Bottomline upfront: 

Sports and exercise is important for individuals with special needs. While there are many similarities between this population and the general population, there are differences that a prospective trainer or coach needs to understand. This blog is going to help to introduce the reader to this population and some of the benefits and challenges of working with them.

I've been coaching for over 20 years now at every level from the Olympic Training Center all the way to three-year olds. Currently I coach baseball and basketball, consult on strength and conditioning, coach Special Olympics basketball and Miracle League baseball, and teach special education in elementary school. I also volunteer my summers to run a summer enrichment experience for children with Down syndrome (called Down with Summer Success) to help them academically, socially, and physically.

With all that in mind, I was asked to write about exercise and sports for young men and women with special needs. This article is going to cover why sport and exercise is important for people with special needs, differences and similarities when compared to typically developing individuals, and the skills you need to be able to work with this population.

Why are sports and exercise important for people with special needs?

In all individuals, including those with special needs, sports and exercise helps develop physical fitness, helps prevent or lessen the effects of lifestyle diseases, builds self-confidence and positive self-image, provides social support and social interactions, and teaches valuable lessons about life.

The challenge is that individuals with special needs have unique barriers when it comes to exercise and sports participation, such as low muscle tone, hyper flexibility, poor speed/power/reaction time, delayed social skills, and intellectual disabilities that may make it harder to learn exercises and skills. Additionally, individuals with special needs may not have access to exercise and sports, which can cause them to be lacking fundamental exercise skills. Additionally, lack of exercise combined with the nature of their disabilities, increases the risk of obesity and lifestyle diseases.

All of this serves to reinforce the importance of sports and exercise for individuals with special needs.

What's different?

The first big difference is that often their disability has prevented them from having access to exercise or sports. Some individuals may also have un unwillingness to learn new skills, which may make the caregivers of these individuals frustrated and cause them to decide not to attempt exercise or sports programs. This means that we cannot assume individuals with special needs have exercise or sports knowledge or foundational skills.

A second difference is that often fitness levels are lower. This impacts the ability to practice, perform an exercise program, and impacts performance.

A third difference is that often individuals with special needs are visual or kinesthetic learners. This means they learn by seeing or doing. They don't learn well by being lectured at.

What do these differences mean when working with individuals with special needs? They mean there is a need to define expectations and be consistent. The unwillingness to learn new skills means that there needs to be a lot of positive support and fun built in. Foundational skills and exercises are very important. Practices and exercise programs will need a slower pace and more recovery built in. Finally, any instruction is going to need to focus on visual and kinesthetic learning styles.

What's the same?

With time, individuals with special needs enjoy exercise and sports. Their identity will develop around it and they will take pride in their performance. Like other people they need expectations and accountability and struggle when those things are not present. They are very interested in being successful and in being recognized for their successes. They also need to understand when they have made mistakes and need feedback to correct those mistakes.

What's going to surprise you?

Individuals with special needs care about how they perform in exercise and sports. I have coached Special Olympics basketball and Miracle League baseball a long time and my athletes care how they do in games, they care about their team's records, and they care about how they rank versus other teams.

Something else that is really important, is that they care about their performance and their team. Often individuals with special needs make the best team mates, they care about their team, they care about those around them, they understand that everyone on the team has a role, and they cheer their team mates' successes. This is something I have to spend a lot of time developing with other types of teams.

What skills do you need to work with this group?

First, you need to be a very positive person. Negativity, like screaming or yelling, doesn't do well in terms of getting this population to do anything. Now, it's important to have expectations and to keep them accountable, but this needs to be done in a positive manner.

Second, you need to understand that it is about the individuals with special needs and not you. Individuals with special needs are not going to care about your resume, how special you are, whether you are a guru, etc. They live in the moment and accept you for who you are, not who you advertise yourself to be. Like other athletes, they care about how you interact with them.

