Not to Tax on Fitness!

Kind readers of Healthy Hints, your action is desparately needed.

In a desperate money grab, record industry bosses want to hike up the fees fitness centres pay for music – in many cases by more than a staggering 4000% - to plug a hole left in their pockets by declining CD sales. Note that this money will go to record companies, not the artists!

The proposal will see the fees the fitness industry pays for the use of music rise from $1.5 million per year to a possible $100 million per year.

At a time when Australia has been named the fattest nation in the world, people should be encouraged to exercise and get healthy – instead, the record industry is trying to impose a tax on fitness that will almost certainly result in an increase in your membership fees, and put fitness centres out of business.

REGISTER YOUR PROTEST

The fitness industry is not taking this lying down and will oppose it when the case goes to the Copyright Tribunal on 16th March. You can find out more at www.fitness.org.au, but what we really need you to do is show your support by clicking the link below and registering your protest. And spread the word - get your friends involved, talk about it online – anything that will help us tell the record industry bosses that you’re not going to accept this unwarranted and unfair cash grab.

Register your protest now at www.taxonfitness.org

Thanks for your help

Steve

The Importance of Strength Training

A recent newspaper article entitled "Aussie Children shaping up for higher risk of heart disease and diabetes" (The Sunday Age, 29/2/09) indicates that the proportion of fat in children's total body composition has risen 1% per decade since the 1950's. This figure in itself is alarming.

But what is more interesting in this article is that being lean can also be unhealthy.

What?

Yes, being lean in itself can set a child (or an adult for that matter) up for many health problems in the future.

How you ask?

This article states that thinness without muscle mass can cause problems later in life. Those activities that build muscle mass (such as body weight exercises, running, jumping, pushing, lifting and pulling) can lead to less bone development early in life and potentially osteoporosis later in life. Especially in the female population.

Furthermore, muscle is the most metabolically active tissue in the body. So if muscle mass isn't developed, you are not burning all the calories you can be. And when it comes time for you body's metabolism to naturally slow (generally around late 20's onwards), you are going to gradually lay down more and more fat as your body just doesn't have the most effective tool to burn your energy intake.

So, continue with your cardio exercise programs (walking, running, etc) but add some muscle building activities (weight training, bodyweight strength training, etc).

If you don't know where to start, talk to your local personal trainer or fitness staff at a local gym.

And ladies - NO, you will not bulk up and look like a body builder. Find out why you won't bulk up, and more importantly, why it is essetial for females to undertake strength training at "Ladies-Do Weights".