This time of year signals the advent of cold weather in many areas of the country. During a typical winter, it is not uncommon to hear about cardiac-related deaths linked to physical exertion—namely snow shoveling. What is it about the combination of cold weather and physical exertion that places a person at risk for a…
Just like the ABCs of a language, there are the ABCs of physical activity. Â The fundamental movement skills that make up the ABCs of physical activity can be broken down into three categories: 1. Locomotor skills: Running, jumping, hopping and skipping 2. Object-control skills: Catching, throwing, kicking and bouncing 3. Stability skills: Balancing, twisting, rotation…
Three years ago, I began providing private mindfulness meditation sessions to a young man who was on the road to recovery from what had been a mysterious and difficult-to-diagnose illness. In fact, it took the collaborative efforts of physicians from a variety of specialties over an 18-month period to determine the root cause of what…
ACE Advocacy and Outreach  Financially supporting your children is part of the imaginary contract you sign when you become a parent, but we all know this can be a struggle for a lot of families. Unfortunately, tight family budgets can make it difficult to pay for the extracurricular activities kids want to participate in, like youth sport…
Regular physical activity in childhood and adolescence is important for motor development and overall health and fitness. Additionally, solid physical activity behaviors in the early years can help to set a foundation for life-long exercise adherence and an appreciation for physical activity. Unfortunately, most kids are not getting enough exercise. In 2016, only 21.6% of…
The statistics are startling to most of us, but, unfortunately, probably not all that surprising to people working in public health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Black people are 1.4 times as likely to contract COVID-19 than their white counterparts, 3.7 times as likely to be hospitalized and 2.8 times…
The American Cancer Society has updated its guidelines on diet and physical activity for cancer prevention, identifying the four key elements of reducing a person’s lifetime risk of developing or dying from cancer: Staying at a healthy weight Staying active throughout life Following a healthy eating pattern Avoiding or limiting alcohol consumption Only “not smoking”…
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recently published a Call to Action Statement on COVID-19 Considerations for Sports and Physical Activity. Here is what ACE Certified Professionals need to know to put these recommendations into practice when working with clients. While there are still a lot of unknowns when it comes to COVID-19, we…
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released their 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior. Globally, many adults and adolescents do not meet recommendations for physical activity and there is an urgent need for countries to prioritize and invest in services that get people moving. These updates were made as part of a WHO…