Third, you need to be able to teach without being longwinded. There is a need to be short, concise, visual, and then let the individuals with special needs attempt it. Corrections and feedback also need to be concise with visual and kinesthetic feedback.

Finally, you need to be very patient. This is an incredibly slow, gradual process and it's important to realize that improvements in fitness and performance aren't made as quickly as with other individuals. Having said that, working with this population can be incredibly rewarding because this is one of those instances where you are truly making a difference in people's lives

About the Author

John Cissik teaches special education at McKinney ISD in McKinney, Texas. He coaches baseball, basketball, strength and conditioning, Special Olympics, and Miracle League. John has written 14 books and over 100 print articles on strength and conditioning, fitness, and coaching.

@jcissik (twitter)

You know how they say that 60 is the new 40? My name is Susie Ripley, and I sure hope that is TRUE, because here I am at 60, contemplating what to do with my life...next. I have always said that your feet face forward, so you should always move in that direction, however, reflecting back on life has its advantages too.

As a Life and Community Coach, for the last 10 plus years, I am constantly asking people if they can remember a time that they felt aligned, happy and excited. When I asked myself those same questions recently, I immediately went back 10 years to a time when I was in the Health and Wellness industry. Working in Houston as the Health and Wellness Director of a large YMCA was one of the most challenging, yet rewarding times of my professional career. Every day I was excited about the work I did and fascinated by the science that was constantly coming out about fitness and health and the people I served. While I was in the industry as a fitness practitioner, at the beginning of my 20 year plus career, I was in management, programming and directing the practitioners. While the YMCA's have good training protocols, and in fact I was a faculty trainer for the YMCA of the USA Personal Training Program, I always looked to ACSM as the Gold Standard when evaluating protocols or had any question regarding protocols. Each year I would attend the ACSM Summit and could hardly wait until the next year's Summit. I always thought that if I had the money and the time, I would become ACSM certified. I believe now, as I believed then, that there is no better or comprehensive certification.

So when faced with another change in professional direction, I asked myself, why not now? What is stopping me? With the barriers out of the way, I am now embarking on a journey that will challenge me, to be sure, but also is making me feel more excited and alive, than I have felt …. In a LONG time! So, pass or fail, I will share with you my journey, in obtaining my ACSM CPT. I have no idea what this 60 year old will face with the challenges back into the Health and Wellness world, but I am willing to be transparent and share them with you. I have some fears, to be sure, but I am committed to pushing past them so that I can do what I am always encouraging and trying to inspire others to do… LIVE THE BEST LIFE EVER!

So…here we go!!

The Wheat Foods Council recently hosted an industry-presented webinar entitled: Nutrition for Performance: Theory and Effective Practice Guidelines for Fitness Professionals. The webinar is also available for two (2) CECs via ACSMceOnline.

View the webinar for free on YouTube without CECs. 

Several questions were asked by attendees during the webinar and the answers are below.

Viewpoints presented in this blog reflect opinions of the authors and Wheat Foods Council and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of ACSM.

Q. How do you guide a client in balancing carbohydrates and proteins if they are trying to decrease percent body fat while gaining muscle mass?

Protein needs are based on body weight. A person who is cutting calories needs to be sure to consume 1.5 - 2.4 g protein per kg (adjusted) body weight. While it's hard to build muscle when in energy deficit, some research suggests it is possible with a high protein intake + resistance exercise + a small calorie deficit.

By dividing the required amount of protein into even-sized meals and snacks, the person can consume the balance of calories as carbs and fat, staying within the calorie allotment. Creating a calorie deficit by knocking off any kind of calories, be they from carbs, protein or fat. is what triggers fat loss.

Q. How would one approach a client who is not gluten-intolerant but who is avoiding gluten because he is afraid that gluten is bad? What would you tell that client in order for him to have a balanced diet?

