By Suzanne McDonough, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences; Joanne Marley, Ulster University, and Michael Thacker, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences After many months in lockdown, a lot of us are finding that we’re experiencing back pain that we hadn’t been bothered…
By Matthew Farrow, University of Bradford Many people with rheumatoid arthritis avoid exercise for fear that it may make their arthritis worse. While it may be hard to exercise with arthritis, staying as active as possible has actually been shown to reduce pain and improve…
By Lindsay Bottoms, University of Hertfordshire Resistance-band exercises have been all over social media during the pandemic. In case you aren’t familiar with them, resistance bands are similar to an elastic band, usually made from a synthetic fibre like latex or rubber. You can loop…
By Matthew Wright, Teesside University and Jonathan Taylor, Teesside University Elite athletes – like Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who won gold for the men’s 1500m race at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics – train almost ten to 14 times per week, clocking up numerous hours on the track…
By Helen Branthwaite, Staffordshire University We naturally lose muscle mass as we get older. This process starts around the age of 36, and by the time we are 80 we’ve lost about 50% of our muscle mass. Long periods of inactivity can also cause us…
By Lindsay Bottoms, University of Hertfordshire Before COVID-19, the popularity of hiking was on a downward slope in both adults and children. But its popularity has spiked during the pandemic, seeing many more people taking to trails than usual. Hiking is not only a great…
By Sebastien Chastin, Glasgow Caledonian University and Keith Diaz, Columbia University Medical Center It’s recommended we do at least 30 minutes of exercise a day – or 150 minutes a week – to stay healthy. But 30 minutes accounts for just 2% of the day….
By Dan Gordon, Anglia Ruskin University and Justin Roberts, Anglia Ruskin University Getting in shape isn’t easy. But after all that hard work, how long do we actually maintain it? Turns out that even the great effort we put into training, taking a bit of…
By Aye Chan Paing, Glasgow Caledonian University and Sebastien Chastin, Glasgow Caledonian University Many people spend large portions of their day sitting, which can cause a range of health problems. But many may not realise that sitting too much can also worsen certain health conditions,…
By Matthew Haines, University of Huddersfield High-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts have become popular in recent years for a number of reasons. They don’t require as much time as a regular workout (some can take as little as 10 minutes), and research shows they improve…
By Neil Clarke, Coventry University Coffee, green tea and other caffeinated drinks are a popular way to start the morning. Not only does it give many people a much-needed boost, but caffeine can also help when it comes to fitness. Studies show it can help…
By Simon Cooper, Nottingham Trent University Whether it’s during the post-lunch slump or just one of those days, we all struggle to concentrate on what we’re doing sometimes, whether that’s at work, school, or home. Being able to concentrate on what we’re doing would inevitably…
By Julie Broderick, Trinity College Dublin Though people with office jobs often sit for up to 80% of the working day, many still manage to get an average of 3,616 steps daily, largely thanks to many small opportunities for activity throughout the day. But with…
By Viv Lee, University of Birmingham Even if you exercise everyday – whether that’s at home, at the gym, or taking your dog for walks – you might not be getting as much physical activity as you think you are. The World Health Organization (WHO)…
By Bradley Elliott, University of Westminster Exercising more is one of the most common new year resolutions people make. But more than a quarter of people fail to keep their resolutions, and only half maintain some of them. But if that still sounds daunting, here…
By Amy Elizabeth Harwood, Coventry University; Chris Seenan, Glasgow Caledonian University, and Garry Tew, Northumbria University, Newcastle Exercise has been used in the treatment of many medical conditions, including heart and lung diseases. But it can also play an important role in treating peripheral artery…
By Francesca Solmi, UCL and Praveetha Patalay, UCL The proportion of teenagers who are overweight or obese has risen over the past 30 years. In parallel, there has been an increase in societal focus on weight loss and dieting – namely in the form of…
By Áine Kelly, Trinity College Dublin Regular exercise changes the structure of our bodies’ tissues in obvious ways, such as reducing the size of fat stores and increasing muscle mass. Less visible, but perhaps even more important, is the profound influence exercise has on the…
By Justin Roberts, Anglia Ruskin University There’s plenty of evidence showing how important nutrition is for exercise, from aiding performance to enhancing recovery. But it’s often confusing to know whether it’s best to eat before or after you exercise. To answer this, you should first…
By GreenMedInfo Research Group Do you worry about loss of bone and muscle as you age? Science shows that basic lifestyle interventions can reverse this trend and may even help stop it before it starts. As the human body ages, it’s normal to experience some…
