By Justin Roberts, Anglia Ruskin University; Ash Willmott, Anglia Ruskin University, and Dan Gordon, Anglia Ruskin University When it comes to losing weight, people often want know the best way to shed excess pounds – and there’s no shortage of fad diets or fitness crazes…
By Lewis Macgregor, University of Stirling Many people see stretching as an essential part of any exercise or workout regime. It helps us increase our flexibility and our range of movement. Many of us also stretch to loosen up before exercising, and to help recover…
By Joe Martino In our current age of excessive sitting and sedentary lifestyles, back pain is an incredibly common problem — one that I experience myself quite a bit when I don’t take the necessary steps to keep my body loose. About 10 years ago…
Regular exercise may reduce the risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome, a major cause of death in patients with the COVID-19 virus, a top exercise researcher reports. He is urging people to exercise based on his findings, which also suggest a potential treatment approach. A…
By James Turner, University of Bath and John P Campbell, University of Bath People around the world are staying at home as part of social distancing measures to limit the transmission of the novel coronavirus. In some countries people are being encouraged to exercise once…
By Mayukh Saha When one door closes, several others open up. Joan MacDonald, a septuagenarian from Ontario knows all about it. She believes that age is no impediment to how you live your life. Just because you are old doesn’t mean that you have to…
Physically active older adults benefit from reduced risks of early death, breast and prostate cancer, fractures, recurrent falls, functional limitations, cognitive decline, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression. The findings come from a review of all published reviews of studies that assessed the relationship between physical…
Individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) because of family history or genetic predisposition who engaged in six months of aerobic exercise training improved their brain glucose metabolism and higher-order thinking abilities (e.g., planning and mental flexibility) called executive function; these improvements occurred in conjunction…
By Sara Tipton Some people are naturally flexible while others loathe the idea of stretching. But it’s actually beneficial for everyone regardless of where you are on the “flexibility scale.” Because at least some flexibility is important, stretching is also important. If you don’t have…
The new year means it’s time to set resolutions for 2020 and new research from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests running a marathon for the first time could have several health benefits. The study found that for first-time marathon runners, training…
By Laura Healy, Nottingham Trent University Exercise is not only good for your physical health, it’s good for your mental health, too. Indeed, many people even take up exercise as a way of boosting their mental well-being. But is all exercise equally beneficial – and…
By Julie Broderick, Trinity College Dublin It can be hard to include exercise in our busy lives, despite the best of intentions. There are a lot of reasons people don’t exercise, and a lot of misconceptions about exercise. Here are nine common misconceptions about exercise…
By David Shearer, University of South Wales Professional sport is full of stories of elite athletes “choking” emotionally and mentally under the pressure of competition. One famous example is golfer Greg Norman, who was leading the 1994 US Masters by six strokes at the beginning…
By Julie Broderick, Trinity College Dublin Ageing is inevitable and is influenced by many things – but keeping active can slow ageing and increase life expectancy. Evidence shows that ageing alone is not a cause of major problems until you are in your mid-90s. And…
Consuming potato puree during prolonged exercise works just as well as a commercial carbohydrate gel in sustaining blood glucose levels and boosting performance in trained athletes, scientists report. “Research has shown that ingesting concentrated carbohydrate gels during prolonged exercise promotes carbohydrate availability during exercise and…
By Tori Sprung, Liverpool John Moores University and Kelly Bowden Davies, Newcastle University As a society, we aren’t getting as much exercise as we should. In fact, current activity guidelines state that adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderately intense activity – or…
According to a new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, health scientists at the Universities of Bath and Birmingham found that by changing the timing of when you eat and exercise, people can better control their blood sugar levels. The six-week…
By Matthew Haines, University of Huddersfield Physical inactivity is a global health problem. But despite overwhelming evidence that regular exercise is highly beneficial, the challenge of encouraging people to be more active remains. Often “lack of time” is the reason given for not exercising. To…
By John Anderer If you’ve been avoiding the gym because you feel like you should have gotten started years ago, a new study conducted in England may be just the extra bit of motivation you’re looking for. Researchers from The University of Birmingham have found…
New study suggests exercise is good for the aging brain Exercise seems to endow a wealth of benefits, from the release of happiness-inducing hormones to higher physical fitness. New research shows it may provide a boost to the mind too. University of Iowa researchers have…
