No More Excuses

I’m sure you’ve heard all of the reasons people give for being overweight: I have a thyroid problem, it’s my glands, I have big bones, it’s genetic. Well, now there are no more excuses (except the obvious ones of little exercise and poor diet). A new study found that “vigorous physical activity can help even people genetically prone to obesity keep the weight off.” The study found that those who had an obesity-related gene called FTO, but were very physically active, weighed about the same as others who did not carry the gene.

This doesn’t mean you now have the right to call your members liars or slackers, but it does give you more scientific evidence to back those claims you’ve been making for years: No matter what your genes say, exercise can and does help people keep their weight down.

Keep in mind that if your members really do have a medical condition that makes it difficult for them to keep the weight off, they will need to exercise more than the average person to do so. So, while some of your members may be lying about their “medical condition” in order to explain their weight, those who really have a medical condition will need a well-planned program, and lots of motivation, to help them reach their goals.

Exercise in a Pill

What would it mean for the fitness industry if exercise could be gotten from a pill? Well, we might just find out some time in the future. Two drugs are being developed by a group of researchers at the Salk Institute in San Diego. The group is led by Dr. Ronald Evans, an expert on how hormones work in cells, and who has won the Lasker Award, which often tops the Nobel Prize.

The pills trick the muscles into thinking that they have been working out furiously. The first, Aicar, generates more high-endurance Type 1 muscle fibers (those that generate the cell’s energy and are resistant to fatigue) without any exercise. It is hoped that this drug will help people who are too frail to exercise, and those with health problems such as diabetes.

The second drug, GW1516, generates more Type 1 fibers during exercise, allowing exercisers to perform twice as long as they were previously able. Obviously, this one is of great interest to athletes, but it should be known that Evans has already devised a test to detect whether an athlete has taken the drug, and he has made it available to the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Could pharmaceutical exercise be a good thing for our industry? It will give people who take the drugs more energy. And, more energy usually translates into a desire to be more active. On the other hand, the drugs could be used as an excuse for not needing to be more active.

Either way, it’s something we need to start thinking about, as an “exercise pill” is most certainly on the horizon.

‘Biggest Loser’ Results Unattainable for Most

If ever there were a television show that would make you feel good about yourself, it’s The Biggest Loser. Unlike the usual stick-thin actors who are on TV, participants on this show are obese, and are shown struggling with their weight just like most “normal” people. The show also highlights the dangers of being overweight, and may inspire viewers at home to get on the exercise bandwagon.

However, the benefits of the show, at least for viewers, stop there. With Season Five in full swing, there are many copy-cat competitions being held around the country in fitness centers, corporations and among friends. And, although everyone agrees that losing weight is difficult, not many people know what really goes on behind the scenes of The Biggest Loser. What they don’t know can hurt them.

What viewers don’t know, according to an article published in the New York Times, is that contestants on the show work out up to five hours per day. They spend an hour or two on resistance training, an hour on a high-intensity cardiovascular exercise, and up to three hours walking on the treadmill, using the elliptical trainer or riding a stationary bike. Combine that with a low-calorie diet (1,100 to 1,500 calories a day for the women, and 1,500 to 2,300 calories a day for the men), and they are bound to lose weight. Lots of it.

Viewers at home may become discouraged when they see contestants losing up to 30 pounds per week, while they are only losing 2 pounds. Says the article, “If you’re losing 2 pounds a week and you’re watching The Biggest Loser, you probably think your diet is going horribly. If you lose 2 pounds a week and you’re not watching the show, you probably think your diet is going great.”

The show, which offers a feel-good story about fat people changing their lives, can actually be quite depressing for some viewers who are also trying to lose weight.

If you offer a Biggest Loser-type promotion at your fitness center, make sure you point out the differences between reality TV and actual reality. If members have unrealistic expectations, that could lead to drop-out if those aren’t met — or, worse, unsafe practices to try and lose those unwanted pounds.

It’s Not My (Weight) Problem

This is the week of New Year’s resolutions. Hoards of people who want to lose weight will join a fitness center, determined to achieve their weight-loss goals. The problem is, these people are only a fraction of those who really need to make that New Year’s resolution. Because most people who need to lose weight refuse to believe they are overweight; they are in denial. The tragedy about this is it’s not just adults who are in denial about their own weight; these adults are also in denial about their children’s weight — a problem that is destined to cause a ripple effect among generations to come, exacerbating the U.S. obesity epidemic.

What can fitness professionals do about this? Well, one can only help those who are willing to help themselves, right? But, perhaps more individuals would be willing if we had more segments of society making sure that these people own up to the fact that they are, indeed, overweight.

According to a recent study by the National Consumers League (NCL) reported on by Medical News Today, there is a “startling disconnect between the way people perceive their weight, and their actual weight category based on the body mass index.” The NCL study of 1,978 U.S. adults reports that “52 percent of respondents referred to themselves as overweight, and only 12 percent as obese, severely obese or morbidly obese. But, based on actual BMI calculations using self-reported height and weight information among the 96 percent of respondents, … 35 percent are actually overweight, whereas 34 percent are actually obese, severely obese or morbidly obese. Among respondents who are obese according to BMI, 82 percent consider themselves to be simply overweight.”

Another survey reported on by MSNBC on December 24, found that many people in the U.S. whose children are obese do not see them that way. The survey of 2,060 adults, which collected children’s height and weight from their parents and then used that to calculate BMI, found that, among parents with an obese, or extremely overweight, child ages six to 11, 43 percent said their child was “about the right weight,” 37 percent responded “slightly overweight” and 13 percent said “very overweight.” Yet, based on what the parents reported, 15 percent of the children ages six to 11, and 10 percent of the children ages 12 to 17, were obese.

