Subscribe Subscribe | Subscribe Comments RSS
Sports, Athletic, and Fitness

California Athletic Trainers ?Fight to be Defined? — Unqualified Athletic Trainers Free to Practice in California

Posted on Mar 10, 2011 under Athletic | No Comment

SAN DIEGO, CA (PRWEB) April 27, 2006

The state of California is a dumping ground for unlicensed, unqualified athletic trainers. Currently, California does not regulate the practice of athletic training, meaning anyone can label themselves an “athletic trainer” without holding the proper credentials.

The California Athletic Trainer’s Association has announced it will present a bill in the State Capital in April calling for a defined scope of practice for athletic training to help weed out unqualified athletic trainers working with California’s athletes and consumers. For more information visit http://fwata.org/com_govaffairs.html.

Problem: a certified athletic trainer in a surrounding state that licenses athletic training loses his/her license to practice.

Solution: he/she can come to California to practice without any government regulation.

Athletes young, old, pro, collegiate and amateur are at SERIOUS risk for injury or worse, disability, working with an unqualified athletic trainer. Question is: Who’s taking care of young athletes in high school sports?

Athletic trainers are everywhere, not just with pro sports teams, but also with high schools, colleges and even in major California corporations like UPS and SDG&E. Because no standard set of regulations exist for athletic training, the proliferation of athletic trainers in California presents a serious health hazard to athletes in the state.

The American Medical Association recognizes athletic trainers as allied health professionals.

“We are more than stereotypical ankle tapers,” said Mike West, California Athletic Trainers Association Governmental Affairs chair. “Athletic trainers are there every step of the way for our athletes from performance training, injury prevention, on-site emergency care and rehabilitation. A high school quick to hire an athletic trainer, without checking his/her credentials first, may risk improper care of its athletes.”

Certified athletic trainers are fighting to be defined in the state of California!

California’s certified athletic trainers lack a clear definition for the level of expertise they offer. The athletic training bill introduced in Sacramento this month calls for a state-recognized definition and scope of practice for athletic training, making it mandatory for those who practice as an athletic trainer to register with the State. Support and passage of this bill will protect the public from unqualified practitioners – making it a crime to work as an athletic trainer, call oneself an athletic trainer or provide athletic training services without being registered.    

West, also a high school athletic director in Chino Hills, California, emphasizes the importance of making sure every high school athletic team has a qualified athletic trainer on staff to properly treat student athletes – from acute to serious injuries.

“Despite limited funding, California high schools need to take the initiative to find the most qualified athletic trainer for their athletes,” said West. “Parents of young athletes need to be educated about who’s working with their children.”

About the California Athletic Trainers Association:

Athletic trainers are health care professionals who specialize in the provision of physical medicine and rehabilitation services, serving as physician extenders in the prevention, assessment and treatment of acute and chronic injuries and illnesses. The California Athletic Trainers Association http://www.cata-usa.org represents and supports 2,200 members of the athletic training profession through communication and education.

###



Free Fitness Programs That You Can Do at Home Today

Posted on Nov 05, 2009 under fitness program | No Comment

There are plenty of free fitness programs to choose from but you do need to plan your workout carefully to have something that suits you. Your program will determine how quickly and effectively you can reach your goals.

The most important thing is that it should be as simple and as fun as possible, while being well suited to your fitness levels and preferences and of course your time schedule is crucial.

You can pick out different fitness programs to include in your workout routine either online or by watching DVDs. It is a good idea to have some different and not do exactly the same exercise day after day. You want to be sure you are not working only a few muscle groups. You can either do a special workout routine for a few weeks and then change to another free fitness program.
Choose a time to exercise that suits your schedule and then follow it. with this schedule you should not be constantly changing. It is best to go for the same time every day, but do not over do it even 2 times a week can be enough.

Most people prefer to work out first thing in the morning. It is a great way to wake up. But if this does not suit you, go for later in the day, but always wait at least 2 hours after eating. It is hard to do a fitness program in the morning.

A good fitness exercise program will last for about 30-45 minutes. You can include 10-15 minutes of stretching and warm-up exercises, followed by 15-25 minutes of fitness exercise program and 5 minutes of cool-down.

As an example the aerobic fitness exercise program could be done on home gym equipment such as a treadmill or exercise cycle or you could run or cycle outdoors.You do not even need equipment, there are several great free fitness programs that you can use. If you like dance or just walking, do it. Step aerobics is another option. Alternatively, the stairs in your house or apartment block can be very effective aerobic exercise equipment without spending a dime.

The key here is to choose something that you enjoy and if you do not know yet see if you find a free fitness program that is good for you. Also, do not forget to check with your doctor that your program is suitable for your level of health and fitness, if you are fit it does not matter.

Variation is important for emotional reasons too. Do what is fun for you, even if sometimes you do not have fun which is normal in my opinion. So if you like cycling, you may want to cycle outdoors in good weather or indoors when it rains. To increase the variety, a few times a week you could do some muscle building training, instead of other training excercises like walking or cycling.

Finally choose the fitness programs you like best. Free fitness programs that you tailor to your own lifestyle should increase your energy levels and put you in a better shape and you just feeling better.