Latest Fitness Industry News
The latest fitness industry news at your fingertips.
- Should we all eat like Olympic athletes? [news]
- We’re in the midst of Olympic fever right now. Isn’t it fun watching all those amazing athletic achievements; people pushing their bodies to the limits of strength, agility and endurance and accomplishing breath-taking feats? I find it so inspiring to see what humans can do if they focus their energy and talent. It’s a wonderful reminder of what the human body is capable of (although obviously not all human bodies!). I’ve been fascinated to read some of the things elite Olympic athletes eat to stay in peak performance mode. Achieving world-beating performances requires a dedicated attention, of course, to everything that goes into the body. What interests me is that it’s not all about high-tech foods like protein bars and shakes, but often more ordinary, simple foods.
- To Salt or Not to Salt?
- For decades, experts have been recommending that we cut down on their salt consumption to reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke. According to a new study, however, while reducing dietary salt does lower blood pressure, it may also lead to a slight boost in cholesterol, a separate risk factor for heart disease. Danish researchers report in the American Journal of Hypertension that reducing sodium consumption led to a 1% drop in blood pressure in people who had normal pressure readings, and a 3.5% drop in those with hypertension. But other changes may offset those benefits: people who cut dietary salt also saw a 2.5% increase in cholesterol levels and a 7% boost in triglycerides. Like high blood pressure, elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides are risk factors for heart disease. Excessive triglycerides can also contribute to diabetes.
- Would side bridging be good for the SIJ to prevent pain in gait? [news]
- Side bridging particularly strengthens the quadratus lumborum (QL) and tensor fascia latae (TFL) as the major mobiliser muscle groups. When you take weight through your leg you need a pelvis that can transfer the load from your leg to your trunk efficiently. In the stance phase of gait, therefore, your SIJ on the weight bearing side must be in a stable, "close pack" position (see the diagram below). And when you swing your leg in the swing phase there needs to be some give in the pelvis to allow movement to occur, called the loose pack position in the SIJ. The close pack position for the SIJ is a posteriorly rotated ilium bone against a "nodded forward" or nutated sacrum.
- Healthy fats to feed your kids [news]
- We have been led to believe that fat is bad for us. In some cases (trans fats) it is, but the right fats play an integral role in our health. The short answer is that there are “bad fats” and there are “good fats.” I’m not going to go into great detail about “bad fats” but instead focus on which fats are healthful and a good choice to feed to our growing children. Nuts, seeds and avocados are whole foods that provide healthful fat in delicious snack-size shapes. I use, and highly recommend, the following five healthy oils:
- Berries instead of botox for healthy skin [news]
- Certain foods can be seen as nutritional boosters keeping you sprightly, but, they can also be seen as bodyguards deterring signs of skin ageing. How about berries instead of Botox, tomatoes instead of day cream, carrots instead of make-up? Many foods are beauty aids that make expensive creams and treatments unnecessary. Their effects are not immediate, though. "Foods aren't medications that work overnight," says Hans Lauber, a nutrition expert and author from Munich. Rather than a short-term impact Hans says, many foods have a preventative and, above all, lasting effect.
- Is Gluten Bad for You? [news]
- Just 10 years ago, barely anyone knew what the word gluten meant, let alone gave any thought to avoiding it. But now gluten-free diet menus are all the rage, and high-profile stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Rachel Weisz, and Victoria Beckham have been linked to the gluten-free lifestyle, which is said to contribute to increased energy, thinner thighs, and reduced belly bloat.
- Editorial: Fat chance of any sympathy for over-eaters
- At a conference in Wellington over the past two days academics have anguished over the plight of fat people. They called their subject "Fat Studies" They regarded fat people as victims not of their own appetite nor, for once, of corporate fast food chains, but of the public health campaigns that are supposed to help them. The campaigns portrayed such people as "enemies of the state", according to one speaker.
- 5 so-called health foods you should avoid [news]
- Eating healthy can be harder than you think, thanks to an enterprising food industry that wants us to consume more than we need. That’s because our country’s agricultural system produces twice what most people require, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service. This encourages creative marketing to unload the excess, much of it with minimal nutritional value. As a nutrition consultant, I know that words such as “low fat,” “high fiber,” “multigrain” and “natural” can fool even the most sophisticated customers into believing what they’re buying is healthful. So what can you do? First, make a habit of reading the ingredients list, not just the Nutrition Facts panel. And remember the following products worth resisting.
