiratory system using nasal swabs. The 2nd type of test can detect if a person has been infected in the past and looks for their response to the virus, or antibodies that have been produced which can take 1 to 3 weeks. A blood sample is used to test for Covid-19 antibodies.

The antigen tests are most important as they detect current infection, but they are not perfect. These tests detect actual Covid-19 genetic material so if you test positive then you almost assuredly infected. Up to 3% of tests from certain manufacturers can come back positive in a person who does not actually have coronavirus. This is called a false positive. A false negative test can occur when a person tests negative for coronavirus, but actually has the infection. This is caused by samples collected too early or too late in the infection, or from improperly collected samples.

A symptom-based strategy is used to determine when a person with confirmed infection can end their isolation and return to usual activities. 3 criterial must be met to achieve clearance: 1. At least 10 days must have passed since symptoms first appeared, 2. At least 24 hours must have passed since the last fever without the use of fever reducing medications, and 3. Symptoms must have improved. The symptom-based criteria for severe, critically ill, or immunocompromised patients are the same with the exception that at least 20 days must have passed since symptoms first appeared.

Steps must be taken to protect yourself and family from Covid-19. First of all if you have symptoms consistent with infection self-isolate and seek medical assistance if your symptoms worsen. Protective measures include social distancing, not sharing personal items that could come into contact with saliva, wearing a cloth covering or mask that covers your mouth and nose in public places, regular hand and surface washing, and avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.

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In this episode we discuss the relationship between health and wealth, or in other words how having wealth will make you better off not only in terms of your standard of living, and how poor health will cost you a lot of money. 10% of all the people that work receive 90% of the wages and hold more than 75% of all the wealth in the United States. Wealthy people can expect to live longer, and happier lives and the opposite is true with lower income earners having a higher likelihood of suffering prematurely from disease and death. The factors that contribute to this disparity are inadequate access to medical care, higher rates of behavioral risk factors like smoking and obesity, less access to fresh food and spaces to exercise, and overcrowding living conditions with more susceptibility to disease.

There is no absolute requirement that you be rich to have good health. I view good health largely as the result of your decisions, your actions, and your adherence to the good health and wellness principles you have developed over a long period of time such as exercising and eating healthy, building stress resilience, and avoiding tobacco use and obesity. Being wealthy just makes it more likely you will be inclined to do these things.  Believe it or not medical expenses are the number one cause of bankruptcy in the US and the majority of people who filed had some type of health insurance. This means that health insurance is not enough to cover you financially in the case of significant health disaster. This has not changed even after the Affordable Care Act was signed into law. 

So, being wealthy makes it more likely you will have good health and being financially challenged increases your likelihood of poor health. I’m sure you’re wondering by now whether good health will increase your likelihood of being wealthy? Not exactly, but your chances will be improved as poor health will certainly cost you money. The lifetime savings you can expect to recoup by going from an obese to a healthy weight is estimated to be $36,000 and this is extremely conservative. These savings are due to the higher cost of health insurance (up to twice as much) and more time being spent in the doctor’s office and hospital instead of at work. It is unfortunate and unfair but obese people also earn lower salaries and workplace promotions are fewer. Smoking can cost you a whole lot more money than obesity costing tobacco users an average of $1.1 million over their lifetimes and close to double if you live in a state with high tobacco taxes. Did you know a pack of cigarettes costs more than $13 in New York state? This loss of money is a result of the dollars spent on tobacco products, increased healthcare costs, and lost income.

Our country spends more on healthcare than any other country in the world, so our healthcare maladies are not due to an overwhelming lack of concern. Unfortunately, our quality of care and outcomes, meaning how well patients do, lag behind countries who spend much less on healthcare. The Affordable Care Act, or ObamaCare, is our most recent attempt to reign in healthcare costs while simultaneously improving quality and outcomes. This is accomplished by emphasizing more on preventive care and prevention of disease. You are affected directly by the country’s increased healthcare spending as you are paying more of the share. This comes in the form of higher insurance premiums, increased out-of-pocket maximums, increased co-pays, and increased cost of your prescription medications. These increased costs are not accompanied by improved outcomes or quality.

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In this episode we discuss some of the most popular exercise programs available today. There are so many options which can cause quite a bit of confusion when you are starting a new exercise program. Many of us can remember many of the fitness crazes of the 80’s, 90’s, and 2000’s like Jazzercise, Tae Bo, and aerobics. Many of them are still quite popular and new ones have been developed. 

