“If your goal is to finish, you just need to skate enough so that you can cover the distance. If your goal is to be faster, you have to train.”
There are training programs everywhere — in magazines, books, on the Internet. But eventually, exercise physiologists say, most people need guidance from a group with experienced coaches, like the one Mr. Gordon joined, or from personal coaches.
Training, though, can require such a commitment over so many years that many drop out. Not Mr. Gordon, who loves to train. And that love …

New research from the University of Illinois suggests that weight-loss campaigns that promote exercise may actually cause people to eat more.People who viewed posters suggesting that they “join a gym” or “take a walk” ate more food after looking at the posters than people who saw similarly designed posters prompting them to “make friends” or “be in a group,” the researchers found.
Subliminal words about being active had a similar effect on study participants, said psychology professor Dolores Albarracín, who led the research. “Viewers of the exercise messages ate significantly more …

U.S. kids are not only too heavy; they’re also out of shape, according to a new study of 5th and 7th grade students in Georgia.
Half didn’t reach minimum standards for healthy aerobic fitness, Dr. Kenneth E. Powell, a physician in private practice, and his colleagues found, while nearly a quarter didn’t make the grade in terms of muscle fitness, endurance or flexibility.
Powell and his team determined body mass index (BMI) and tested fitness and physical activity levels of 5,248 students from 93 schools across Georgia.
They found that 30 percent of …

* In the seven days before the survey, only 21.4% had eaten fruits and vegetables five or more times per day; 14.1% had consumed three or more glasses of milk per day.
* Roughly two-thirds failed to meet the recommended levels of physical activity. 
* 13.0% were obese, and an additional 15.8% were overweight.
* Only 10.3% wore sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher most of the time or always when outside for more than an hour on a sunny day; 17.4% routinely practiced sun-safe behaviors like wearing a hat and …