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Ask the Fitness Pro

The Bod Pod

By DAN STRAYTON
As published June 1, 2011

On a recent evening at our health club, we were visited by a traveling body fat and metabolism measuring tool called the Bod Pod (www.befittest.com). The Bod Pod is a unique egg-shaped chamber that produces accurate estimates of one's [more]


Youth sports needs more fitness focus

By DAN STRAYTON
As published March 2, 2011

Over the past decade (or longer), youth are spending more and more time in organized athletics and less time in “play”. At first glance, this may sound great.

Playing sports can keep kids active, teach them new skills, help them develop [more]


Progressing from a walker to a runner

By DAN STRAYTON
As published Feb. 16, 2011

Dear Dan,

I have been walking for my exercise for the past year but I am thinking about trying to take up running and perhaps even enter a 5K race for some added motivation. How should I begin?

Leann, Mt. Airy
[more]


Be proactive in 2011

By DAN STRAYTON
As published Feb. 2, 2011

Well, it’s that time of year. The time when we are motivated to become the person we’ve always wanted to be, to make changes we’ve always wanted to make and to see improvements in ourselves that we’ve always wanted to see.
[more]


Personal fitness key component of emergency preparedness

By DAN STRAYTON
As published Feb. 17, 2010

In light of our recent major snowstorms and state of emergency due to the enormous accumulation of snow, I thought it would be appropriate to re-run a column I wrote a number of years ago following the devastation caused by Hurricane [more]


Exercises for improved posture, healthier joints

By DAN STRAYTON
As published Dec. 2, 2009

Dear Dan,

I enjoyed your column on the importance of good posture. What are some of the exercises you would recommend to address this issue? – Frank, Mt. Airy

Dear Frank,

One of the most important ways in which we can [more]


Fitness is a necessity in stressful times

By DAN STRAYTON
As published July 15, 2009

All of us experience periods in our lives where our stress levels seem to exceed our capacity to handle them. This may be one of those periods for a lot of people out there today.

Job stress, financial stress, health stress [more]


Intensity and commitment are keys to program success

By DAN STRAYTON
As published June 3, 2009

Dear Dan,

I have seen a number of programs on TV that suggest, if you follow their exercise plans, you can see incredible results (the latest being the P90X program). What do you think of these kinds of programs – are [more]


Exercise preserves and protects

By DAN STRAYTON
As published April 1, 2009

Last issue, I wrote about how exercise/fitness is really about lifestyle enhancement – being fit allows you to do the things you love more often, with less effort and stress and with greater enjoyment as a result. Hobbies like gardening, golf, [more]


USA Today headline says it all

By DAN STRAYTON
As published March 4, 2009

A recent article in USA Today’s Life section (Tuesday, Feb. 10) carried the headline, “Quality of life improves with exercise” – a simple statement that gets right at the core benefit of exercise and the primary reason why we should be [more]


Health = Wealth

By DAN STRAYTON
As published Feb. 4, 2009

Dear Dan,

I’m trying to decide what type of exercise equipment to purchase for my home but I’m not sure which has the best value for the money (or whether I should just join a health club instead). Which do you [more]