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Date Posted: 06:35:57 07/07/04 Wed
Author: J.R.Smith,c.f.t.,s.p.n.,s.s.c.
Subject: Editorial Response to Commonwealth Journal's Health article on Fitness

I read with some interest an article that appeared in the Commonwealth Journal on Monday, July 5th, 2004 entitled Beginning a journey to enjoy better health and fitness by David Young.

I wanted to respond to some degree about the content that Mr. Young presented in his approach to fitness and what was needed to do so.

Mr. Young noted that there is some confusion concerning fitness and the information coming out from many great minds and authorities and the conflict of theories from these individuals. My concern is this. Where does the confusion come from? If you look at the history of fitness it has a long and proven track record. Research that is in conflict of the well proven and established track record of strength and fitness training is highly questionable and the sources should be investigated with much caution.

For example, Eugene Sandow, who is known as the father of mondern day bodybuilding, helped define some of the well known and defining principles that are still in use today when it comes to strength training. In fact, there are 7 distinct laws or principles of strength and fitness training that have been developed over many years of the study of strength training and it's effect on the human body. When these 7 laws were eventually developed, it was the combination of many well known strength and Olympic coaches with a combination of over 350 years experience combined that contributed. And as everyone likes to say, "The proof is in the pudding". When research comes out that is contrary to these principles it is typically from those who have something to fear or are attempting to sell you a book or other training principle, magazine or supplement. Otherwise, the science doesn't grow old or stale, but is continually proven in the trenches by qualified, certified professional trainers.

On the other hand, research in the medical field is one that is continually changing. We can influence our medical condition through fitness which is a proven fact. No one in his right mind would dispute that. But again, much of what we have learned about fitness has been holding true since the late 1960's only because at that time, we finally had a cohesive plan. Medicine on the other hand, is constantly changing due to new understanding of how the micromechinisms of the body are finally being understood. Does that affect fitness? Not in the sense that it will dictate to you how to lift a weight or how to train effectively in your VO2 max zone. It will not help you in understanding recovery of the central nervous system or proprioceptive capabilities. And it will not help you to develop a better looking body. It will help your doctor to know how to treat you when you get sick and provide you with medication when you need it. Yes it does help us to know what to do for our bodies when they get sick and begin to experience problems that a typical fitness and nutrition plan simply cannot address. At that point, you should see a physician and allow him or her to take advantage of the current research that is available for your particular situation.

Conflict typically arises when you have credible research going head to head with research that is new or in development. The problem is that too many people would love to embrace new research simply because they believe anything new is good. Not so. In fact, I read research here lately that when you get a cold, that maybe the best thing for you is your mother's chicken soup. Is that new? Not in the least. Why is it good? Because mom fixes it? To some degree yes, but they have also found that the chicken broth releases certain biochemicals in your body to help fight the bugger that gave you the cold in the first place. But ultimately, the end result is that chances are you are still going to fight this thing for about 10 days, regardless of what you use. Which brings me to the often hyped and seldom proved eastern practices that Mr. Young was speaking about.

Eastern medicine has its followers and distractors. I myself do not believe that all eastern medicine is good. Much of it is anectdotal and even though has been around for thousands of years, we still don't know for a fact how many people have been hurt or helped from it. For example, ephedra, which in it's eastern form, Ma Huang, has been yanked from the shelves here in the US simply because it is so dangerous. Because it has been used for so many years in the east does not make it good. I have said for many years, that we have no idea of how helpful this herb is because the far east people did not keep records on why people died. So for many years, we simply have no idea of what helped or hindered many of these people. But that is just one herb and there are many more out there that we deal with on a daily basis.

For the most part, eastern medicine is something that does have to be proven in order to have any support from the AMA which is going to be a long time coming. The people of the far east may have had a greater interest in how the human body worked, they simply did not have the tools to determine if something actually did work. Much of their "results" were anectdotal and hearsay from other practitioners. For example reflexology is a practice of pin pointing certain places in the body and applying pressure or massage or placing stones in order to get a particular response in order to improve health. Much of what is known about reflexology is again anectdotal and cannot be confirmed by modern medicine. Granted, it may make you feel "Good" but the medical beneifts are far from being proven.

Many of the doctors practicing in the US that would use such methods of medicine are those who come from far eastern countries. These physicians should be closely watched by the AMA and you should be warey of using them since these are not proven methods of medical treatment. I could go on, but I hope you can see that just because there is a big move toward eastern medicine, it is typically not embraced by the western medicine practitioners and with good reason.

By the way, the eastern medicine practitioners are also those who embrace buddahism which is a practice in cult worship. Which brings me to the point Mr. Young was making about listening to the one advisor to guide us within ourselves.

