National Athletic Trainers\u27 Association Position Statement: Safe Weight Loss and Maintenance Practices in Sport and Exercise

Objective: To present athletic trainers with recommendations for safe weight loss and weight maintenance practices for athletes and active clients and to provide athletes, clients, coaches, and parents with safe guidelines that will allow athletes and clients to achieve and maintain weight and body composition goals. Background: Unsafe weight management practices can compromise athletic performance and negatively affect health. Athletes and clients often attempt to lose weight by not eating, limiting caloric or specific nutrients from the diet, engaging in pathogenic weight control behaviors, and restricting fluids. These people often respond to pressures of the sport or activity, coaches, peers, or parents by adopting negative body images and unsafe practices to maintain an ideal body composition for the activity. We provide athletic trainers with recommendations for safe weight loss and weight maintenance in sport and exercise. Although safe weight gain is also a concern for athletic trainers and their athletes and clients, that topic is outside the scope of this position statement. Recommendations: Athletic trainers are often the source of nutrition information for athletes and clients; therefore, they practices, and methods to change body composition. Body composition assessments should be done in the most scientifically appropriate manner possible. Reasonable and individualized weight and body composition goals should be identified by appropriately trained health care personnel (eg, athletic trainers, registered dietitians, physicians). In keeping with the American Dietetics Association (ADA) preferred nomenclature, this document uses the terms registered dietitian or dietician when referring to a food and nutrition expert who has met the academic and professional requirements specified by the ADA\u27s Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education. In some cases, a registered nutritionist may have equivalent credentials and be the commonly used term. All weight management and exercise protocols used to achieve these goals should be safe and based on the most current evidence. Athletes, clients, parents, and coaches should be educated on how to determine safe weight and body composition so that athletes and clients more safely achieve competitive weights that will meet sport and activity requirements while also allowing them to meet their energy and nutritional needs for optimal health and performance

Conducta ocupacional sedentaria y soluciones para aumentar la termogénesis no asociada al ejercicio

Conforme aumenta la prevalencia de la obesidad en todo el mundo, los investigadores buscan explicaciones para este fenómeno, en particular aquellas relevantes al gasto energético. Se ha identificado que la termogénesis no asociada al ejercicio, abreviada como NEAT (por sus siglas en inglés), es un componente discreto, pero a la vez considerable, del gasto energético diario total. Las exigencias de algunas ocupaciones limitan la disposición de tiempo para la actividad física planificada y claramente reducen la NEAT, lo cual contribuye a las conductas sedentarias que provocan la adiposidad aumentada. Se ha identificado específicamente al tiempo sentado prolongado durante la jornada laboral como un factor de riesgo para la obesidad y las enfermedades crónicas, independientemente de otros factores de riesgo existentes. Se han puesto en práctica algunas estrategias prácticas para aumentar la NEAT durante la jornada laboral: existen estaciones de trabajo que requieren mantener el equilibrio mientras se trabaja sentado en una pelota suiza (bola de ejercicio) o trabajar de pie, también otras en las que se pedalea sentado o se camina en una banda sin fin incorporada al escritorio, para contrarrestar los períodos prolongados de conducta sedentaria en el trabajo. Aunque hay pocos datos sobre los beneficios crónicos de estas estaciones, aquellas que promueven más movimiento —las estaciones de pedaleo o de caminata—aumentan los MET y el gasto energético total más que las otras alternativas. La desventaja de moverse más es que podría haber una disminución en la atención del trabajo de escritorio y, por lo tanto, una disminución en el funcionamiento cognitivo; sin embargo, los datos no son consistentes y puede ser que el beneficio para la salud sea igual o mayor que la desventaja de experimentar algunas pequeñas distracciones durante las tareas de escritorio

Occupational Sedentary Behavior and Solutions to Increase Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis

As the prevalence of obesity rises worldwide, researchers pursue explanations for the phenomenon, particularly those relevant to energy expenditure.  Non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT, has been identified as an inconspicuous but appreciable component of total daily energy expenditure.  Demands of certain occupations discourage time for planned physical activity and clearly diminish NEAT, and thereby contribute to sedentary behaviors that underlie increased adiposity. Prolonged sitting during the workday has specifically been identified as a risk factor for obesity and chronic disease independent of existing risk factors.  Practical strategies have been launched by industry to increase NEAT during the workday.  Workstations that involve maintaining balance while sitting on an exercise ball, standing, pedaling while sitting, and walking at a treadmill desk have been developed to counter extended periods of sedentary behavior at work.  While data are limited particularly for chronic benefits, the stations that promote the most movement – the pedaling and walking stations – increase METS and energy expenditure more so than the other alternatives.  The drawback to greater motion may be reduced attention to the desk job and therefore, reduced cognitive function; however, the data are inconsistent and the benefit for health may outweigh small distractions for some tasks at the desk. As the prevalence of obesity continues to increase, researchers pursue explanations for the phenomenon, particularly those relevant to energy expenditure.  Non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT, has been identified as an inconspicuous but appreciable component of total daily energy expenditure.  Lifestyle behaviors that reduce movement, alter NEAT, and contribute to sedentaryism may underlie increased adiposity.  Sitting during the work day has specifically been identified as a risk factor for obesity and chronic disease independent of existing risk factors.  Practical strategies have been launched by industry to increase NEAT during the workday.  Workstations that involve maintaining balance while sitting on a exercise ball, standing, pedaling while sitting, and walking at a treadmill desk have been developed to counter sedentaryism at work.  While data are limited particularly for chronic benefits, the stations that promote the most movement – the pedaling and walking stations – increase METS and energy expenditure more so than the other alternatives.  The drawback to greater motion may be reduced attention to the desk job and therefore, reduced cognitive function; however, the data are inconsistent and the benefit for health may outweigh small distractions for some tasks at the desk

