Feature Channels: Exercise and Fitness

• share
• favorite_border

Those who struggle with obesity, take heart. Losing as little as 5% of your body weight is enough to reap significant health benefits, according to a study published February 22 in Cell Metabolism. The randomized controlled trial of 40 obese men and women compared, for the first time, the health outcomes of 5%, 10%, and 15% weight loss. While additional weight loss further improved metabolic health, 5% weight loss was sufficient to reduce multiple risk factors for type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.

• share
• favorite_border

American College of Sports Medicine, Medical Fitness Association, American Council on Exercise join forces to introduce the “Exercise is Medicine Solution”; Greenville Health System first to adopt program

• share
• favorite_border

A new clinical trial at Wake Forest University will study the effects of strength training to prevent overuse injuries in female runners which will ultimately help the U.S. Armed Forces retain female recruits and assist with military integration efforts.

• share
• favorite_border

Despite being common practice, performing squat exercises in front of a mirror has no effect on preferential loading, according to a pilot study presented this week at the Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting in Sacramento, Calif.

• share
• favorite_border

Ultramarathon runners can expect an approximate five-to-seven-day subjective recovery post race, according to research presented this week at the Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting in Sacramento, Calif. The study also looked at factors that affect physical recovery and a runner’s ability to return to full running speed after participation in an ultramarathon.

• share
• favorite_border

Young women demonstrate less strength and neuromuscular control after puberty, and this may make them particularly susceptible to Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries, according to research presented this week at the Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting in Sacramento, Calif. The findings of this study suggest early strength training could help prevent this common knee injury that can often have a significant, long-term impact on musculoskeletal health and physical function.

• share
• favorite_border

Financial incentives aimed at increasing physical activity were most effective when the rewards were put at risk of being lost, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The study, which tested the effectiveness of three methods of financial incentives to increase physical activity among overweight and obese adults, shows that depending on how they are framed, incentives of equal amounts can have significantly different effects on outcomes. Results are published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

• share
• favorite_border

An embargoed new study examining the program called OpenNotes has found that follow up emails from a primary care doctor can be a critical way to keep patients involved in their own health care.

• share
• favorite_border

There are many things you can do to lower your heart disease risks. This article from cardiologist Dr. Mauro Moscucci of LifeBridge Health looks at the seven modifiable risk factors (according the the American Heart Association) and the one most of us struggle with.

• share
• favorite_border

BYU research shows unexpected immune system cells may help repair muscles.

• share
• favorite_border

New study reveals attitudes about physical activity and what city dwellers need to workout more often.

• share
• favorite_border

The "Super Bowl" has become much more than a football game: It’s the second biggest day for food consumption in the United States after Thanksgiving. Below, Dr. Charles Platkin, a professor at HUNTER COLLEGE in New York City, Director of the NYC Food Policy Center at Hunter College and editor of DietDetective.com demonstrates how much you would need to do to burn off typical “Big Game” snacks. For instance, you would have to run 49 football fields to burn off just two handfuls of potato chips or do "the wave" 6480 times to burn off 6 Buffalo Wild Wings Dipped In Ranch Dressing.

• share
• favorite_border

Research backed by Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s Contributions Program

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at Johns Hopkins and the Henry Ford Health System report evidence that higher levels of physical fitness may not only reduce risk of heart attacks and death from all causes, but also possibly improve the chances of survival after a first attack.

• share
• favorite_border

People who are fit are more likely to survive their first heart attack, according to a study of nearly 70,000 patients of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. The results of the study by Henry Ford and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine will be published online February 1 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

• share
• favorite_border

Latest Research Highlights from ACSM

• share
• favorite_border

Latest Research Highlights from ACSM

• share
• favorite_border

Large Latin American study links inactivity with hot flashes and more at midlife.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at McMaster University have uncovered significant new evidence in the quest for the elusive goal of gaining muscle and losing fat, an oft-debated problem for those trying to manage their weight, control their calories and balance their protein consumption.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

You’ve likely heard this before: Exercise is good for you. It helps your heart, bones, back and more. But here’s one thing you might not have heard: Ongoing aerobic exercise may slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disorder of the nervous system.

• share
• favorite_border

American College of Cardiology Sports and Exercise Cardiology Council encourages physical activity for heart disease prevention.

• share
• favorite_border

Sedentary behavior is associated with poor cardiovascular health and diabetes in adults with severe obesity, independent of how much exercise they perform, a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health-led study showed for the first time.

• share
• favorite_border

Public health experts think the key to success to turn our New Year’s resolutions into reality is to bring the “fresh start” mindset of the beginning of the year to the beginning of every week. Research conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows that Monday is akin to a “mini-New Year.” Reinforcing this “fresh start” Monday mindset with weekly cues and reminders can be a powerful tool in helping people sustain healthy behaviors over time.

• share
• favorite_border

UNC-Chapel Hill researchers show how social relationships reduce health risk in each stage of life.

• share
• favorite_border

The newly released 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans offer building blocks for a healthy lifestyle while focusing on the importance of following a healthy eating pattern that is right for you.