I know today, this is not a popular stand, but it is one that I take nonetheless. I am a believer in Christ and I happen to know for a fact, within myself and seeing other things happen that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life and that no man can come unto the Father expect by him. THis is a fact and the fact that Christianity has been the largest religion in the world for over 2000 years has to bear witness to the fact. And the fact that the place where Christ was buried is now empty while the grave of Mohammand, Buddah, Confusious and a few others are still occupied should tell you something about the reality of Christ.

I have been working much longer at this than Mr. Young in that I started my fitness journey back in 1966 in martial arts under the guidance of a master, who by the way was a miserable man who followed Buddah. And the fact that I have been in the practice longer than Mr. Young also shows that this is something that has been a lifelong love of mine and I have made every attempt to glorify Christ and His plan for our lives and body. In fact, the Bible has much to say about our health and fitness but many people don't know that since most everyone reads it as a manual on getting saved or in many instances will attempt to use the "wrath and judgement" of God to show why they don't follow Christ.

Many poor souls are lost worst that a goose in a hail storm simply because they choose to follow their own selfish and ingnorant ways rather than the way that is designed by Christ to be easy and burden free. In fact, in proverbs it says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death". Isn't that the way with all cult and occult activity?

Mr. Young mentions that we must listen to that advisor within ourselves that will guide us to make the decisions to help us be healthy and fit. Jesus said that unless a man is born again, he cannot enter into heaven. That a man is first born of blood and water but the second birth is of the spirit. If a man or woman is to be reborn of the spirit and then the spirit of God begins to reside within that person, whereby all things have been made new, then what in the world is the advisor that Mr. Young speaks of that we should listen to if it is not of God?

The Holy Spirit that Jesus spoke of in the Gospel as well of in the book of Acts is our advisor, teacher and provider of wisdom. It was by the Holy Spirit that Soloman was given more knowledge and wisdom than any man on the face of the earth. If a man or woman has not recieved Christ as their savior, then there is absolutely no way a person can have an advisor within themselves by which they can recieve help or assistance. Jesus said, that if they are not with us, they are against us. So that being the case, the advisor that is inside of one, unless reborn of Christ, is bearing witness that it is against Christ and His kingdom.

I have worked diligently over the last 15 years of full time operation, in which I have totally devoted my life to fitness training and education, and to bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the fitness industry. There is only one God and one son, Jesus Christ. I have done this with the love of Christ and hopefully the compassion of His love, but I am only human and many times I have made mistakes. But I this I know and that is, I have never mislead anyone down the wrong path spiritually. I have no idea of which direction Mr. Young is going with his spiritual advisor, I only hope that he knows Christ as His lord and savior. But you cannot serve two masters as that is a double minded man. You cannot combine eastern mysticism and Christianity. That is a religion God will not recognize and I hope that this is not what Mr. Young professes. I simply do not know.

Many people today speak of having a spiritual experience. I have to ask, what does that mean? For most it simply means an emotional experience. The Bible is very explicit in this area. The soul is made up of the mind, will and emotions. It is totally separate from the spirit. The soul is our earthly awareness of what is going on. The spirit is by which we are given the ability to live on this earth and is created by God. And it is the spirit, which is reborn by the accepting of Christ as our savior, that we will live with Him for eternity. It is not our souls that will be reborn but our soul will have an understanding of what is going on. As Romans 12: 2 says, "Be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the RENEWING OF YOUR MIND", which is part of our soul. In fact it is your soul that will wake up your spirit if you will and tell you something is wrong and it needs to be changed. The Bible tells us that "faith comes by hearing"...which goes into the mind or the processing center of the soul, "and hearing by the word of God". Again, it is by the soul in which we are put on notice that we are lost and in in need of a savior.

Mr. Young's statement that "Where the spirit and mind lead, the body follows" is a very true statement. But it must be put into context. The mind will lead the spirit if the mind has not been renewed and the spirit reborn. Otherwise we are simply nothing more than creatures out to fulfill the lust and covetness of the flesh. It is only by receiving salvation that we can begin to understand that we must be lead by the spirit. The Bible tells us that those who are lead by the spirit of Christ are the sons of God.

Granted we can fill our minds with all kinds of stuff that can help us get healthy and feel good and get in great shape. But the question is, why put in all that effort to do something that will be burned away as chaff in the fire and nothing to be remembered? And where will you spend eternity?

Is is worth all of this, only to look good in the coffin and then to only be remembered for a few days after death and then never again? I would think that if I am getting in the best shape of my life I would want the influence of the Holy Spirit in my life to lead, guide and direct my path in the ways of everlasting life, not a short term tenure here on earth and then on to something some horrible that one cannot even imagine it. That being hell.

