No Title 948
Supplement to“Fit Steps: your fitness guide”
There’s lots of information out there about health and fitness. Here are some of Brad Covington’s favorite Web sites.
http://www.acsm.org
Official site of the American College of Sports Medicine. Check under “health and fitness information” for lots of practical tips, including how to calculate your exercising heart rate range, guidelines for healthy aerobic activity, and active aging tips.
www.diet-i.com/free-diet-plan.htm
This 16-step plan provides an easy way to get started with healthy eating.
www.diet-i.com/diabetes-diet.htm
Lots of solid information about diabetes, the types, the effects of food, and controlling the disease.
www.diet-i.com/glycemic-index.htm
Explains what the glycemic index is and has links to information on a wide array of related topics, including low glycemic index diets, the effects of fiber and fat on the glycemic index, and high and low glycemic index foods.
www.usda.gov/cnpp
From the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, this site includes information about dietary guidelines for Americans, the food guide pyramid, a healthy eating index, and USDA food plans.
www.topendsports.com/testing/index.htm
This site includes fitness tests of every sort, nicely organized into categories. Some of it may be too technical for nonprofessionals.
www.leanbodies.net
This site from New Jersey is packed with information on fitness training. Be sure to check out the table that summarizes all the popular meal replacement bars and gives you a complete breakdown on their nutritional content.
www.livinglean.net
Living Lean is a nutrition, exercise, and wellness counseling firm located in San Diego, California. The site includes lots of realistic information about nutrition and exercise.
www.promatx.net
These are the folks who helped us put together this guide. Learn more about them and their Lexington facility.
www.stephenholtfitness.com
The 2003 Personal Trainer of the Year offers what he calls the 3-4-5 system to lose weight and get in shape.
www.diet-i.com/south-beach-diet.htm
This is the site of the popular South Beach Diet, written by Dr. Arthur Agatston, director of the Mount Sinai Cardiac Prevention Center in Miami Beach, Florida. The South Beach Diet falls somewhere between the diets of the American Heart Association and the Atkins Diet.
www.diet-i.com/diets/zone-diet.htm
The Zone Diet was created by Barry Sears, PhD. He promotes a 40-30-30 diet plan. That is 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent fat, and 30 percent protein.
HOW TO HIRE A PROFESSIONAL FITNESS TRAINER
Someone to encourage you. Someone to push you when you need it. Someone to show the proper form and make sure you don’t injure yourself. If that sounds good to you, consider hiring a personal trainer. No longer just for celebrities, a trainer can be a good investment in your health. Here’s how to choose the one who is right for you.
Make sure they are certified
Ask about the education level of the trainer. He or she should have a background in kinesiology or a health-related field. Ideally, your trainer should also be certified or accredited by an organization recognized by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).
Check references
Ask the trainer to give you the names and numbers of some of his or her clients. Call them and ask about when they started and how they are progressing with their goals. Also ask what challenges they have faced with this trainer.
Find out about insurance
Make sure the trainer is properly insured.
Match up
You should get a good feeling from your trainer and feel comfortable working with him or her. You may have to try working with the trainer for a while before you know. If you don’t mesh, try someone else.
Types of Trainers
Motivator: Results-oriented. They will push you, and you may reach goals more quickly, but you might feel like you’ve joined the military.
Nurturer/Encourager: How are you doing today? This trainer will want to know. You’ll also get lots of encouragement as you train.
Coach: This type of trainer will keep a very close eye on your form and will know what you can and can’t do, even if you don’t.
Entertainer: This trainer will take your mind off your muscles. You’ll have so much fun, the time will go by quickly.
Each trainer is a mix of these types. Some can even shift between types depending on the needs of the client. Find one that works well with your personality and your fitness goals.
To read the Kentucky Living October 2004 feature that goes along with this supplement, click here: Fit Steps: your fitness guide
