Youth Fitness Specialist Certification!

"The wise are mightier than the strong, and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger." - Proverbs 24:5

In March, I completed my exam to earn my Level 1 Youth Fitness Specialist certification through the International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA).

I was notified less than two weeks later that I passed the exam and earned my Youth Fitness Specialist certification. This is the first step in my goal of being certified and opening my own fitness-based business in the near future.

I began with a Youth Fitness Specialist because I have a desire to work with children and teenagers ages 6-18 to help them improve their self-esteem while also improving their health and fitness.

It's a sad fact that more than 30 percent of today's youth are now considered obese. With the lack of physical education programs in many schools and the increase in a sedentary lifestyle due to video games, computers and internet usage, our youth need a way to have fun while also improving their health and fitness.

I plan on completing my Level 2 Certification in the near future while working toward my business goals.

I may also pursue another fitness certification through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) or the American Council on Exercise (ACE) in order to have the basic certification to train all adults and children.

Kids Urged to Bike and Walk to School!

"People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall." - Proverbs 10:9

Across the country, schools are encouraging families to forgo their cars to promote healthy habits, relieve traffic congestion around school buildings, help the environment and save money on gas.

Many schools reward kids who ditch mom or dad's car in favor of biking or walking. Prizes for walking or biking to school range from bottles of water to digital cameras, bike bells to bicycles. Many schools and community groups are funding the programs with grants from the national Safe Routes to School program, administered by the Federal Highway Administration. The FHA has funded programs in 40 states.

The FHA has worked with public schools and YMCA's to develop walk-to-school programs that appeal to parents and children. They have also helped to establish safe walking or biking routes and the funding of sidewalks.

Walking provides an opportunity to exercise and socialize before school, and it can have long-term impact on health. Students who exercise regularly are less likely to become obese or diabetic. And exercise in the morning can improve readiness to learn.

Students who live too far to walk or bike are asked to form car pools, use public transportation or walk part of the way. Many of the programs at various schools are "kid-generated." They are the ones asking their parents to leave early and walk or bike with them to school.

I think this is a great way to help our children (and their parents) to get more exercise each day while also helping to save money on gas and reduce auto emissions.

However, I find it difficult to understand why programs like this need to exist. When I was a child, I walked to school with friends every day. I also played school-yard games before classes began and again during PE, recess and after school. I stayed active throughout the day.

This shows how much things have changed in the last 20 or so years. More and more children are driven to school by their parents instead of walking or biking. We already know that kids today watch too much TV or spend too much time playing video games or surfing the internet. Parents should encourage their children to walk or bike to school to get more exercise (and parents should step up as role models and walk or bike with their kids).

With many public schools having to cut recess and PE classes from the daily curriculum, it's important that kids get more chances to exercise. Parents, teachers, coaches and other adults need to set an example for our children by getting more involved and becoming more active as role models.

Luckily, one organization is trying to make a change - the International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA). I will be getting one of my training certifications with the IYCA so I can effectively and properly teach children how to become more active and make exercise fun again - the way it should be!

To Keep Weight Off, Exercise One Hour Per Day, Five Days Per Week!

"Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper." - Proverbs 13:4

A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine reported that obese and overweight women must exercise at least 55 minutes a day, five days a week to drop 10 percent of their bodyweight and keep it off for at least two years.

The study reported that in addition to limiting calories, overweight women must exercise substantially more than was previously recommended. The less they exercised, the less they lost and the less they kept off. The magic number of 275 minutes a week seemed to make a difference.

The two-year study consisted of 191 women between the ages of 21 and 45 with a body mass index (BMI) of 27 to 40, which is above the threshold of healthy weight. Prior to the study, all of the women exercised less than 20 minutes a day, fewer than three days a week.

Overweight is typically defined as having a BMI (an approximation of body fat based on height and weight) of more than 25, while a BMI of more than 30 indicates obesity. Although BMI is not the most accurate measurement of body fat and health, it is a widely-used method that works fine for most people (if you carry a lot of muscle mass - such as a bodybuilder or other athlete - you may register as obese even though you are very lean and healthy).

The women were prescribed diets of between 1,200 and 1,500 calories a day, and were divided into groups with different exercise goals. While women in various groups lost weight, only those who exercised more than 55 minutes a day, five days a week, managed to keep the weight off two years later.

Prior to this study, health professionals often recommended that people exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes, five days a week. But that level is helpful only for those trying to maintain their health and is not effective for those who have managed to lose a large amount of weight and are trying to keep that weight off.

Much of the focus on obesity has centered on issues of diet and ignored the impact of regular physical activity. We know that diet without exercise is not as effective - the same holds true for those who exercise but don't follow proper nutritional guidelines.

Don't be discouraged by the exercise level required by these findings. Even though working out 55 minutes a day, five days a week, may seem like a lot, it can easily be done if you make time to do it. Most of the women in the study were working mothers, and they were successful with their fat loss goals because they made the time to exercise at a moderate intensity.

This isn't the first time that one hour a day, five days a week, has been recommended. In fact, John Berardi made the same recommendation in his book The Metabolism Advantage.

In his book, John Berardi writes:

Research from the University of Wyoming clearly demonstrates that it takes at least five hours a week to see real body composition results. In this survey of more than 1,000 people, researchers concluded that people who workout out for less time than that tend to be unhappy with the way they look and feel. On the other hand, people who workout for more than five hours a week tend to be happy with the way they look and feel.

According to scientifically based U.S. government guidelines, you must exercise for 30 minutes a day to improve your health and 60 minutes a day to burn fat. In research conducted on weight gainers and maintainers, maintainers spent 80 minutes or more per day exercising, whereas gainers spent 20 minutes or less.

This has held true with my own training. Whenever I strength train 3-4 days per week and perform additional cardio sessions (high intensity intervals, strongman-type workouts, ultimate frisbee, etc.) giving me at least five hours of exercise a week, I stay leaner, much more fit and healthy.

There have been times when I reduced my training sessions to three days per week, and I always gained weight while noticing a drop in my fitness levels. In order to meet my goals, the five hours per week rule almost always holds true.

I'm very busy with work and other commitments just like everyone else, but I make training one of my priorities throughout the week. I schedule it within my week so that I know what days and times I have set aside to train. I feel better and look better when I get nearly five hours or more of exercise a week.

Remember, there are 168 hours in a week and five hours of exercise only represents 3 percent of the entire week. Considering that the average North American watches 28 hours of television per week, five hours a week shouldn't be that problematic if you turn off the television or computer and get out and exercise.

The best way to structure your training is to perform at least three 45-60 minute strength-training sessions and three 25-30 minute cardio sessions each week. Once you reach your fat loss goals, you can reduce your training to 30 minutes a day as mentioned above in order to maintain your health, but it may require more than that to keep the fat off for a long period of time.

This is why strength training is so important. Muscle is the only thing that is metabolically active. Muscle mass increases metabolism and allows your body to burn fat effectively 24/7. Cardio alone will not keep the fat off (the reason many runners and bicyclists are overweight), and it certainly won't help you maintain muscle mass.

If you follow a supportive nutritional plan in addition to intense strength training and cardio, you will achieve your goal for a happier, healthier, leaner body just the way God intended!