Post-Exercise Rehydration in Athletes: Effects of Sodium and Carbohydrate in Commercial Hydration Beverages

The effects of varying sodium (Na) and carbohydrate (CHO) in oral rehydration solutions (ORS) and sports drinks (SD) for rehydration following exercise are unclear. We compared an ORS and SD for the percent of fluid retained (%FR) following exercise-induced dehydration and hypothesized a more complete rehydration for the ORS (45 mmol Na/L and 2.5% CHO) and that the %FR for the ORS and SD (18 mmol Na/L and 6% CHO) would exceed the water placebo (W). A placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind clinical trial was conducted. To induce 2.6% body mass loss (BML, p > 0.05 between treatments), 26 athletes performed three 90 min interval training sessions without drinking fluids. Post-exercise, participants replaced 100% of BML and were observed for 3.5 h for the %FR. Mean ± SD for the %FR at 3.5 h was 58.1 ± 12.6% (W), 73.9 ± 10.9% (SD), and 76.9 ± 8.0% (ORS). The %FR for the ORS and SD were similar and greater than the W (p < 0.05 ANOVA and Tukey HSD). Two-way ANOVA revealed a significant interaction with the ORS having greater suppression of urine production in the first 60 min vs. W (SD did not differ from W). By 3.5 h, the ORS and SD promoted greater rehydration than did W, but the pattern of rehydration early in recovery favored the ORS

ACSM Expert Consensus Statement on Weight Loss in Weight-Category Sports

Weight-category sports are defined by the requirement of a weigh-in before competition to provide performance equity and reduced injury risks by eliminating size discrepancies. Athletes in these sports try to gain a theoretical advantage by competing in weight divisions that are lower than their day-to-day body mass (BM), using a combination of chronic strategies (body-fat losses) and acute manipulations over a period of hours to days before weigh-in (“making weight”). Strategies to support safer practices include minimal competition weight classification based on preseason body composition, reductions in the period between weigh-in and competition, and prohibition of unhealthy weight loss techniques. At an individual level, expert guidance by a sports nutrition professional can help an athlete to establish a pragmatic and long-term approach to BM management, recognizing the nuances of their sport, to achieve favorable outcomes for both health and performance

National Athletic Trainers' Association Position Statement: Safe Weight Loss and Maintenance Practices in Sport and Exercise

Objective: To present athletic trainers with recommendations for safe weight loss and weight maintenance practices for athletes and active clients and to provide athletes, clients, coaches, and parents with safe guidelines that will allow athletes and clients to achieve and maintain weight and body composition goals. Background: Unsafe weight management practices can compromise athletic performance and negatively affect health. Athletes and clients often attempt to lose weight by not eating, limiting caloric or specific nutrients from the diet, engaging in pathogenic weight control behaviors, and restricting fluids. These people often respond to pressures of the sport or activity, coaches, peers, or parents by adopting negative body images and unsafe practices to maintain an ideal body composition for the activity. We provide athletic trainers with recommendations for safe weight loss and weight maintenance in sport and exercise. Although safe weight gain is also a concern for athletic trainers and their athletes and clients, that topic is outside the scope of this position statement. Recommendations: Athletic trainers are often the source of nutrition information for athletes and clients; therefore, they must have knowledge of proper nutrition, weight management practices, and methods to change body composition. Body composition assessments should be done in the most scientifically appropriate manner possible. Reasonable and individualized weight and body composition goals should be identified by appropriately trained health care personnel (eg, athletic trainers, registered dietitians, physicians). In keeping with the American Dietetics Association (ADA) preferred nomenclature, this document uses the terms registered dietitian or dietician when referring to a food and nutrition expert who has met the academic and professional requirements specified by the ADA's Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education. In some cases, a registered nutritionist may have equivalent credentials and be the commonly used term. All weight management and exercise protocols used to achieve these goals should be safe and based on the most current evidence. Athletes, clients, parents, and coaches should be educated on how to determine safe weight and body composition so that athletes and clients more safely achieve competitive weights that will meet sport and activity requirements while also allowing them to meet their energy and nutritional needs for optimal health and performance