As Mr. Young stated, you need not know all the information that a trained does simply because you just need the leadership of a qualified trainer. But the facts are pretty solid and unrefutable. The science is solid and proven. Only when we begin to introduce the new age science of practices such as Yoga ( which has produced many orthopedic problems) and Pilates ( which is now under the Federal Trade Commission's watchful eye due to wild exaggerations and claims) do we get the ever changing science and confusing theories.

Stick with what works. And only a qualified professionally certified fitness trainer can help you to make the determination of what that can be. But don't fall in with the fads and trends just because there are those who are distractors of what actually works. In fact, most of your distractors and it's science has a tendency to come from the open mindedness of those in California. I for one have seen an open attack on all that is Holy in California and an attempt to replace it with new age thinking and belief systems. Yoga was born out of the Hindu religion and must be approached with much caution. Pilates is a newer more aggressive approach to Yoga with the use or equipment but was developed by Joseph Pilates in the late 1800's early 1900's. By the way, Joseph Pilates was an ectomorphic body type and anything he did would have made him look lean and healthy, it was not his unique approach to the use of yoga and combination of his own equipment design.

This pretty much covers my feelings on this matter. I will constantly work to clear up any misconceptions in the fitness industry simply because the industry is in the beginnings of becoming a credible industry and throwing around science that is not proven or exercises that have questionable background on their overall effectiveness on the human performance will always be addressed here in this forum. We cannot allow such "gray" information to take root while in the midst of creating the foundation for which all fitness professionals will have to start and prove themselves.

In the meantime, I hope you will give some considerations to the following information and take heed when working with a certified and professional fitness trainer.

The National Organization of Competency Assurance is the current standard by which the fitness industry is now being judged and evaluated as far as credibility and competency is concerned. The following organizations have completed or are completing the applications for approval by the NOCA in order to earn certification as credible. In case you may not know, the NOCA also certifies dieticians, nurses, physical therapists, doctors and many in the educational field. If they do not have the NOCA approval, then any organization cannot have recognition from both the fedral and state governments in order to receive funding, benefits and legal defense.

The following is a list of the current top 5 that have the approval or in the process of getting the approval of the NOCA. If your trainer is not certified by one of these organizations, then seek out one that is. Just being a physical therapist is not qualification enough to train individuals. In fact, I train several physical therapists as clients.

International Sports Sciences Association
National Academy of Sports Medicine
National Strength and Conditioning Association
American College of Sports Medicine
American Counsel on Exercise

As a note of interest, the International Sports Sciences Association or ISSA, was the very first organization in the United States to offer a certification for personal trainers beginning in 1986. The ISSA was founded by Dr. Fred Hatfield and Dr. Sal Arria, who also served as the Olympic physician for the cycling team. Both are leading professionals and researchers in the field of strength and fitness and both were at the forefront of the fitness boom, that occured during the 70's. The ISSA has an extensive board of directors and a virtual who's who of the fitness, strength, sports and medical industry, of which no other certification organization currently has. The ISSA has produced well over 40,000 certified personal trainers and provides more customized and speciality certifications that any other organization. The ISSA is the organization with whom I am certified with as a fitness trainer, and sports conditioning specialist. I am also earning my specialist in performance nutrition with the ISSA in 2004.

www.issaonline.com

The National Strength and Conditioning Association first worked in the sports conditioning field in colleges and professional ranks working exclusively with athletes. They, later in early 1990, began a personal trainer certification.
Their information is good and has a strong influence of sports conditioning.

The American College of Sports Medicine, although has been around longer than anyone else, typically offered certifications for individuals who worked in medical clinical settings and aerobics instructors. Not until the ISSA started certifying personal trainers did the ACSM begin theirs.

The National Academy of Sports Medicine actually started in Chicago Ill. and was only recognized by the state of Illinois. It orignially began with Dr. Goldman or Dr. Goldblum, not sure the exactness of his last name, who was also affiliated with Weider publications and was the editor of Muscle & Fitness. At the time the NASM could not be taken very seriously as they were too closely affiliated with Muscle & Fitness Magazine, which was exclusively a bodybuilding publication. Since then they have become more credible,but again, they did not come on line until the early 1990's.

The American Counsel on Exercise is probably the least of all these organizations and is probably the most shunned of all serious personal trainers. ACE as it is called, offers a generic certification and covers basic information that gives them the ability to recieve the NOCA certification. Most ACE trainers cannot make serious fitness assessments nor can they form any biomechanical / postural assessments. The ACE came on line in the very late 1980's, early 1990's. The information contained within their manuals is good but not worth of a qualified serious trainer.

I hope this will help you make an informed decision on how to choose a professionally certified fitness trainer.

The information contained in this article are based upon my opinions and are not the opinions of the ISSA or any other agency.

Have a strong and healthy day.
J.R.Smith, c.f.t., s.s.c.,s.p.n
BioFit Exercise Technologies
Professional Fitness Conditioning Specialist

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