Fitness

To get in shape, having a regular workout schedule matters. But how much do regular workouts really matter? According to research from the University of Copenhagen, young adults who didn't stay physically active for just two weeks lost a third of their muscular strength, making them about as strong as someone 50 years older than them. In addition, it accelerates the loss of muscle mass--something that also affects a person's metabolism. "Our experiments reveal that inactivity affects the muscular strength…
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There's no such thing as too much exercise, right? As it turns out, there is--and doing too much could have deadly consequences. In a press release posted earlier this week, researchers from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia recently uncovered that people who engage in extreme exercise could develop blood poisoning--something that, if left untreated, could cause septic shock and death. "The body has the ability to adapt and put a brake on negative immune responses triggered by extreme endurance events,"…
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Need to get in shape? If you're over the age of 65, you may be better off sticking to light exercise, according to new research from Oregon State University. According to the study, which now appears in the American Journal of Health Promotion, people over 65 who did at least 300 minutes of light exercise per week--such as doing household chores or table tennis--still reaped major health benefits, such as a lower body mass index (BMI) and a reduced likelihood…
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They say exercise is nature's medicine--and now, those effects run more than skin deep. According to new research presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago, women over 40 who stayed physically active reduced their risk of lung and breast cancer later in life. It was significant too--in one study, it reduced their breast cancer risk by as much as 31 percent. Those are major findings, say researchers. "This reduction occurred irrespective of the…
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Clogged arteries are bad for your heart--but for those who have it in their legs, commonly referred to as peripheral artery disease (PAD), it can also trigger excruciating calf pain, something that is often hard to treat. Now new research from the Tohoku Graduate School of Medicine in Japan offers a way to alleviate it: Strengthen your hip flexor muscles. The research was recently presented to the American Heart Association's Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology/Peripheral Vascular Disease Scientific Session 2015…
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It's hard to get into the exercise habit--but there is now a new way to lengthen your workout by as much as 70 percent, say researchers. According to new research from the Toronto Rehab University Health Network in Canada, people who listened to music playlists where the tempo was synchronized to their exercise pace adhered to their cardiovascular rehab program nearly 70 percent more, helping them work out better. This is an important finding, as cardiovascular rehab programs have a…
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Each year, millions of women deal with a type of debilitating pain called fibromyalgia. With no known cure, most women deal with years of pain, fatigue, and even depression. Now there may be a new way to reduce the pain it causes, say researchers. According to new research published in the health journal Arthritis Care & Research, women with fibromyalgia who had more strength and cardiovascular ability experienced the lowest amounts of pain and fatigue. In contrast, women who were…
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Cardio may be good for a thinner physique, but now there's a new reason to shape up--it could delay the onset of high cholesterol for up to 15 years. New research from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology highlights evidence showing that men who are cardiovascular fit often delay a rise in blood cholesterol levels often associated with aging, though no statistics are currently available for women. Still, this is a major finding--one that could also lower a…
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Strength training or aerobic exercise: Which one makes you thinner? That's a question researchers recently explored in a new study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology. Though weight loss is often associated with dieting, recent research suggests exercise also matters--with many people claiming aerobic exercise, and not strength training exercise, is the best way to slim down because strength training "bulks people up." As it turns out though, that wasn't the case. "The present study shows that, when adhered…
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As men age, sexual dysfunction is a common issue. Though many men suffer from it, few seek help for this condition out of fear of being humiliated, say health experts. There now may be a way to treat it without visiting your local health clinic, however. According to new research posted in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, men who exercised moderately for at least 3.5 hours per week were the least likely to have sexual problems as they aged, regardless…
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