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PHYSICAL FITNESS Getting in shape Research shows that nearly 30 percent of U.S. residents are inactive. The Good Body, a health-related website, $27 billion is spent worldwide each year on yoga products Likelihood of meeting the physical activity guideline for aerobic activity 54% Meeting guideline 46% Not meeting guideline 46% Meeting guideline 54% Not meeting guideline MEN WOMEN More than 90% of U.S. high school students don't get enough exercise to stay fit and healthy 30.4% of U.S. adults aged 20 and older are obese More than 97 million adult Americans are grossly overweight Most popular ways to stay active in the U.S. No. 1 Walking for fitness No. 2 Running/jogging No. 3 Treadmill Half of people starting an exercise program will drop out in the first 6 months The most inactive countries in the world Republic of Malta (72% inactive) Swaziland (69% inactive) Saudi Arabia (68.8% inactive) Note: The U.S. came in 46th on the list There are more than 8,000 health and fitness apps available on the market SOURCE: The Good Body NWA Democrat-Gazette/CHRIS SWINDLE Top fitness trends of 2017 No. 1 Wearable technology No. 2 Body weight training No. 3 High intensity interval training U.S. residents spend more than $10 billion a year on fitness equipment; more than half of the sales come from cardiovascular fitness equipment including treadmills and steppers NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T. WAMPLER Sarah McElroy of Fayetteville kicks a heavy bag Feb. 21 at Fayetteville Fitness Kickboxing. Competition among specialized fitness studios is heating up as more options make it difficult for would-be patrons to select. But really, one criteria matters the most, according to Josh Leve, founder and CEO of the Association of Fitness Studios based in California. "It comes down to picking what you en- joy doing," Leve said. "While it's true there will be a period of uneasiness when first starting out, you want to belong to a stu- dio or a community that you know you can grow with. "Exercise is something that should be- come part of someone's daily routine and not thought of as a chore," he said. The fitness studio is the fastest growing segment of the fitness industry with more than 100,000 businesses across the country, according to Leve. The ease to get started — sometimes all that's needed is a space and a credit card — and the increasing num - ber of fitness professionals — an estimated 750,000 — are some of the main reasons for the growth. Studio owners in Northwest Arkansas boast their clients lose weight and gain or tone muscle using their methods. LOCAL OPTIONS "There's a lot of different things people can do in Northwest Arkansas for fitness, but I don't believe I have any competition," said Wes "The Punching Preacher" Sharp. Sharp, who was in ministry prior to be- coming a professional mixed martial arts fighter, lost 55 pounds in six months train- ing with other fighters. He's taken those workouts and modified them into 45-min- ute classes Sharp says anyone can do. He opened his gym, Fayetteville Fitness Kick- boxing on North Crossover Road, in January 2017. "They can basically train like a profes- sional fighter without getting punched in the face," he said. Participants can burn between 500 and 1,100 calories a class, a number that can't be achieved by running the same amount of time, Sharp said. Memberships vary depending on their length ranging from three months for $99 per month to 12 months for $69 per month. Sharp said kickboxing training is the best way to lose weight, gain muscle and learn self-defense techniques because the classes utilize the whole body with cardio exercises as well as strength and resistance training. "It's so comprehensive," Sharp said. Yoga can also be used as a weight loss tool, but it also works on participants' men- tal and emotional health, said Allison Kubla- nov, owner of Bee Well Yoga in Rogers. It creates a mental awareness of how aspects of life, like food, can affect the body, she said. It's a weight-bearing exercise that works the muscles and is also good for bones, joints and ligaments, she said, which makes it a great complementary workout for ath- letes who train hard for events like mara- thons, Iron Man and CrossFit competitions. "What we see in athletes is those that have added yoga at least once a week to their programming stay healthier longer than peers who aren't adding yoga, who are just hitting the pavement hard everyday," Kublanov said. Bee Well Yoga has had several other yoga and fitness studios open within a five-mile radius since it opened in November 2016. Competition among other yoga studios and types of exercise is normal and simply means she has to maintain an environment MELISSA GUTE NWA DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Exercise comes in many forms as specialized