I hope you had a pleasant summer and are looking forward to an active and enjoyable fall. We have three interesting and very different feature articles in this issue. In their feature, Physical Activity Promotion in a University Community: Using the Guide to Community Preventive Services, Gregory W. Heath, DHSc, M.P.H.; Gary Wilkerson, Ed.D., M.S., ATC; and Burch Oglesby, Ph.D., show how to use the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Guide to Preventive Services to promote physical activity in an urban environment. Although the focus on this article is on a university-community connection, the guidelines can be applied to other institutional or business settings as well. This is a timely article given the recent release of the U.S. National Physical Activity Plan.
As women enter the stage of life called menopause, numerous physiological changes occur. Menopause is a time often associated with increases in body weight and changes in body composition, but such changes are not inevitable. Barbara Bushman, Ph.D., FACSM, addresses this topic in her feature: Menopausal Weight Gain: Is it Really Inevitable? Learn how these undesirable changes can be mitigated with lifestyle modifications, including regular physical activity. A great read for students and fitness professionals alike.
In our third feature, Hatha Yoga: Benefits and Principles for a More Meaningful Practice, Nina Markil, M.S.; Christina A. Geithner, Ph.D., FACSM; and Tina M. Penhollow, Ph.D., CHES, explain how a Hatha yoga practice may be performed purely for physical reasons, as it has many fitness and health benefits. However, they show how we can move beyond these benefits by incorporating a few principles rooted in the foundations of yoga, and thereby transform our physical practice of yoga into a more mindful and meaningful lifestyle practice. This feature will welcome the newcomer to Hatha yoga and reinforce the understanding of those thoroughly involved in this exercise form. An excellent read.
Enjoy!
Ed
Edward T. Howley, Ph.D., FACSM
Editor-in-Chief