I would approach the client like this: "I'm curious. What seems right about eliminating gluten?" and learn the client's perspective. And then I would ask if he or she wanted to know my opinion. If yes, I would share the research done by Dana Lis comparing athletes (without celiac disease) who went on a gluten-free diet vs athletes who consumed gluten. Both had similar levels of inflammation, with no health or performance differences between the two groups.

Q: Do you have a meal plan for vegans?

I do not have a standard meal plan specifically for vegans. When counseling vegan clients, I work together with them to create a meal plan that appeals to that individual. For one of my clients, the sample day looked something like this:
• Breakfast: oatmeal + almonds + raisins + soy milk
• Lunch: bread + peanut butter + banana (sandwich) + carrots + hummus
• Snack: trail mix (nuts, dried fruit, granola) + soy yogurt
• Dinner: Burrito with beans + rice + salsa + avocado + soy cheese.

Q. Are there any repercussions for too much protein in an athlete's diet?

Of course. There are repercussions of too much of anything (even water overconsumption can cause a toxic condition known as hyponatremia!). The current position stand supports daily protein intake for healthy active individuals at 1.2-2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. MOST of the available evidence from multiple laboratories supports this range. We are aware of other research recently published that advocate for slightly higher recommendations, especially during times of energy restriction, but these recommendations are not universally accepted at this time. Some researchers have expressed concerns that as protein intake increases (beyond 2.0g/kg) that diet quality and variety may suffer. These potential repercussions could have negative effects beyond athletic performance and body composition outcomes.

Q. Can you touch on scope of practice for fitness/nutrition professionals without an RD?

Excellent question. There was a recent article published on this topic (free):

Kruskall, Laura J.; Manore, Melinda M.; Eickhoff-Shemek, JoAnn M.; Ehrman, Jonathan K. DRAWING THE LINE: Understanding the Scope of Practice Among Registered Dietitian Nutritionists and Exercise Professionals.
ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal. 21(1):23-32, January/February 2017

Q. Dr. Thomas, in one of your slides pertaining to "training low" you had mentioned how this method of reducing carbohydrates before an intense bout of physical activity does reduce reliance of carbs but does not enhance fat loss. If there is a lower reserve of carbs, in the form of glycogen, wouldn't fat oxidation serve as the next available fuel/energy source?

Excellent question. In the lab you will see an increase in fat oxidation (at sub-max intensities) following a "train-low" protocol. This is due to an increase expression of proteins involved in the lipid oxidation pathway. While this is a neat finding that is still being studied, there are two big limitations. First, marginal increases in fat oxidation do not usually translate into chronic fat mass loss. In chronic studies, the key player in promoting fat loss appears to be creating a calorie deficit with a combination of exercise and calorie restriction. The second limitation is that athletes are probably already "maxing out" on any benefit of increased fat oxidation related to inadvertently 
"training low" by simply not refueling after every training session or training early in the morning without breakfast. Additional train low strategies would likely compromise performance by limiting muscular adaptations associated with high intensity training fueled by high carbohydrate availability.

Q. What are your thoughts on keto? Everyone I talk to seems to be on the hype that they should be doing keto. Are there any new studies showing that a ketogenic diet is or is not helpful to stay on long term?

The keto diet has been around for a long time, originally to treat epilepsy. Medical interest in the diet faded once it was recognized that the diet was not sustainable and medications were more effective.

Athletes: Research does not support a performance advantage of Keto diets. Many benefits of exercise come from being able to train well (and enjoy) high-intensity work. Keto diets do not support this.

Non-athletes/Recreational Athletes: Optimizing adherence to any diet is the most important factor for weight loss success, and this is enhanced by regular professional contact with a Registered Dietitian and supportive behavioral change programs. Although the American Diabetes Association (ADA) suggests that low CHO diets can improve glycemic control (Tay (2015), the ADA recommends that macronutrient distribution should be individualized and advocate for a variety of eating patterns that do not include the ketogenic diet.

