Latest Fitness Industry News
The latest fitness industry news at your fingertips.
- Yoga May Help Ease High Blood Pressure, Study Finds [news]
- People who follow the ancient practice of yoga may be getting an added health boost, with a new study suggesting it can fight high blood pressure -- also known as hypertension. "This study confirms many people's feelings that exercise may be useful in the control of hypertension," said Dr. Howard Weintraub, a cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. Based on the new findings, "yoga would be a useful adjunct in the lowering of blood pressure in certain populations," he said.
- Finding Your Fitness Limit [news]
- Call it an exercise rut or a fitness threshold. Each of us can hit a wall when it comes to getting the most out of our workouts, so here’s advice from experts on how to break through. Most of the recommendations about exercise are pretty straightforward — do something — anything — to get moving. Any activity is better than no activity, so simply putting the body in motion is what’s important. But for those who follow those recommendations and get regular exercise, things could get a little more complicated. How far is too far when it comes to pushing your body? Overdoing exercise can lead to injuries, and may end up erasing all the benefits physical activity can have.
- Just Say No: When It Makes Sense Not to Take Your Medicine [news]
- It sounds like something a quack would support, but it’s true. There’s growing evidence that lifestyle changes such as eating a healthier diet and exercising more may be enough to prevent and even treat conditions ranging from diabetes to cancer. The latest comes from a review of studies, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, that analyzed the effects of a combination of behaviors that reduced the rate of Type 2 diabetes among those at high risk of developing the disease. Making over their diets and boosting their amount of daily exercise, as well as quitting smoking and managing their stress were enough to help the participants, all of whom had high blood-sugar levels that precede diabetes, lower their glucose and avoid getting diagnosed with the disease.
- Vitamin C: Nature's Most Powerful Vitamin For Healing [news]
- Over 75 years of medical research and clinical practice reveals, overwhelmingly, that vitamin C has the power to ignite the 'self-healing response'. I know what you're thinking - if vitamin C is so good for us - why haven't you been told about this curative nutrient? Well, the answer will soon become painfully obvious.
- When It Comes to the Good Cholesterol, Fitness Trumps Weight [news]
- There’s no question that high levels of good cholesterol—also known as high-density lipoprotein (HDL)—seem to be protective against heart disease. Rather than depositing fat into the blood vessels the way the “bad” cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein (LDL)) does, HDL appears to carry cholesterol away from blood vessels to the liver. From there, the liver processes it for removal from the body. However, adequate levels of HDL might not be enough. Several recent studies have suggested that many cases of heart disease occur in people with normal levels of HDL cholesterol.
- Feast to Famine: Oxygen Starvation Regulates Fat Cells in Obesity [news]
- Studies of the effects of oxygen deprivation in the body fat of obese animals have revealed links with the regulation of fat cell generation. Researchers at Kanazawa University have identified the role of the protein TIS7 in processes that regulate adipogenesis, whereby non-specialised cells become adipose or fat cells. They add, "TIS7 could be a target for the discovery and development of a drug useful for the treatment and therapy of obesity or a variety of obesity-related metabolic diseases including type-2 diabetes and atherosclerosis."
- How Sweet Can Become Toxic [news]
- Sugar isn’t exactly a health food, but researchers say it could be toxic — at least to mice — and that’s not good news for people. Mice who were fed a diet containing 25% sugar — the equivalent of a healthy human diet along with three cans of soda daily — were twice as likely to die by the end of the 58 week long study conducted at the University of Utah as mice fed a similar diet without the added sugar. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, suggest that even safe levels of sugar could have serious negative effects on people’s health.
- How Cutting Physical Education in Schools Could Hurt Grades [news]
- While gym class may seem like an extraneous part of an academic program, getting aerobic exercise can help students to learn and remember more. A small study of 48 students between the ages nine and 10 showed that those with higher levels of physical fitness performed better on mental tests. The researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign had the kids memorize names and locations on a map of a made-up region. Students in the top 30% of their age group for aerobic fitness were better able to learn and recall the fictitious names and locations than those in the lowest 30% for aerobic fitness.
- Childhood Obesity May Quadruple High Blood Pressure Risk in Adulthood [news]
- Obese children quadruple their risk and overweight children double their risk of developing high blood pressure in adulthood, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association High Blood Pressure Research Scientific Sessions 2013. Researchers tracked the growth and blood pressure of 1,117 healthy adolescents from Indianapolis for 27 years, starting in 1986, and found the following results;
- Sports Medicine Specialists Make Pitch to Prevent Overuse Injuries in Young Athletes [news]
- It stands to reason that young people who play organized sports are going to get injured. But while young athletes are susceptible to the ankle sprains, wrist fractures and other acute injuries that are common among competitors of all ages, numerous studies indicate that approximately half of the sports-related injuries among children and adolescents in this country are caused by overuse.
