Exercise

With the rising cost of living, gyms memberships and fitness classes are becoming increasingly unaffordable. But the good news is you can make just as much progress at home.Cardiovascular endurance, muscle strength and flexibility are the most important components of fitness. And each can be trained with little or no equipment. Let's look at why – and how – to fit them into your DIY exercise program.1. Cardiovascular enduranceCardiovascular endurance exercise (or "cardio") forces the heart and lungs to increase the…

Exercise is good for your overall health and your heart in particular. Guidelines recommend that we should be doing 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity a week.But does it matter when you do this exercise? Should you spread it out in the week or does it lose some of the benefit if you cram it in at the weekend?A new study analysing data from the UK Biobank has attempted to answer this very question.Around 90,000 healthy, middle-aged people wore wrist bands (accelerometers) that tracked their activity. It recorded…

There are, by my count, at least 14 different versions of Barbie the Album: a vast, brightly coloured array of vinyl and cassette variants and alternative covers, all ready for purchase from your favourite big-box store, streaming service or online retailer. For a certain kind of record collector, I imagine that it will be hard to pick between, say, the Target-exclusive “candy floss” coloured vinyl and the “cotton candy” coloured vinyl, or the standard “hot pink” vinyl and the Urban Outfitters-exclusive “neon pink”…

The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. The global fitness industry will generate over US$80 billion in revenue in 2023, estimates suggest. And why not, given the many excellent reasons to exercise? Better cardiovascular health, lower risk of Type 2 diabetes, stronger immune system – the list goes on. One of the biggest reasons many people choose to exercise is to lose weight. As a biobehavioral scientist, I study links between behavior…

The global fitness industry will generate over US$80 billion in revenue in 2023, estimates suggest. And why not, given the many excellent reasons to exercise? Better cardiovascular health, lower risk of Type 2 diabetes, stronger immune system – the list goes on.One of the biggest reasons many people choose to exercise is to lose weight. As a biobehavioral scientist, I study links between behavior and health, and I heed the time-honored advice that eating less and exercising more are necessary to lose weight.But a recent…

Neuroscientists have discovered that intensive exercise can slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease. The research unveils a previously unobserved mechanism, providing a path for the development of new non-pharmacological treatments. The study also highlights the neuroprotective effect of exercise, detailing its impact on neuronal survival, brain plasticity, and motor control.Intensive exercise can slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease by improving brain plasticity and neuronal survival, according to a study from…

Prime Day deals arrived just in time for summer. While you’re hiking, swimming, running or working on your beach bod this season, you might as well track your fitness progress with a quality smartwatch. One of the best smartwatch brands out there is Fitbit. With a focus specifically on fitness and health, the Fitbit Charge 5 is a great watch for anyone trying to track and improve their physical well-being. Right now the Charge 5 is down to just $100 as part of Prime Day Fitbit deals. Grab it before the shopping…

Working on your muscles could help delay the onset of Alzheimer's symptoms, researchers have revealed.Researchers from the Federal University of São Paulo and the University of São Paulo in Brazil have uncovered strong evidence that resistance training – where muscles are worked against a weight or a force – could have significant consequences for the brains of dementia patients.Before you hurriedly renew your gym membership or break out the home exercise equipment, it's worth bearing in mind that this was a mouse model…

Peloton is continuing to gamify its hardware lineup with the launch of Lanebreak Tread, a software experience for its beleaguered line of treadmills. The software suite looks similar to pre-existing racing experiences for the company’s exercise bike line, and Lanebreak for Peloton cycles is a well-regarded bit of gamification, so the bona-fides are solid. Lanebreak Tread is getting a global launch, with availability for all Peloton Tread members. Peloton says the gameplay involves users matching and sustaining a pre-set…

A study by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Joslin Diabetes Center suggests that afternoon physical activity can significantly improve blood glucose control in type 2 diabetes patients. Using data from the Look AHEAD study, the team found that those most active in the afternoons had the greatest blood glucose reduction and were most likely to stop diabetes medications.In an analysis of the Look AHEAD study, researchers from the Brigham and Joslin Diabetes Center found that participants who were physically…