A key point raised in the presentation is "self-monitoring" dietary intake. Non-athletes need less energy intake and carbohydrate, but carbohydrate based healthy foods should remain in the diet to improve diet quality and support physical activity.

Keep in mind that ketogenic diets, in particular, are often high in saturated fat. This runs counter to position stands by the ADA and American Heart Association (AHA). Both the ADA and AHA recommend following the dietary patterns presented in the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (i.e. DASH and Mediterranean).

Q. What are your thoughts on intermittent fasting for recreational athletes?

Seems to be a gimmick strategy to reduce total calorie intake. Research is lacking in this area, especially in controlled conditions compared head-to-head with other strategies proven to be effective. Keep in mind that the most important factors governing weight loss are: adherence to diet and promoting an energy deficit…the key is how to do this in a healthy way to promote disease prevention, longevity, and performance!

Q. What are the preventative measures to take in terms of dietary needs to prevent the female athlete triad? When do we become concerned regarding loss of menses/bone loss?

Many strategies can be implemented. Healthy conversations about food and fueling for performance in the form of workshops, training table demonstrations, and peer-led discussions are good first steps. Educating coaches and trainers about the limitations of body composition measurement techniques, that body composition outcomes should never be used for athlete selection and "body comp percentages" are poor predictors of athletic success are key points to understand.

A Registered Dietitian should complete a comprehensive dietary assessment that includes an assessment of energy expenditures and attitudes/beliefs about nutrition. This will allow for the assessment of low EA and the etiology of low EA.

Athletes experiencing fatigue, weight loss, performance decrements, and a history of stress fracture should certainly receive medical evaluation that include an evaluation of bone mineral density. Any history of abnormal menses should be discussed with a primary care provider.

Q. If I eat a balanced nutrition meal an hour prior to a resistance training exercise do I need to replenish protein intake, whether via food or supplementation?

I presume you mean post-exercise? If so, the provision of protein immediately post-exercise is less important in this scenario. Muscle protein synthesis is amplified for up to 24-hours following an RT bout. Focus on a balanced spread of protein throughout the day.

Travis Thomas, PhD, RDN, CSSD

Dr. Thomas is an Associate Professor of Clinical & Sports Nutrition in the College of Health Sciences and Director of the Undergraduate Certificate Program in Nutrition for Human Performance at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Thomas is board certified as a specialist in sports dietetics (CSSD) and a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Nancy Clark, MS, RDN, CSSD

Nancy Clark is an internationally respected sports nutritionist, weight coach, nutrition author, and workshop leader. She is board certified as a specialist in sports dietietics (CSSD) and a certified WellCoach. She is also a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American College of Sports Medicine. Nancy completed her undergraduate degree in nutrition from Simmons College, her dietetic internship at Massachusetts General Hospital, and her graduate degree in nutrition with a focus on exercise physiology from Boston University.

Since Earth Day is this month, this is a good time to think about the impact we have on our environment and what we can do to reduce that impact. The good news is there are ways we can “go green” that are good for us and our planet.

First, you can go green by replacing car trips with walking or cycling. Every mile you drive releases carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the environment. Additionally, spending time sitting in your car can have negative effects on your health and happiness. Walking or biking has no such negative effects on the environment and has important health benefits including improved fitness, weight control, and greater feelings of wellbeing. Despite the potential environmental and health benefits of replacing car trips with active transportation, 37 percent of Americans report not walking for transportation at all in a given week.

Obviously, walking or biking everywhere isn’t practical. But you could probably replace some car trips with active transportation. Most people commute less than 10 miles to work and nearly half of all car trips are less than three miles. Both are reasonable distances to bike or walk. If you have several places to go, you can always park in a central location and walk to each destination.

Replacing car trips with active transportation can also help you save green—money! When you add up the costs of purchasing a car, filling the gas tank, maintenance, and parking, driving is expensive. Walking or cycling, even if it involves taking public transportation for part of your trip, is almost always less expensive; this is true even when you factor in the cost of purchasing a bike. Even if it is impossible to replace all car trips with active transportation, choosing to walk or bike to some destinations can help you save some money on car and driving expenses.