- Fitness and weight loss: What your regime is missing [news]
- Physical activity not only helps you slim down but also contributes to the prevention and treatment of illnesses related to obesity. Here is some expert advice from Dr. Didier Chapelot, director of the degree course in Adapted Physical Education at Paris 13 University. In order to fight against obesity, you are not obliged to limit yourself to the exercises usually recommended like walking, swimming and cycling for example. You can make it much more fun by trying out different activities. Here, Dr. Didier Chapelot, director of the degree course in Adapted Physical Education at Paris 13 University, gives us the lowdown on fat-burning physical exercise.
- Do smaller pieces of food help you lose weight? [news]
- If you can't resist eating an entire bar of chocolate in one go, the solution could be simple. Unwrap it and break it into all of its individual chunks before tucking in. Research shows that people eat less when presented with several small pieces of food rather than one large one - even when the two contain the same number of calories. It isn't entirely clear why this is so, but scientists believe it could be down to an optical illusion, with the brain and belly fooled into thinking that a bar of chocolate broken into pieces is bigger than one that remains whole.
- Work makes women put on weight [news]
- Women who work more than 35 hours every week are more likely to put on weight, according to a study. Research found career-driven women risk weight gain because they tend to spend less time preparing healthy food at home, taking exercise and getting the right amount of sleep. Australian researchers analysed 9276 women aged 45-50 over two years. Findings showed 55 per cent put on weight in that time with the average women gaining 1.5 per cent of her initial weight. Some were also reported to have experienced 'extreme' amounts of weight gain.
- Gym culture not working out for the French [news]
- The French may love to look good but few are willing to work up a sweat over it. Despite increasing awareness of the benefits of healthy eating and physical exercise, going to the gym in France is still a niche activity that has yet to capture the mainstream. France's generous healthcare system, its cultural preference for outdoor sports and its lack of affordable good-quality clubs are seen as reasons behind the country's low rate of gym goers, even relative to laid-back neighbors Spain or Italy. "It appears to me that more people are sitting in cafes smoking cigarettes
- Exercise staves off breast cancer [news]
- Women who exercise moderately may be less likely than their inactive peers to develop breast cancer after menopause, according to a US study. Researchers, whose study was published in the journal Cancer, found that of more than 3000 women with and without breast cancer, those who'd exercised during their childbearing years were less likely to develop the cancer after menopause. The same was true when women took up exercise after menopause, said the group, led by Lauren McCullough at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. "What we can say is, exercise is good for you," McCullough said. "It's never too late to start. Our evidence suggests that if you start after menopause, you can still help yourself." The findings add to a number of past studies tying regular exercise to lower breast cancer rates, but all the studies only point to a correlation and don't prove that exercise itself is what reduces women's breast cancer risk. There are reasons, though, to believe it can, said McCullough. One possible way is indirectly, by cutting body fat, she said.
- Sugar can make you dumb, US scientists warn [news]
- Eating too much sugar can eat away at your brain power, according to US scientists who published a study showing how a steady diet of high-fructose corn syrup sapped lab rats' memories. Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) fed two groups of rats a solution containing high-fructose corn syrup - a common ingredient in processed foods - as drinking water for six weeks. Before the sugar drinks began, the rats were enrolled in a five-day training session in a complicated maze. After six weeks on the sweet solution, the rats were then placed back in the maze to see how they fared.
- A cardiac arrest and a heart attack: what's the difference? [news]
- What happened to Fabrice Muamba is very different to what happens to older and unfit people Fabrice Muamba: had a cardiac arrest, not a heart attack. Fabrice Muamba's cardiac arrest on the football pitch has become the most visible example of a shocking statistic: at least 12 young people die suddenly every week in the UK because of abnormalities of the heart. Like Muamba, many of these tragedies strike during exercise. Phidippides, the Greek messenger who inspired the modern marathon and collapsed after running well over 100 miles in two days, may be the earliest recorded incident of the shocking death of an athlete. But until recently many cardiac arrest fatalities were classified as "natural causes" rather than attributed to a recognisable condition – sudden death syndrome (SDS).
