Here’s a question for all you die-hard fitness experts out there: Could the latest trend of fitness “boot camps” be a possible solution to the obesity issue? Could an in-your-face method of getting people up and exercising be the drastic measures we need to take? Some people think yes, and some people are already starting.

According to the article I just read over at MSNBC, a growing number of these “boot camp” type fitness operations. Many attribute the success to the fact that, “No special machines or equipment are needed — just grass, benches, pavement and gallon water bottles that serve as weights.” Combine that, with the fact that most often the workouts are positively grueling and you have a recipe for success. Another factor could be the relatively low cost of these types of workout, many are half of what you’d pay for a personal trainer, or time in a gym.

So, if you want something a little different for the summer and want to enjoy a workout in the warm weather, maybe a fitness boot camp type exercise is for you. Remember, in 30 minutes at Fit Express gives you a full body, grueling workout that won’t leave you sore or in pain. Exercise, no matter what form, is the best thing you can do for your body this summer, get on it!

Talk about frightening, I woke up today to some absolutely devastating news: More than HALF of the adults living in the European Union are either overweight or obese. What’s worse, it’s the young people that are making that figure grow even faster!

When experts were asked why this influx was occurring, many attributed the weight gains to “Diets based on fatty and sweet ingredients combined with lack of physical activity account for six of the seven top factors leading to poor health.” According to the article I just read, the European Commission is not happy about this, having warned the whole continent of impending danger, but nothing serious was done to fix the problem.

The problem is, the problem is Everywhere. Everyone from senior citizens down to our toddlers are affected and it’s making each generation progressively bigger than the previous one. What’s most frightening to me: “In the 27-nation bloc, the EU says that over 21 million children are overweight. ‘’Even more worrying is that the rate of increase of that number is more than 400,000 children a year.'’” Wow.

Last one for today, and while it’s not exactly “Good news” it is very important news for any and all of us out there that happen to be overweight or obese. In this industry, I’m always finding articles, studies, research and documentation on why the obese are obese, why it’s harder to get out of that cycle, and what things are different for people who are overweight, versus those who are not. I just found another one that sheds a lot of light on this subject, and if read, and applied properly can be extremely helpful.

A new article published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research is showing that overweight and obese get less out of exercise than their normal weight counterparts. What this means is, there is a very good chance that overweight and obese people have to work even harder to get the same benefits as those who are not overweight. Does this mean you should give up? Absolutely not, in fact, the article says, “People who are overweight and obese experience numerous health benefits from exercise training programs even in the absence of significant amounts of weight loss or improvements in cardiopulmonary physical fitness.”

The study tested over 680 adults aged between 18 and 39, so the results are pretty accurate and conclusive. If anything, I hope people read this as initiative and a challenge to get up and make the changes their life needs. Some scientists also believe that the future of supplements can possibly play a role here, stepping in to help accommodate for the discrepancy in strength gains. I guess we’ll see, in the meantime, stick to it!

Yesterday I had a post about something to file in your “not-so-shocking” file…today, I have another one. How about this: New studies are showing that too much time in front of the television is bad for kids with Type 1 Diabetes. No!? Really?!

Apparently, the exact results of the study showed that, “Diabetic children who spent the most time glued to the TV had a tougher time controlling their blood sugar.” While this is not exactly shocking, it is important and just stresses once again how negative TV time truly can be. Not only does this study show its crazy influence in kids with Diabetes, it’s been proven time and time again that the more time in front of a television a child spends, the more likely he or she is to become overweight, obese, and suffer all the illnesses associated with both. Now imagine how deadly the combination of the two is, which happens altogether too often.

Bottom line, we need to turn the TV’s off, and open up the doors. The good news for all you parents out there is this: It’s almost Summer, with Summer comes nicer weather, more free time to spend OUTSIDE, and actually getting exercise. Want some help? Take the whole family to a Fit Express and show them how FUN fitness can be!

Listen up all you senior citizen readers of this fine blog establishment, because this one is just for you! Want even more incentive to listen, this one actually has some great news for you. According to new research, for some of you, all-day snacking might be your perfect prescription to better health, as opposed to 3 square meals a day.

That’s right, regular nibbling throughout the day, or “grazing” as I like to call it, might actually be more beneficial to some senior citizens than just eating 3 meals a day. A study recently conducted at Auburn University of 2,000 people aged 65 or older found that, “snackers ate more calories at a time in their lives when they are susceptible to weight loss and poor nutrition. Snacking provided significantly more protein, carbohydrates and fat.” The key there is, when they were susceptible to weight-loss. If, in fact, you are not suffering from weight-loss, but rather the opposite, obviously snacking would not be beneficial to you.

So, if you are finding yourself suffering from some weight-loss and the negative effects that can come from that, talk to your doctor, perhaps a changed regiment of snacking and grazing, coupled with regular daily exercise might be the way to turn things around! Just don’t forget about the exercise, I’ve already mentioned how it can actually keep your muscles young!

Hello friends, here’s another one to file in the “not-so-shocking” file for you…new studies are showing that drinking soda might be even more damaging to your health than previously believed. Not so shocked, are you?

We’ve long known that drinking soda can greatly increase your chances of becoming overweight, obese, and suffering from the pitfalls of that, but now studies are showing it might be worse than we thought. According to the article I just read, a preservative inside some sodas, sodium benzoate, can be deadly. The British research showed that, “Sodium benzoate has the ability to switch off vital parts of a person’s DNA…The problem is usually associated with aging and alcohol abuse, but new findings show that drinking soda with the preservative can eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s.” Not feelin’ so hot about that Coke you just downed, are you?