Finally, you can literally “go green” when you exercise. Being active outdoors leads to enhanced feelings of energy and diminished fatigue, anxiety, anger, and sadnesscompared to similar activity conducted indoors. Additionally, some research suggests that outdoor activity may improve attention in adults and children. Another advantage of exercising outdoors is that you might get a better workout because you will likely walk or run faster outdoors. Research shows that even though people tend to exercise at a higher intensity outside, it may feel easier. Much of the psychological benefit of outdoor exercise occurs in the first five minutes, so even short bouts of activity, like walking instead of driving a short distance, are meaningful.

So, as you celebrate Earth Day this month, think about the ways you can go green that are good for your health, your wallet, and the environment.

Learn more from ActivEarth and Climate for Health. 

Brian B. Parr, Ph.D. is an ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist^®  and Associate Professor in the Department of Exercise and Sports Science at the University of South Carolina Aiken. 

Viewpoints presented in this blog reflect opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of ACSM.

Your brand is a key part of your business-it tells potential customers who you are and what you specialize in. But creating an unmistakable brand isn't easy to do. You're focused on running your business, and taking time from that to design a logo, website and e-mails probably isn't your ideal workday. Don't worry, though; with some tools from the around the Web, building a brand is easier than ever, and we've shared four ideas on how to jumpstart your branding efforts below.

Logo

There's a good chance you've already heard how important it is that you have a unique, strong logo to represent your business and brand. After all, our brains process images 60,000 times faster than words, meaning that if you're just using word art for your logo, you may be missing out on some quality brand recognition. If you don't have a strong logo, don't worry. With tools like Fiverr and 99designs, you can find a freelance designer to help you design the logo of your dreams. All you have to do is set a budget and timeframe and you're on your way!

Website

If you're one of the 29% of small businesses who doesn't have a website, don't fret. There are tools that will help you build a website easily, even if you don't have any web design experience. One of the keys to a successful website is a branded domain, and website tools like Weebly and Squarespace will host your domain and offer you branded email and website design, all from one easy-to-use interface. And if you don't feel comfortable building a website yourself, Toptal^TM and Upwork^TM can help connect you to web designers to match your budget.

E-mail

In 2017, there were an estimated 269 billion e-mails sent every day. With that many messages going out every day, it's critical that you are delivering the right content to the right people at the right time-but if you're sending e-mails manually by yourself, your e-mails won't stand out in today's cluttered inboxes. That's where e-mail tools like Constant Contact^®, Emma^® and MailChimp^® come in. Just upload your list of contacts (Make sure you have their consent first!), design your e-mail, and schedule it to go out. Your customers will get your e-mail, and you're sure that the message will look great in their inboxes.

Word-of-Mouth

How often do you think of how your brand is represented by your customers? How your clientele speaks about your brand and business is one of the most valuable pieces of your brand, as 84 percent of consumers say that they trust the recommendations of family or friends. While word of mouth is important, it's also easy to influence. Think about recognizing your regular customers or the people who've had the biggest impact on your business by giving them branded items like a t-shirt or hat to wear. You can easily design and order the items on CustomInk^®, and if your customers wear them, you get free marketing!

Your brand is so important, and these four tips will help you hit the ground running to create a brand that your customers will love and your future clients will easily recognize.

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About MINDBODY^®

Headquartered in San Luis Obispso, Calif., MINDBODY^® is the leading technology platform for the wellness services industry. Local wellness entrepreneurs worldwide use MINDBODY's integrated software and payments platform to run, market and build their businesses. Consumers use MINDBODY^® to more easily find, engage and transact with wellness providers in their local communities. For more information on how MINDBODY^® is helping people lead healthier, happier lives by connecting the world to wellness, visit https://partner.mindbodyonline.com/acsm