- How diet can improve fertility [news]
- Leafy green salads, stir fried broccoli, and even Vegemite on wholegrain toast are all good foods for getting your daily folate, a B vitamin that matters if you're pregnant or trying to be. Besides helping prevent birth defects like spina bifida, folate is also important for the quality of eggs and sperm – and too little may reduce the chances of conceiving. A fertility expert believes believes the contribution of lifestyle, including diet, is underrated when it comes to successful conception...
- Exercise: do you know when to stop? [news]
- Too much exercise can scar the heart and increase the risk of sudden death, US experts say. Research shows that extreme endurance sports such as marathons, triathlons and long-distance bicycle races can cause structural changes to the heart and large arteries. Usually recovery occurs within a week. But for some individuals, repetitive injury over months and years of training and competition can lead to patches of fibrosis, or scarring, in the heart, say US scientists. Advertisement: Story continues below This can lead to an increased likelihood of potentially fatal abnormal heart rhythms.
- Thinking outside the tub [news]
- There’s no rule that says the spread on your bread must be yellow. In fact it’s easier to just dig into an avocado and spread on some green instead – that way you can avoid an argument about what’s better, butter or margarine. Both these yellow spreads have their pros and cons. Butter, a food we’ve eaten for thousands of years, tastes better and comes with no colourings or preservatives - but its saturated fat content can raise levels of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol. Margarine made from canola, olive oil or sunflower oil on, the other hand, contains fats that help lower LDL cholesterol – but doesn’t taste as good. And although margarines made with olive oil, another fat with a long track record, sound reassuringly Mediterranean, the amount of olive oil in them can be as little as 16 or 23 per cent.
- Call to make vitamin D a food additive [news]
- VITAMIN D should be added to more Australian foods to prevent widespread deficiencies, a conference will be told today. About 30 per cent of the Australian population has low levels of vitamin D, which is mostly absorbed through the skin after exposure to direct sunlight. But with one of the highest skin cancer rates in the world, it's difficult for Australians to absorb the recommended amount without increasing skin cancer risk, Deakin University researcher Caryl Nowson said. Advertisement: Story continues below Vitamin D levels often drop among people living in southern states, she said. Professor Nowson said Australia should follow the lead of countries such as Canada and add more vitamin D to the food supply.
- Liquorice loaded with health benefits [news]
- Are you a liquorice lover? In news that will have fans reaching for the allsorts, The Atlantic has published an article suggesting that liquorice root contains anti-diabetic properties. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, Germany identified a group of natural substances within liquorice root called amorfrutins. Testing on mice, the scientists found that the consumption of amorfrutins reduced blood sugar levels and inflammation that would otherwise be present in the mice suffering from Type 2 diabetes. The amorfrutins also prevented the development of a fatty liver - a common side-effect of type 2 diabetes and a high-fat diet. Type 2 diabetes generally affects people who are already overweight or obese, causing the body to become resistant to insulin.
- Eating less not equal to weight loss [news]
- Eat less, weigh less. It turns out it's not quite that simple. Losing weight is simple in principle. The rule of thumb has been that if you cut out 2100 kilojoules a day - the equivalent of two large lattes or a blueberry muffin - you will lose about half a kilo a week until you reach that magic number on the scales. Simple - but, as it turns out, probably way too simple. It now appears that dietitians, doctors and others may have been getting it wrong all these years. There's a lot more to losing weight than just kilojoules in/kilojoules out. When you start to lose weight, your body slows down your metabolism. In other words, you use less energy for the same activities.
- Scientists Identify Protein That Stimulates Brown Fat to Burn Calories [news]
- Scientists have identified a protein which regulates the activation of brown fat in both the brain and the body's tissues. Unlike white fat, which functions primarily to store up fat, brown fat (also known as brown adipose tissue) burns fats to generate heat in a process known as thermogenesis. The research, discovered that the protein BMP8B acts on a specific metabolic system (which operates in the brain and the tissues) to regulate brown fat, making it a potential therapeutic target.
- How Exercise Affects the Brain: Age and Genetics Play a Role [news]
- Exercise clears the mind. It gets the blood pumping and more oxygen is delivered to the brain. This is familiar territory, but Dartmouth's David Bucci thinks there is much more going on. "In the last several years there have been data suggesting that neurobiological changes are happening -- [there are] very brain-specific mechanisms at work here," says Bucci, an associate professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.
