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Fitness
Online
by David Sloniegura
Though we
encourage linking, this article may not be reproduced or
distributed without the express written consent of the author
The internet has gone from
a tool used only in the military to something that has practically
become a necessity in this day and age. It has become a valuable
source of information for many, many people that it can actually
replace books for some of them. Just about anything can be done on
the ‘net’, from personal banking to playing the stock market,
shopping, and viewing adult-rated material. There are a lot of great
things that can be done on the net, but then again, there are a lot
of bad things that can be done on the net. Chat rooms are great
places for pedophiles to prey on innocent children. People can
intercept email and find out a lot of personal information about a
person. People can literally destroy the information stored in
someone else’s computer just by attaching a virus to either email
or to anything that can be downloaded onto your computer.
The type of information that can be sought on the internet is very
diverse. There are many legitimate websites offering
well-documented information an almost any topic.
However, there are also a whole lot of ‘free speech’ websites,
where anything can be said without any substantial proof. The same
goes for exercise/fitness-related websites. There are some very good
websites out there, offering very useful information with quality
references to back them up, while others are just giving you a whole
lot of fluff to sell you some supplements.
This is the first of a series of articles that will give you a head
start as to where to look for reliable up-to-date information in the
fitness industry.
THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SPORTS MEDECINE
(ACSM.org):
According to this official website, The American College of Sports
Medicine (ACSM) is an organization that was founded in
1954. Many professionals in the field of medicine and exercise, as
well as ‘regular people’ are the members that make up this
organization. ACSM members share the same goals, which is to promote
physical activity and healthier lifestyles by employing the latest
research in the field of medicine and exercise. The ACSM itself also
deals with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of injuries
related to sports.
The ACSM mission statement is as follows:
The American College of Sports Medicine promotes and integrates
scientific research, education, and practical application of sports
medicine and exercise science to maintain and enhance physical
performance, fitness, health, and quality of life.
There are about 18,000 ACSM members worldwide, grouped into
three categories:
1) Medicine- Professionals such as cardiologists, orthopedic
surgeons, family practitioners, doctors practicing internal
medicine, etc., are all members.
2) Basic and Applied Science- Professionals specializing in the
science of exercise (and research) such as exercise
physiologists, exercise program directors and biomechanists all have
their place with this organization.
3) Education and Allied Health- Professionals dealing with the
practical side of medicine and exercise such as physical educators,
nurses, athletic trainers and physical therapists all make their own
contribution to the ACSM organization.
If you would like to become a member, you can. You don’t need to
worry about being a doctor or exercise physiologist because there
are many types of memberships to the ACSM.
Looking in the Member Service Center category, the types of
members are:
a) Professional Members: This type of membership is available to
anyone with at least an exercise/health-related undergraduate degree
(from a recognized university) under their belt. The degree can be i
another field if said person is already working in a sports
medicine/ exercise-related field.
b) Professional Member-in-Training:
c) Graduate Student Member
d) Undergraduate Student Member
e) Associate Member: To be an associate member does not
require a university degree, just an interest in the sports medicine
or exercise science field. So basically anyone who wants to be in
the ACSM circle, can.
f) ACSM’S Alliance of Health and Fitness Professionals: This
category is also open to anyone interested in health and fitness.
For those of you interested in being up-to-date on the latest in
health and fitness, but don’t want to go through the trouble to
become an ACSM member, there’s still hope yet.
Under the section ACSM Publications in Member Service Center, you
can take a look at the publications that are available both to ACSM
members and the general public. These publications are designed to
" increase awareness, interest, and education about various
aspects of sports medicine and exercise science." Two
publications worth checking out are their brochures and their
magazines.
The ACSM brochures are available free of charge, and cover a wide
range of topics including: Eating Smart, even when you are
pressed for time, Nutrition and Sports performance, and Sprains,
Strains and tears .
With respect to magazines, ACSM has an official journal called
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. Published
monthly, this journal can get you in the know on the scientific part
of health and exercise, with informative clinical studies and
research of various topics of importance. Also available as
resources are the Sports Medicine Bulletin and ACSM’S
Health and Fitness Journal.
If you are looking for a career in the fitness industry, this
website ia a good place to start. Check out the Certification and
Career Center part of this website to give you what you need in
terms of the different types of ACSM certifications and workshops,
and even information on how to prepare for an ACSM certification
exam. There is a ‘classified’ section on this website if you are
already certified and are looking for a job, so all in all this is a
pretty useful section of the website.
Heading into the Media Room part of this website, you will find some
information about ACSM’s background and the categories (already
mentioned at the beginning of this article), plus you get into
Archived ACSM News released, which will keep you up-to-date on the
latest developments in exercise science.
Here are some of what you will see:
i) "Study reveals that Chromium Picolinate does not
significantly alter body composition in trained athletes:
researchers conclude that more research is necessary before
transferring findings to the general population" - Feb 1999
ii) " Does exercise help or harm a cold? ACSM
researchers looking for answers to timely questions" -Jan 1999
iii) " Exercise in long session or short frequent ones ,
say researchers: fat reduction almost the same: study confirms that
accumulating shorter sessions has same effect reducing blood
fats" -Nov 1998
You can also view ACSM material and contact info for other
interesting topics including ACL injuries, HIV patients and
exercise, tobacco and performance, bodyweight and performance and
Achilles tendon injuries.
One last area of interest on this website for getting some useful
information to help with your ‘exercise education’ is the
section Current Comments available for ACSM . In this section, there
are topics in the field of sportsmedicine and exercise science such
as Tennis Elbow, Chromium Supplementation, and Weight Loss in
Wrestlers, all geared to the interest of the public at-large.
Copies of these topics are available free of charge through the ACSM.
David Sloniegura
is an Albany-based fitness expert with schooling in Exercise Science
and Nutrition. He travels throughout the United States and Canada
helping people obtain their fitness goals on a one-to-one basis. He
does this not only by incorporating basic fitness and nutrition
concepts within a gym setting, but also by following them throughout
any particular day in order to evaluate their other lifestyle
habits. He has just released his first video called ABNATOMY
(www.abnatomy.com)
For more information
on his travel schedule or if you have any questions on fitness,
David can be reached online at dsloniegura@fitnessdavid.com
, www.fitnessdavid.com
or by telephone at 518-449-4108
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