Capital Region Leads Nation’s Fittest Cities in 2024 ACSM American Fitness Index® Ranking

Arlington Virginia skyline

Health of Americans Dips Due to Mental Health, Physical Well-being and Lack of Sleep  Arlington, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and Seattle, Washington, are the top cities in the 17th annual ACSM American Fitness Index® (Fitness Index) rankings published by the American College of Sports Medicine® (ACSM) and the Elevance Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Elevance […]

This May, Actively Transport Yourself to Work and Play

May is Active Transportation Month, a time to get outside — an experience enhanced by walking, riding or rolling rather than driving a vehicle. The health benefits of incorporating physical activity into one’s daily routines, whether during our commute, running errands or simply for leisure, have been extensively reported. These benefits span across cardiovascular, metabolic, […]

Technogym Q&A | Physical Activity as Pillar of Healthy Longevity

Miss the webinar? Access the Recording Here In the pursuit of a longer and healthier life, it’s essential to focus on both the quantity and quality of the years we live. Healthy longevity—free from chronic diseases—requires attention to both morbidity and mortality. This approach offers valuable insights for health professionals, the public, and policymakers alike, […]

ACSM and EIM: Developing a Network of Trusted Exercise Professionals

Hands on a keyboard

Individuals seeking expert guidance in becoming physically active face a marketplace full of exercise professionals with certifications from several reputable, and sometimes not-so-reputable, organizations. With so many exercise certifications available in the U.S. market, there is often widespread confusion as to who are trusted sources of expert guidance. The American College of Sports Medicine(ACSM) has […]

Reducing Heart Disease Risk for Young and Middle-Aged African Americans

In the U.S., the death rate for African Americans with heart disease is declining. However, more than 100,000 African Americans continue to die each year from cardiovascular disease and retain a significantly higher death rate than any other racial group. A January 2022 report from the Office of Minority Health noted that approximately 57% of African Americans have […]

Doing What We Mean to Do: Following Through with Fitness Goals

As February comes to a close, I have to ask — have you kept up with your fitness resolutions? We’re in the period where people tend to fall off, after all.  If you’re reading this, you’re probably not the kind of person who needs to make a New Years’ resolution to get in shape. But […]

Fitness Trends 2024: A Guiding Light for the Year Ahead

As we brush the dust of 2023 from our shoulders and look around, wondering what the heck we should be doing with ourselves in ’24, a beacon appears: On Jan. 2, ACSM released the results of the 2024 Worldwide Fitness Trends: Future Directions of the Health and Fitness Industry survey, and we picked up on […]

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 […]

Breathe Easier | Smoking Cessation Resources for Better Health

Only 20  minutes after your last cigarette, your heart rate and blood pressure begin to drop. Within a few  days, the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to a normal rate. After a few weeks your circulation and lung function improve, and after a year your risk of heart attack drops significantly. These are […]

The Built Environment and Physical Activity

built environment, city bike lanes

It has been well-established that physical activity and/or exercise can help to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease.   To reap these benefits, we only need to accumulate 150 minutes per week of physical activity1. That means that you can be physically active for as little as 10 […]