- Vigorous Physical Activity Associated With Reduced Risk of Psoriasis [news]
- Psoriasis is an immunologic disorder characterized by systemic inflammation and scaling of the skin. Physical activity has been associated with a decreased risk of disorders characterized by systemic inflammation, including type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, coronary artery disease and breast cancer, according to the study background. "Among the individual vigorous activities we evaluated, only running and performing aerobic exercise or calisthenics were associated with a reduced risk of psoriasis. Other vigorous activities, including jogging, playing tennis, swimming and bicycling were not associated with psoriasis risk," the authors note. "The highly variable intensity at which these activities are performed may account for this finding."
- Pregnant obese women face birth risks [news]
- Australian and New Zealand pregnant women who weigh more than 140 kilograms are at greater risk of complications including gestational diabetes and caesarean section deliveries, new figures show. These women have a body mass index greater than 50 or weigh more than 140 kilograms. A healthy adult BMI is between 20 and 25. The figures, to be presented today at the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists conference in Perth, showed extremely morbidly obese women were twice as likely to require a caesarean delivery than other pregnant women.
- Dinner in 15 minutes [news]
- There are some evenings when time and energy to spend in the kitchen are in short supply - that’s why supermarkets have freezers and chillers packed with ready meals and there’s a queue at the local takeaway. But somewhere between the frozen pizza and the home-cooked pork belly with parsnip remoulade, there’s a middle ground – fast food made from cupboard staples that deliver healthy dinners in minutes.
- “Too much, too soon” The hidden dangers of exercise post-pregnancy [news]
- Jennifer was a 33 year woman who came to see me for physiotherapy treatment eight months after the birth of her second child. She had been experiencing urinary leakage since 30 weeks pregnant, but was distressed that it hadn’t resolved, despite doing regular pelvic floor exercises. She had also recently noticed a feeling of “something coming down” in her pelvic region, which was always worse at the end of the day or after a run. During our initial consultation, Jennifer told me that she had started running at about 4 months post-birth, in an attempt to lose her extra baby weight and help with her wobbly tummy. She was concerned that she was still 6 kilograms heavier than pre-pregnancy, so she had been running at least 3-4 times a week and was now running around 8km each session..
- Supersets supercharge fitness [news]
- The exercise gadgets advertised on TV are often expensive. If you buy one, the DVD usually ends up being ignored after a few months; or the equipment ends up unused and gathering dust. The reason is a common one - boredom. You were bored with your training program and wanted something different that would speed up the desired results. After getting the DVD or the machine, buyers learn the inescapable fact: It takes time to build muscle, lose fat and get stronger. Nothing will speed up that time. And soon, you become just as bored with your new exercise device as you were at the gym. Advertisement: Story continues below But if boredom is inescapable reality, you can at least use a routine that's efficient; one that gets your workout completed in a shorter amount of time. That's where supersets come in. Supersets are a new buzzword in training, but they've been around forever. Most elite athletes use them.
- How to fuel a better mood [news]
- There's no argument that the right food and exercise help keep our bodies in good nick, but do they matter for our mental health too? Last month Spanish researchers put the food-mood link on the table again with a study of 8964 people that found that those eating the most junk - meaning commercial baked goods like croissants and doughnuts, and fast food like burgers and pizza - were more likely to be depressed than those who ate little or none. It's one of a few studies now suggesting that too much over-processed food could be bad for our mood, while a more Mediterranean-style menu with fish, fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, olive oil and grains may improve it. Still, it's hard to know what comes first - does eating junk contribute to a low mood, or do we eat junk because we're feeling bad?
- Are you more of a dog or a ferret? [news]
- The science behind runner's high could prove the vital place of exercise in the evolutionary history of humankind. Ferrets don't often figure in studies of exercise, perhaps because they don't exercise much. They slink like fog through tunnels, sprint briefly over open ground and spend much of their time sleeping. They are, in biological terms, what's called a non-cursorial species, meaning they are reluctant and lousy distance runners. Which is why they were ideal subjects for an experiment conducted at the University of Arizona in Tucson looking at whether humans and other species evolved to like running. Many anthropologists and distance runners believe that running guided the evolution of early humans. We ran in search of dinner and to flee from predators. But running is costly, metabolically. It incinerates energy. It can also cause injury. A twisted ankle would have removed your typical early human from the gene pool.
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