Kaleigh Camp, M.S.Standing at the starting line of the 2011 San Antonio Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon with over 30,000 other runners, it was clear how popular these races have become for athletes as well as non-athletes. Running USA, the track and field running information center, acknowledges the surge over the past quarter of a century. At the beginning of the race, salt packets were provided and passed around the population of runners. I wondered whether all runners understand the p...

Josh Avila, M.S.When sitting on a couch late at night watching infomercials featuring super fit, muscular people, you might wish you could look like them because you’d be really popular and happy and look great in a swimsuit. Rarely do people think “Man, I wish I had as many capillaries to my muscle fibers as those guys do!” But those inward adaptations are critically important, too. While the overall outward change is the change we tend to focus on, changes invisible to the ou...

Vincent C.W. Chen,  B.S.Have you been unable to meet an exercise goal but couldn’t last even a short time? Is there another way to start a fat-burning exercise program without painful, frustrating feelings?Well-documented, obesity has become a major problem in the United States. Exercise has been recognized to be an efficient way to lose fat and keep fit. Endurance exercise burns fat to provide the needed energy. Furthermore, the more you exercise, the better your fat-burning capacity...

Greeshma Prabhu, BPT, M.S.The knee is the most important joint of the leg, providing stability and locomotion. This joint is formed by the articulation of the long bones of the leg called the femur (above the knee) and the tibia (below), along with a triangular bone, the patella (or kneecap), in between. Ligaments serving the knee joint are the anterior and posterior cruciate and the medial and lateral collateral ligaments.Approximately 60 degrees of knee bending (flexion) is required for normal...

Steve Bui, M.S.Iron is one of the most essential minerals to health; unfortunately, sometimes we neglect its importance. What makes iron so important? As a major component of red blood cells, it aids in transporting oxygen throughout the body. It can also play minor roles in liver function, prevention of bacterial infections, and cell growth. Iron deficiency can occur with heavy loss of blood, lack of dietary intake, and the inability to absorb iron metabolically. Iron deficiencies appear most o...

Michael LaMantia, M.S., CSCSThe Crossfit Regionals event consists of seven workouts through three consecutive days.  The workouts include Olympic weightlifting, gymnastic movements, powerlifting movements, and overall athletic movements found in any athlete’s training regimen.   Crossfit Regional is highly anaerobic and partially aerobic at times.  The intensities for each workout are in the 80-95% range for VO2 max (maximal oxygen uptake), especially at the elite level...

Evelyn Yuen, M.S.In the condition known as osteoporosis, bones become weak and susceptible to fractures. This vulnerability results from low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue. Although it primarily afflicts the elderly, it can develop at any age. Osteoporosis is a growing public health threat that affects 55 percent of people 50 years of age and older; approximately one in two women and one in four men over 50 years old will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their rema...

William Kobbe, CPTU.S. Army Ranger A title like the one above usually produces immediate interest and often some skepticism, especially in the society of quick fixes but, at least in this case, isn’t misleading.  A course pioneered in the 1950’s in support of leadership development does just that -- shreds body fat.  To qualify for the program, a candidate needs to be a young, healthy male willing to undergo legendary hardships to graduate from the U.S Army Ranger Scho...

Samantha Springer, M.S., CSCSThe title’s quote was published by the Global Healing Center as a clever introduction to the health benefits of the infamous chia seeds.  Chia pets have been a popular novelty since the 1980s, but as science advances, health discoveries are gradually shifting the purpose of this herb away from garnishing a ceramic display. It is now being classified as a superfood that should be utilized by everyone; however, endurance athletes ought to especially consider...

Deanna Kennedy, M.S.Often athletic performance seeks to improve accuracy and consistency. For example, while playing golf, we want to consistently hit the ball into the hole. However, many factors affect our ability to produce smooth and accurate movements. One such factor is motor output variability (MOV), defined as the unintentional variations in the output of voluntary contractions. It is a natural and inherent phenomenon that can be observed in every movement or contraction made or repeated...