In this article I want to discuss the disturbing increase in childhood obesity in the United States. There are some frightening numbers being mentioned with regards to the growing number of children who are obese. Fifteen percent of children aged 6 to 19 are obese which means their BMI (Body Mass Index) is above the 95th percentile for their age.¹ The Bogalusa Heart study showed that nearly 90% of kids less than eight years old who are overweight become obese adults.² And as every day passes those figures, like the waistlines of America’s youth get bigger and bigger.

We’re back with some more interesting findings that came out of the most recent American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) national conference that I attended in Nashville, TN. Every year sports medicine physicians, athletic trainers, strength coaches, exercise physiologists, and other disciplines related to sports medicine meet to present the latest research, to discuss current treatment guidelines, and to exchange a wealth of information.

This past week I attended the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) national conference in Nashville, TN. Every year sports medicine physicians, athletic trainers, strength coaches, exercise physiologists, and other disciplines related to sports medicine meet to present the latest research, to discuss current treatment guidelines, and to exchange a wealth of information. In this article series I would like to share some important information that I learned at the national ACSM conference.

“In my reading over the past year I had come across suggestions that maybe taking sodium bicarbonate or sodium citrate could help performance during racing events. I understand that increased intramuscular hydrogen ion concentration can impair performance by messing with ATP production and competing with the calcium ion binding sites messing with contractile process. I also understand from my reading that by boosting the blood buffering capacity could increase time to exhaustion during these high intensity racing sprint intervals. What do you think?”