Most exercise programs will generally fall under 1 of 3 types:

1.    Group exercise programs where you exercise with others in groups of as few as 5 or 6 to as many as 30 or 40.

2.    Personal exercise programs where you exercise alone. You can also choose to exercise with a personal trainer allowing you to just show up and exercise.

3.    Virtual exercise programs where you exercise with the assistance of technology such as remote video connection, smart phone apps, and connected fitness that pairs exercise equipment and virtual programs for a group exercise-like experience.

With so many exercise programs available it can be difficult trying to find one that fits your tastes and abilities. Frustration can mount or injuries can occur causing you to abandon your exercise endeavors. 

There are many group fitness programs that vary in intensity from easy to very difficult. The 2 most important perks of a group fitness class are you can just show up and exercise and you meet people who are just like you that builds camaraderie. The most common types of group exercise programs include the following:

1.    Spin 

2.    HIIT or high intensity interval training 

3.    Zumba 

4.    Orange Theory Fitness 

5.    CrossFit 

6.    Pilates 

7.    TRX or total resistance training 

Personal fitness training is a workout program that you typically conduct by yourself. It can take place in a gym, at home, or even in a park. With a personal fitness program, you must develop and implement your own exercise plan which can be very difficult for many. People who prefer the individualism of personal fitness but desire or need assistance with their exercise plan can hire a personal trainer for one-on-one training sessions. Personal trainers develop and implement your training plan which allows you to just show up and work out. They also serve as accountability partners to ensure that you adhere to the plan along with providing guidance on healthy eating. If you require more than a little assistance or have failed multiple times in your attempts at increasing activity, then a personal fitness trainer is the preferred solution. 

For those who prefer to work out alone in the comfort of their home there are virtual fitness programs. Virtual fitness fuses fitness with technology, with technology allowing you to exercise when, and often where, you want to. Exercise videos and YouTube channels are the easiest examples. There are also virtual fitness trainer apps you can download to your smart phone that have premade workouts you can perform.  Many personal trainers have their own virtual training apps where they can program workouts which you can do on your own for a cost that is less than face-to-face training. Videoconferencing has become a popular solution for conducting remote fitness training with personal trainers and clients. Connected fitness allows you to stream on-demand workouts to fitness equipment like exercise bikes, treadmills, and rowing machines providing a group training experience. Live workouts can also be streamed. Connected fitness can be expensive with the exercise equipment costing around $2000 and a $40 per month subscription fee on top of that.  

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Much of the content in our previous episodes has focused on wellness plans and therapeutic lifestyle changes that are implemented to prevent and reduce the effects of chronic diseases. These wellness interventions focus on the following 4 key interventions: healthy eating, maintaining a healthy weight, increasing activity, and avoiding tobacco use.  You must summon the the focus and resolve of an Olympic athlete working a lifetime to maintain peak strength and conditioning while avoiding injury and illness.  

We are shifting our discussion from healthy eating and weight loss to increasing our physical activity. That’s right, I’m talking about good old-fashioned exercise. As simple as the idea may seem, most of you will not be able to develop and implement a personalized exercise plan that is safe and comprehensive. This is true even if you have been working out for some time. 

A formal exercise program has several components that include medical clearance if needed based on your age, presence of physical symptoms, and medical history, a pre-exercise physical assessment to determine your current level of fitness and aid in goal setting, an exercise schedule that details the focus of your workout and the types of exercise, a place to exercise where you feel comfortable and confident, an exercise log to keep track of your workouts and progress, and a means of accountability to ensure that you adhere to your exercise program and remain steadfast throughout your wellness journey. 

Evidence-based guidelines and best practices have determined that you should exercise at least 150 minutes per week with strength training of all major muscle groups at least twice per week. So, just swimming, or just running, or just playing tennis is not adequate exercise. Remember that you must invest in your health and that your investment pays out over time with increased quality and quantity of life.

With so many different exercise programs it can be very difficult for you to choose one. Many programs are meant for high level athletes or offer little supervision that can result in a high rate of injury if you are a novice or less seasoned. An extra layer of assistance can be added to prevent this type of problem and ensure your exercise plan is developed and executed properly. This extra layer of assistance is called a personal trainer, or coach, and everyone can benefit from hiring one. The right trainer can place you on the fast track to achieving your health and fitness goals while avoiding injury and set-back. 

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