fitness studios increase ACTIVE OPTIONS Web Watch For more information on the Association of Fit- ness Studios, visit www.afsfitness.com. Source: Staff Report See FITNESS, Page 7S The most persistent chal- lenge he faced in two years of directing the Fayette- ville-based Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks was finding medical special- ists to hire, Bryan Matthews said before leaving for a sim- ilar post in Biloxi, Miss. Recruiting medical spe- cialists, including psychia- trists, was a constant strug- gle, he said. Matthews wasn't alone in the struggle, medical experts in the region say. Medical As- sociates of Northwest Arkan- sas is a group of physicians and other health care provid- ers who cooperate to address the area's health needs. "We see shortages of med- ical specialists in rheumatol- ogy, neurology, psychiatry, endocrinology and pulmo- nary medicine," said Jason K. Wilson, chief executive of the group. Wilson said the group fo re s e e s n e e d s i n t h e s e growth areas — pediatrics, pulmonary medicine, sleep medicine, radiology, endocri- nology, gastroenterology and neurology. Northwest Arkansas is "growing like crazy," said Pope Moseley, dean of the college of medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. As the population grows, so does the region's need for specialists. Stephanie Gardner, inter- im chancellor at UAMS in Little Rock, said the key bot- tleneck is the limited num- ber of medical residencies. That problem is everywhere but is particularly important to growing regions such as Northwest Arkansas. The same concern was raised by Pearl McElfish, associate vice chancellor at the UAMS Northwest campus in Fay- etteville. UAMS prepared a report on the shortage recently for the Northwest Arkansas Council, a panel of business and community leaders who identify and try to find solu- tions for regional problems. "While medical schools are increasing the number of students, the number of federally funded residency positions has remained flat for now more than 15 years with only some minor ex- ceptions," according to the report. "Federal funding for residencies is not expected to increase in the future, but rather to decrease. "Without signif icantly increasing the number of residencies, increasing the number of medical school graduates will not increase the number of medical prac- titioners. It will only increase the number of medical school graduates who are unable to practice due to not obtaining a residency position," accord- ing to the report. The backlog is compound- ed in this region by the recent opening of medical schools in Fort Smith, Jonesboro and Joplin, Mo., Gardner said. These new students study os- teopathic medicine, a medical approach that considers a pa- tient's environment, nutrition and body system as a whole when diagnosing and treating medical conditions. Gradu- ates of those schools seek the same limited number of residency slots, Gardner said. The report doesn't give specific figures on how large the backlog is in the region, but nationally about 1.4 med- ical students are graduating for every available residen- cy position, according to the report. Mercy Health in Rogers has been receptive to paying for more residencies on their own, Gardner and Moseley said. They are aware that doctors tend to remain in ar- eas where they served their residencies. Therefore, med- ical centers have an interest in being the home for such residencies, they said. The American Associ- ation of Medical Colleges states the backlog of special- ists nationwide is a more se- rious problem than the raw numbers suggest, according to its most recent policy statement on the residency issue. The population over- all is not only growing, but it is aging, the statement says. The older population needs more medical treatment per person. Experts: Medical specialists sought DOUG THOMPSON NWA DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE As region's population grows, so does need HEALTH RECRUITING "We see shortages of medical specialists in rheumatology, neurology, psychiatry, endocrinology and pulmonary medicine." — Jason K. Wilson, chief executive, Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas See SPECIALISTS, Page 7S 6S v SUNDAY, MARCH 4, 2018 ∂ ∂ Health & Wellness April -November Wednesday, Friday, Saturday Springdale to Van Buren departs 8:00am Van Buren to Winslow departs 11:00am April-November Sunday's only Springdale to Winslow departs 12:30pm GREAT EXCURSIONS FOR ALL SEASONS The Best Ride's on Us....... Call 479-725-4017 or visit amtrainrides.com to book tickets "Join a team where you can laugh, learn and love." APPLY TODAY 479.936.9885 | HomeInstead.com/375 100 N. Dixieland Rd., Suite A5 | Rogers, AR 72756 Your unique talents and experiences will allow seniors to stay independent at home. 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