• share
• favorite_border

As healthy resolutions fill gyms and outdoor paths, two sports medicine doctors at Penn State Hershey Medical Center remind those who work out to do it safely – whether exercising indoors or out.

• share
• favorite_border

Built environment factors that motivate people to walk and bike vary by income, University of Washington researchers have found. Neighborhood density, accessible destinations and fewer vehicles were associated with more walking and biking in lower-income groups, while neighborhood attractiveness mattered for higher-income groups.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers analysed the impact of 14 obesity predisposing genes and found that physical activity can blunt the genetic effect of FTO, the major contributor to common obesity, by up to 75 per cent.

• share
• favorite_border

Weight loss is often the goal for anyone starting a new exercise routine. It’s a good motivator, but Iowa State University health experts say weight is not the only factor to consider if you want to stick with it and see results.

• share
• favorite_border

The human gut harbors a teeming menagerie of over 100 trillion microorganisms, and researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have discovered that exercising early in life can alter that microbial community for the better, promoting healthier brain and metabolic activity over the course of a lifetime.

• share
• favorite_border

"Will you exercise this year?" That simple question can be a game-changing technique for people who want to influence their own or others' behavior, according to a recent study spanning 40 years of research.

• share
• favorite_border

Wearable activity trackers that promise to monitor physical activity, sleep and more are becoming increasingly popular with health-conscious consumers. A recent study led by researchers from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and RTI International found that the trackers are better at measuring some metrics than others.

• share
• favorite_border

Stacey Cahn, PhD, associate professor of clinical psychology at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, offers tips to avoid awkward conversations about weight this holiday season.

• share
• favorite_border

The standard of care for acute concussion may undergo a dramatic change, depending on the results of a new exercise treatment that physicians at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo have developed and begun testing. It is the first randomized, controlled clinical trial of this exercise treatment for concussion.

• share
• favorite_border

How fast elderly people walk may be related to the amount of amyloid they have built up in their brains, even if they don’t yet have symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study published in the December 2, 2015, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

• share
• favorite_border

WIU faculty members and students from three different disciplines are partnering with the Chicago-based app development company, Exercise Connection, to enhance an award-winning, "pioneering" adapted physical activity Motor Clinic for west central Illinois special education students.

• share
• favorite_border

Latest Research Highlights from ACSM— November 2015

• share
• favorite_border

Latest Research Highlights from ACSM— November 2015

• share
• favorite_border

Endurance exercise accelerates the development of heart problems in individuals with a particular genetic mutation, a new study finds. In mice with a mutated version of desmoplakin, a protein that maintains the heart wall, exercise made the heart walls come apart sooner. The findings offer insight into how to best manage exercise in individuals with the mutation.

• share
• favorite_border

As we age or develop neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, our brain cells may not produce sufficient energy to remain fully functional. Researchers discovered that an enzyme called SIRT3 that is located in mitochondria — the cell's powerhouse — may protect mice brains against the kinds of stresses believed to contribute to energy loss. Furthermore, mice that ran on a wheel increased their levels of this protective enzyme.

• share
• favorite_border

In one of the first studies of its kind, Tufts researchers show that even among Americans in their mid-70’s and older, being more active, including walking at a reasonable pace or distance, is linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular events.

• share
• favorite_border

A team of Florida State University researchers found that the endurance competition called the Ultraman can lead to large reductions in body fat, but also causes temporary muscle damage and potentially insulin resistance.

• share
• favorite_border

In a new animal study, University of Missouri researchers examined how the development of obesity and insulin resistance contribute to bone-fracture risk and whether exercise prevents weight gain and diabetes and protects bone health. They found obesity and Type 2 diabetes negatively affected bone, but exercise prevented weight gain and diabetes and increased bone strength. These findings could inform interventions to improve bone health among individuals with obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

• share
• favorite_border

Elite endurance athletes who eat very few carbohydrates burned more than twice as much fat as high-carb athletes during maximum exertion and prolonged exercise in a new study – the highest fat-burning rates under these conditions ever seen by researchers.

• share
• favorite_border

People with high fitness levels in midlife have significantly lower annual health care costs after age 65 than people with low fitness in midlife, after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).

• share
• favorite_border

Self-weighing can be a useful tool to help adults control their weight, but for adolescents and young adults this behavior may have negative psychological outcomes. Researchers from the University of Minnesota tracked the self-weighing behaviors of more than 1,900 young adults as part of Project EAT (Eating and Activity in Teens and Young Adults) and found increases in self-weighing to be significantly related to increases in weight concern and depression and decreases in body satisfaction and self-esteem among females.

• share
• favorite_border

A large-scale survey of African-American men and women found that those who rarely or never exercised had about twice the odds of abusing alcohol than those who exercised frequently, a finding that could have implications across all groups.

• share
• favorite_border

Regular physical activity could play a role in helping women at high-risk of breast cancer delay the need for drastic preventive measures such as prophylactic mastectomy, according to new research led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Results of the WISER Sister study help clarify the emerging connection between exercise and breast cancer risk. As a result of the new findings, the authors suggest that women who have an elevated breast cancer risk or worry about having such risk should consider doing 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic activity per day for five days per week.

• share
• favorite_border

Latest research from ACSM