So, lets add this up…first off, we know drinking soda can greatly increase our chances of unwanted weight gain, can lead to obesity and Diabetes, and NOW we find out it can seriously damage our cells and create permanent damage to our liver?! At what point do we as a society write off soda altogether? I’m sold on getting rid of it, how about you?

We at Fit Express want to take a short break and just wish everyone a very Happy Memorial Day!

In lieu of weight-loss tips, exercise ideas or rants on the benefits of hydraulic resistance circuit training, today we just want to wish everyone a very Happy Memorial Day and ask that you keep all of the service-men and women that are defending our country in your thoughts, prayers, wishes and hopes.

They follow orders to keep us safe, the least we can do is give them our respect and take a day out to say Thank You!

Ask anyone who has EVER tried to get on a successful diet what the most challenging part was, and I bet they tell you it is really getting that diet off the ground, really getting it started. Everyone Wants to diet, everyone wants to lose those pesky few pounds, and everyone Wants to get on a healthy eating schedule, the reality is, many people never start. Why?

Perhaps it’s difficult to convince yourself it’s worth it, perhaps it’s tough working up the willpower, whatever the reason, the starting is not easy and it certainly isn’t fun. So, how do you “kick start” your diet? Today is your lucky day because I just found an article packed with simple ways to kick start your diet, whichever you decide to choose! As always, read the full article for more in-depth reasoning and analysis, but for now, here are 6 simple ways to kick-start your diet of choice:

“Step 1: Choose labor-intensive snacks
Step 2: Get “mind-full”
Step 3: Invest in new plates
Step 4: Have an appetizer
Step 5: Pack in the produce
Step 6: Practice “NEAT-ness” “

So, next time you decide to jump on the diet bandwagon, first and foremost remember that you absolutely MUST include exercise into your equation, and secondly, try any of the above-mentioned tips. When you’re done, write in and let us know how your diet went, and any tips you think people could benefit from!

30 minutes, I’m always talking about 30 minutes. The benefits of exercise if you can just squeeze in 30 minutes a day! What, you might be wondering, are the benefits exactly, that you can reap from 30 minutes of exercise???

I’m glad you asked! I just found an awesome article over at the Mayo Health Clinic that answers exactly that, and in detail. How in-detail do they actually go? I’m glad you asked again…as always, please head over and read the full article, but this is SO important, I’m going to quote them exactly. Here are some of the things that 30 minutes of daily exercise can do to you:

“Regular aerobic exercise can:

* Reduce health risks. Aerobic exercise reduces the risk of many conditions, including obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke and certain types of cancer. Weight-bearing aerobic exercises, such as walking, reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
* Help you manage chronic conditions. Aerobic exercise helps lower high blood pressure, control blood sugar and relieve chronic muscle pain. If you’ve had a heart attack, aerobic exercise can help prevent subsequent attacks.
* Keep excess pounds at bay. Combined with a healthy diet, aerobic exercise can help you lose weight — and keep it off.
* Ward off viral illnesses. Aerobic exercise activates your immune system. This leaves you less susceptible to minor viral illnesses, such as colds and flu.
* Keep your arteries clear. Aerobic exercise increases the concentration of high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or “good”) cholesterol and decreases the concentration of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol in your blood. The potential result? Less buildup of plaques in your arteries.
* Strengthen your heart. A stronger heart doesn’t need to beat as fast. A stronger heart also pumps blood more efficiently, which improves blood flow to all parts of your body.
* Boost your mood. Aerobic exercise can ease the gloominess of depression and reduce the tension associated with anxiety, as well as promote relaxation.
* Increase your stamina. Aerobic exercise may make you tired in the short term. But over the long term, you’ll enjoy increased stamina and reduced fatigue.
* Stay active and independent as you get older. Aerobic exercise keeps your muscles strong, which can help you maintain mobility as you get older. Aerobic exercise also keeps your mind sharp. Researchers say that at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three days a week can reduce cognitive decline in older adults.”

The last bit of “convincing” they offer is the simple fact that those who exercise live longer than those who don’t. Pretty good convincing, yes? At any rate, start slowly, talk to your doctor, then get your tush’s over to Fit Express, the industry leader of 30 minute fitness!

Whip out that handy list I’ve been slowly adding to over the past 2 years, I officially just found another reason to tack onto it for why to avoid obesity at all costs. How about this, obesity makes it even harder to breathe! That’s right friends and countrymen/women, new studies are definitively showing that asthma takes a much tougher toll on the obese than on those of normal weight.

The study was a large scaled study that took place in Atlanta, Georgia, and the results were, while not shocking, very important. They found that, “out of more than 3,000 patients with asthma, obese patients were 66 percent more likely to report continuous symptoms, 36 percent more likely to miss more days of work and 52 percent more likely to be classified as having either moderate or severe persistent asthma when compared to non-overweight people.” Wow. What makes the results even more dangerous, is the fact that the findings held true after the researchers adjusted for factors including gender, race, age, smoking status, and family history of asthma.

So what have we learned? Extra weight equals extra breathing problems if you’ve ever even had a twinge of asthma. While the exact, definitive link between asthma and obesity is still unclear, and still being sought after, it’s clear a link does exist. Some believe that the link could be because asthma can lead to reduced physical activity, which then leads to weight gain; could it be that weight gain leads to asthma, which then leads back to reduced physical activity which then promotes more weight gain?