Unfortunately, according to the Centers for Disease Control, while there are an estimated 66 percent of U.S. adults who are overweight (33 percent) or obese (33 percent), the Medical News Today article reports that the NCL study showed that only 12 percent of U.S. adults say they have ever been told by a doctor, nurse or other healthcare professional that they are obese. In addition, it points out that individuals’ denial about their weight may also be a result of the social stigma associated with being obese: “Most U.S. adults (61 percent) report … that obesity is considered taboo in society today, and half attribute the condition to a ‘lack of will power.’” Parents’ lack of forthrightness about their kids’ weight can also be attributed to this problem. “Because of the social stigma, it’s not something that parents are willing to admit to readily,” says Dr. Goutham Rao, clinical director of the Weight Management and Wellness Center at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

While the social stigma associated with obesity is clearly an issue, this cannot be made an excuse to ignore the problem. It’s one thing to hurt ourselves, but to hurt our children, too?

As an industry, we can be a part of helping these individuals. By understanding the denial about weight, perhaps fitness professionals can implement some awareness programs alongside the New Year’s resolutions programs planned this year. Even a marketing campaign discussing this trend of denial and how fitness facilities can help — no stigma attached — might help bring some of those who really need to make a New Year’s resolution into your facility this year.

Are Trends on Track?

Each year in November and December, organizations begin to publish their trends and predictions for the new year. This year is no exception, and, most recently, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) released its 20 upcoming fitness trends for fitness professionals to prepare for 2008. Where did these trends come from? ACSM surveyed health and fitness professionals around the world, and received nearly 500 responses. These fitness experts identified the leading trends that occurred in 2007 in commercial, corporate, clinical and community fitness programs, which will set the stage for what fitness professionals will deal with in 2008. The trends were then ranked, from highest to lowest, in order of importance.

Perhaps the most interesting finding was that ACSM says there is a “new” trend to blend both diet and exercise. Is this really a 2007 trend? This issue has been talked about for years: You can’t be successful in losing weight and maintaining that weight loss unless you combine exercise with good nutrition.

Perhaps the reason fitness professionals believe this is going to be “the big issue” they will deal with in their facilities in 2008 is related to a recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report is based on “a comprehensive survey by the federal government that includes physical examinations” among 4,400 adults ages 20 and older in 2005 and 2006. It shows that “obesity rates in U.S. women seem to be staying level, and the rate in men may be hitting a plateau now.”

Why the change? The researchers say that increased exercise is one possibility. The survey found that “about half of men and women reported getting regular physical activity in 2005, an increase from the rates reported in 2001.” Researchers also believe that adults are reducing consumption of high-calorie and fatty foods. If these results are real, that’s great for our profession and the nation.

The ACSM survey identified as the No. 1 trend the issue of obesity in children and the trend toward program development to combat this. However, the CDC’s childhood obesity rates for 2005-2006 have not yet been released, although the results for 2003-2004 showed they were rising.

Here is a list of the top 10 trends predicted by ACSM:
1. Children and obesity
2. Special fitness programs for older adults
3. Educated and experienced fitness professionals
4. Functional fitness
5. Core training
6. Strength training
7. Personal training
8. Mind/body exercise
9. Exercise and weight loss
10. Outcome measurements

I’m curious to know where these trends fall into what readers of this blog have in store for 2008. Are they on target? And are you seeing more of a trend toward diet programs combined with exercise programs in your facilities?

The FDA-Approved Over-the-Counter Diet Pill

That magical "thin" pill that everyone has been searching so long for has finally been approved, according to an article today titled, FDA Approves Alli™ (orlistat 60 Mg Capsules) Over-the-counter.

Who wouldn’t want an over-the-counter drug that reduces the amount of fat the body absorbs, and then “ferries” it out of the body? People are going to stampede the shelves when “Alli” hits drugstores this summer. And, you know who will be first in line? No, not me (well, maybe). No, it’s the people who have been discriminated against all these years for not being obese. The people — most of whom, albeit not all — have taken steps to live a healthier lifestyle by exercising and trying to eat right, and who still can’t lose those extra 5, 10 or 15 pounds that they so desperately want to ditch.

Do you know why they will be the first? Because, in the past, people needed a prescription to obtain FDA-approved diet pills. And, to get the prescription, you needed to be obese. People within the FDA-approved “weight (fat) range,” are discriminated against. You have to be really fat to qualify for the real, effective drug. I say this because obese people who want to lose weight aren’t going to opt for Alli (if they have health insurance). They can already get its higher-dose prescription version, Xenical, which is obviously more effective (it has higher doses of the drug).

Lest you think that all of those non-obese people who you’ve been trying to attract to your fitness facility are lost causes, don’t despair. First of all, Alli has “conditions” in order for it to work. Its labeling specifically states that, for the product to be effective, lifestyle changes have to be made, which means exercising and eating a low-fat diet.

Second, studies show that the product only works if you continue to take it (at a projected cost of $12 to $25 per week). This is where you come in. Save yourself the grief of trying to convince this population that a diet pill isn’t the way to go. Instead, team up with a local drugstore and offer an ongoing “membership special” with the purchase of each bottle of Alli. If you can’t beat (read, convince) ’em, join ’em!

And, this membership deal can give you greater access to a market that will be greatly interested in this new miracle diet pill: teenage girls! Of course, GlaxoSmithKline, the distributor of the drug, promises it won’t market the drug to “that group.” But, the FDA has also decided not to require Alli to be placed behind the pharmacist’s counter to ensure any measure of control.

Sounds like a great product for the non-obese, teen and fitness facility markets to me!

[Note: This is meant to be humorous, not serious. For sound nutrition advice, go to the Library of Articles on our website and click on the nutrition topic.