By Paul Mansell, University of Birmingham Almost everyone wants to know how to reduce stress. After all, stress can have many negative effects on both our physical and mental health. An increasing body of evidence shows that changing the way we think about stress might…
By Ian Taylor, Loughborough University February. The month of shattered dreams and ambitions. The trainers are gathering dust and chocolate bars have replaced protein bars. The gusto with which we attacked our new year resolutions is a vague memory. If your motivation to stick to…
By Livia Santos, Nottingham Trent University If you’ve ever broken a bone, you probably thought it was best to rest and not put any weight on it. But somewhat counter-intuitively, exercise may actually play an important role in making sure fractures heal properly. In fact,…
By Matt Agorist Since the beginning of the pandemic, once the experts realized that comorbidities like obesity were a massive contributor to complications from COVID-19, lots of folks have began advocating for people to improve their health through diet and exercise. But not the government….
By Mayukh Saha Getting outside for a walk in the cold has several health benefits, which can energize your body and mind. Walks are a great exercise for your pets and are a great opportunity for you to go out and stay fit. A walk…
By Áine Kelly, Trinity College Dublin Physical activity is very important for a number of reasons – including that it helps to protect the structure and function of our brain as we age. This may be key in reducing the risk of developing certain neurodegenerative…
By Eef Hogervorst, Loughborough University and Aleksandra Gawor, Loughborough University Alcohol intoxication, particularly in Western cultures, is increasingly regarded as a socially acceptable behaviour, and excessive levels of alcohol consumption has been identified as a significant problem among university students. One study found that 45-69%…
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…
