Challenges/Opportunities of Anti-Obesity Drugs for Fitness Pros
01/10/2024
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Anti-obesity medications (like Ozempic) are quickly and dramatically shifting the way weight loss is approached. Lifestyle interventions involving calorie restriction and high-volume exercise, once viewed as primary tools to treat obesity, now seem inadequate next to these potent drugs. Furthermore, the oversimplified mantra of “eat less, move more” seems far less relevant given how these medications work.
As fitness professionals have been heavily involved in the “move more” part of that mantra, it is understandable why some in the industry view these medications as challenges to overcome rather than opportunities to embrace.
Our guest in episode 113, Dr. Renee Rogers, brings a unique perspective to this topic. As an obesity researcher and a former fitness professional herself, Dr. Rogers understands both the challenges and opportunities fitness professionals face with these medications. In this conversation, we’ll gain insights from Dr. Rogers into how these medications work and what the latest research tells us. We’ll also unpack the very real challenges these medications present for fitness professionals.
More importantly, and constructively, Dr. Rogers concisely lays out the opportunities these drugs open up for fitness professionals. Using this opportunity-oriented lens, Dr. Rogers shares how fitness professionals can still have a very meaningful impact on individuals taking anti-obesity medications. You won’t want to miss this informative and perspective-shifting conversation on how fitness professionals can embrace anti-obesity drugs.
Our Guest: Dr. Renee Rogers, PhD
Dr. Renee Rogers is an expert in bio-behavioral healthy lifestyle intervention and platform design with a focus on relevant engagement strategies to promote long-term adherence.
Dr. Rogers is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and the Chair of ACSM’s Strategic Health Initiative (SHI) for Behavior and Chair of ACSM’s International Health & Fitness Summit. She blends her background in theater and production with her formal academic training in Exercise Physiology, Behavior Change, and Weight Management to develop and implement innovative health promotion, physical activity, and weight management initiatives that encourage well-being and healthy lifestyle engagement. Playing many professional roles that include working as a practitioner, program director, researcher, and consultant shapes her translational approach to platform and programmatic design.
Dr. Rogers has a strong foundation in clinical research and translational work. She is an expert in developing lifestyle interventions with progressive strategies for engaging different population groups across the lifespan. Focus is on strong engagement and adherence to drive physiological changes such as cardiovascular fitness, strength, physical function, cognition, and overall quality of life. Key is her ability to translate research into real-world practice.
Dr. Rogers is regularly invited to speak on health and wellness promotion, engagement, and intervention design; keynoting at the ADA Clinical Conference along with invited talks NEACSM, Northland ACSM, ACSM’s International Health and Fitness Summit, and The Obesity Society. She has been asked to Blog for the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) on behavioral topics, trend reports, weight management strategies, and anti-obesity medications. Beyond peer-reviewed research publications, she has also provided professional comment for popular media outlets such as WSJ, Good Housekeeping, Prevention, The Conversation US, and many others.
To stay relevant in the space of translational wellness, Dr. Rogers works both as a Senior Scientist designing cutting-edge healthy lifestyle clinical trials, and also works as an independent healthy lifestyle and behavioral consultant and strategist. Balancing both worlds allow her to strategically work in each area so her research contributions remain relevant in the real-world, and the platforms and interventions she creates integrate the latest research and best practices for consumer engagement.