Youth Resistance Training
Learn about the many benefits of youth resistance training and best practices for implementing a youth resistance training program.
Resistance Exercise for Health
Research shows that resistance exercise may be as effective as aerobic exercise for improving many facets of health. However, wile roughly 50% of people meet aerobic exercise guidelines, less than one-third meet resistance exercise requirements.
Getting Things Moving: How to Inspire Healthy Living in Kids
Dr. Coleman shares valuable insights on starting a habit of regular physical activity in children, leading to a lifetime of health and fitness.
Exercise Oncology: Ready for Prime Time
The field of exercise and cancer (exercise oncology) has a long history. In 1911, findings were published documenting that being more physically active was associated with lower risk of colon cancer. Throughout the 20th century, animal model experiments repeatedly showed that exercise slowed tumor growth. In the late 1980s, Winningham and MacVicar carried out the […]
Exercising Caution: The Dangers of Cold Temperatures
In the new year, fitness pros often see their facilities and schedules inundated with people looking to make a change. In the right conditions, and under proper supervision, a resolutioner really can shift the direction of their life. But under the wrong conditions, inexperienced (and even experienced) exercisers, athletes and recreational enthusiasts can get into […]
Why Checking the Box to Exercise isn’t Sufficient for Your Health
Scenario: The sound of an alarm wakes you up at 6:30 a.m. to start your day. Upon waking up, you decide to go for a jog at the local park, but you are restricted to 30 minutes because of a work meeting scheduled for 8:30 at the office. After exercising, you sit down to pour […]
Natural Health: Access to Nature Improves Mental Health, Physical Activity and Chronic Diseases
Have you ever wandered to a local park after a long day or a long week, taken a deep breath, and felt stress and tension leave your body? You are not alone. Just 20 minutes per day of exposure to natural environments decreases stress and improves cognitive function, blood pressure, mental health, physical activity and sleep. Chronic […]
Physical Activity Guidelines Midcourse Report: A Q&A with Federal Lead Katrina Piercy, PhD, FACSM
Dr. Katrina Piercy, FACSM, is the director of the Division of Prevention Science within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), having taken on the role in January 2022. Piercy earned a Ph.D. in exercise physiology and nutrition from Virginia Tech (in the department now […]
What Do We Know about Epilepsy and Physical Activity?
Since November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss some of the more recent guidance that’s come across ACSM’s editorial desk regarding epilepsy and physical activity, namely the findings laid out in this 2021 publication in Current Sports Medicine Reports. The topic hits close to home, quite literally — in […]
Physical Activity in School-Aged Children
School-aged children should get at least 60 minutes of moderate- or vigorous-intensity physical activity every day of the week. Only 26% of adolescents met these physical activity guidelines in 2018, and that percentage has remained stable since 2011. The COVID-19 pandemic made it even more difficult for children to meet these guidelines. Despite knowing the risk of sedentary behavior […]
