Drum roll please -- the Top 20 Fitness Trends for 2009 have been released by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Guess what? They look fairly similar to the 2008 list. But one good thing -- a trend is far more entrenched than a fad, so if you like the 2009 list, they're here to stay awhile.

More than 1,500 ACSM-certified fitness professionals worldwide provided their input to reveal the following trends for 2009:

• Educated and experienced fitness professionals: Whether it's your aerobics, yoga or another instructor, choose professionals certified by accredited organizations. Accreditation by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies is the gold standard.
• Children and obesity: Kids are on the fitness radar, now we need to attract them into a safe harbor of lifelong fitness to combat the obesity epidemic.
• Personal training: Hopefully the days of Joe Trainer credentialed solely by big biceps is a thing of the past at most health clubs.
  
  

Check out the 2009 Top 20 here -- wobble boards (pictured) and BOSU balls are rising stars, the core continues strong, and wellness coaching made the list.

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The American College of Sports Medicine has tallied the statistics to rank 15 of America's largest metropolitan cities. Which cities were deemed the fittest? Which fell at the bottom, and why?

The goal of the fitness index is to give a quick glimpse of the health status of America's metropolitan areas. Ultimately the ACSM hopes to help cities achieve a higher level of physical activity and healthy eating habits. The reports about each city include strategies for improvement. The top five cities were:

• San Francisco, CA
• Seattle, WA
• Boston, MA
• Washington D.C.
• Atlanta, GA

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Because of noncompliance to past recommended guidelines, the American College of Sports Medicine has issued new recommendations for healthy adults aged 18 through 65.

The ACSM previously suggested that adults perform one hour of moderate-intensity exercise per day, seven days a week. But, 90 percent of Americans basically told the ACSM to screw, opting instead for a less rigorous exercise program or none at all. In response, the ACSM has revised their exercise recommendation, to include performing at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise (such as a brisk walk), five days a week or intense exercise (such as jogging) three days per week for 20 minutes. A combination of moderate-intensity and intense exercise is also acceptable. In addition, the ACSM recommends the incorporation of two days of resistance training; completing 8 to 12 repetitions of 8 to 10 different resistance training exercises.

Let's hope it sticks this time. If not, I suppose it's back to the drawing board for the ACSM.

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The American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine have issued some new exercise guidelines and have clarified some of the old ones recently. Here's a quick summation of what they've mandated:

• Whereas the old guidelines recommended 30-minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week, they've clarified that we should be getting 30-minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity at least 5 days a week or 20-minutes of vigorous-intensity activity three times a week.
  
• This must be in addition to your day-to-day activities, so housework doesn't count. But it doesn't mean you need to fork out a bunch of money for a gym -- there are lots of ways to get in your daily activity.
  
• The new guidelines emphasize the important of weight-training too, particularly for seniors.

If you want to find out more, visit the American College of Sports Medicine's website. And make sure you're getting enough activity -- your life is at stake.

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