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Can Functional Movement Screening Predict Injury Risk in Older Adults?
If you’ve had a physical fitness assessment in the past, you probably underwent tests of cardiorespiratory endurance, body composition, and muscular strength. However, a different type of physical assessment, the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), is gaining popularity as a way to identify movement limitations and risk of injury.
African Americans At Greatest Risk of Vitamin D Deficiency
An estimated 40% of American adults may be vitamin D deficient. For African-Americans, that number may be nearly double at 76% according to a new study by The Cooper Institute.
The 1975 Elite Runners Study: How Are Elite Distance Runners Different From the Rest of Us?
Following the 1968 best-selling publication of “Aerobics” by Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the number of runners and joggers increased exponentially through the 1970s. Frank Shorter’s gold and silver medals in the 1972 and 1976 Olympic marathons, respectively, and Jim Fixx’s best-seller, “The Complete Book of Running,” helped fuel this trend as running became a mainstream fitness activity.
Is High-fructose Corn Syrup Really any Worse Than any Other Simple Sugar?
In recent years, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has been projected as one of the leading causes of the obesity epidemic in Americans. But, does science really support this view? With all the public shaming and campaigns against HFCS, we wanted to take a closer look at how HFCS stacks up against other types of highly-refined sugar before casting it as the dietary villain.
The Truth About the Keto Diet
Here we go again… The internet is buzzing about the latest dietary fad, the Ketogenic Diet. Unlike other diet plans, the Ketogenic (or keto) Diet isn’t actually new. This low-carbohydrate diet is similar to the Atkins Diet of the 1970s and the South Beach Diet of the late 1990s. Same diet, different name.
New Update to Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans
A lot has changed in health research in 10 years, and the latest report shows just how much. On Nov. 12, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (PAGA), 2nd Edition. The report is an update of the 1st Edition of the Guidelines which was published in 2008. Dr. William Haskell, a researcher for The Cooper Institute and professor emeritus at Stanford University, served on the scientific advisory committee for the report and helped shape the new guidelines.
50 Years of the Cooper 12-Minute Run
For those of us who are physically active and even just a little bit competitive, we tend to be curious about our level of cardiorespiratory (aerobic) fitness and how we compare to our peers.
Framingham Heart Study shows that HDL Cholesterol Levels should not be interpreted in a vacuum!
For nearly four decades, HDL cholesterol has been known as the ‘good cholesterol.’ Over the past few years, researchers have been trying to determine whether or not HDL by itself is protective against heart disease, or if it’s just the fact that high HDL levels are often seen individuals who are physically fit and/or do not have many risk factors for heart disease. Read on to learn more!
Cardiorespiratory Fitness, the Triglyceride: HDL Ratio and Coronary Heart Disease Mortality Risk in Men
A while back, we talked about the importance of the blood Triglyceride: HDL ratio. To refresh your memory, we calculate the ratio simply by dividing the fasting blood triglyceride level by the blood level of HDL cholesterol.
Fitness Norms and Fitness Standards are Apples and Oranges
As you may know, The Cooper Institute has taught hundreds of law enforcement workshops across the country over the past four decades. My colleagues and I find that many of our law enforcement friends use the terms ‘fitness norms’ and ‘fitness standards’ interchangeably.