- 10 Methods to Prevent and Treat Shoulder Injuries [news]
- Many athletes deal with shoulder pain at one point or another. But how do you minimize the chances of this happening to you? And what is the best course of action if you do incur a shoulder injury? Read these ten articles to help you work it all out. Let's take a close look at all the potential movements we can execute with the shoulder joint. Then, let's look at how we can strengthen the joint and girdle to protect ourselves from injury.
- Spot Reduction: One Final Attempt to Kill the Myth [news]
- The attempt to spot-reduce body fat. It should be dead and buried, but it lives on. It’s a pursuit that just doesn’t go away. Consumer ignorance, keen marketing, and blind faith keep it alive, but past research shows it’s impossible. It’s time to add one more nail to the coffin.
- Cocoa, Coffee and Caffeine: How Helpful (or Harmful) is a Cup of Joe? [news]
- For many, coffee is a morning eye-opener, thanks to the stimulating effects of caffeine, but other compounds native to the coffee bean include antioxidants that have been linked to a lower risk of skin cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and diabetes. But unfortunately, studies touting the benefits of coffee are often followed by others that highlight its adverse effects on health. The latest, published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, studied health records of 45,000 people who reported their coffee-drinking habits and concluded that younger people under age 55 who drank more than 28 cups a week were 21% more likely to die prematurely during the 17 year study than those who drank less.
- Timing of Calcium and Vitamin D Supplementation May Affect How Bone Adapts to Exercise [news]
- Taking calcium and vitamin D before exercise may influence how bones adapt to exercise, according to a new study. "The timing of calcium supplementation, and not just the amount of supplementation, may be an important factor in how the skeleton adapts to exercise training," said study lead author Vanessa D. Sherk, PhD. "Further research, however, is needed to determine whether the timing of calcium supplementation affects the skeletal adaptations to exercise training."
- The Effectiveness of Training Long-Distance Clients Over the Internet [news]
- An increasing number of coaches or personal trainers are providing online training services - they are jumping into the modern age by taking on clients that live too far to meet in person. But how effective is this method of training? This is an important question for trainers to be able to answer when asked by potential long-distance clients.
- Salt: Fact or Myth? [news]
- Someone's told you, you have read, you have heard, or maybe you have just 'always thought'.... find out what's true and what's not about salt. The marketing of specialty salts can make them sound healthy. They are not; and for the sake of your heart, it is recommended to cut back on all salt. Salt is also known as sodium chloride. It's the sodium in salt that can raise your blood pressure. It doesn't matter how expensive salt is, where it is from, or whether it comes in grains, crystals or flakes - it still contains sodium.
- A Different Version of CrossFit: How I Made My Training Sustainable and Injury Free [news]
- A guest post by Andy Petranek of CrossFit Los Angeles: You’re 35 years old, athletic, and play some recreation sports. You’re married (or thinking about it) and maybe have a kid or two. You work. A lot. You're working to get ahead to pay for the things you want to enjoy in life. You don't have much (if any) free time. So, how do you train to keep yourself healthy, fit, and injury free? What is the right balance of intensity, endurance, weights, and recovery to ensure that you're continuing to progress ten, twenty, even thirty years from now? What can you do for fewer than six hours each week to ensure you're prepared for the rigors of life?
- The Advantage of Having Functional Medicine On Your Side [news]
- Personal training in essence is, individualising fitness, nutrition and training methodologies to suit your client or athletes ability to maximise a pre-determined goal or outcome. The key here is to maximise their ability. Often the mentality of “eating less and exercising more” is not enough to maximise their results or even obtain a result in some people. Functional medicine teaches you the skills to identify which area in your clien'ts life has to be addressed, enabling you to truly maximise their results
- The Athlete's Manifesto [news]
- When you walk into your gym, whether for the first time or the thousandth time, you expect certain things of your gym and of your coaches. But do you hold such expectations of yourself? If not, why not? How can you hold your training facility and your coaches to expectation if you do not reciprocate? It’s time to commit to being an active part of your own success. Here is the athlete’s manifesto...
- At 75, Would Popeye Still Be Able to Take On Bluto? [news]
- If Popeye were to age naturally like the rest of us, he would need more than just big muscles to stay independent during his senior years. When it comes to muscles and aging, the important thing is quality, not quantity, as shown by the findings of a study by Mylène Aubertin-Leheudre, PhD, a researcher at the Research Centre of the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, affiliated with Université de Montréal.
- Regular, Moderate Exercise Does Not Worsen Pain in People With Fibromyalgia [news]
- For many people who have fibromyalgia, even the thought of exercising is painful. Share This: 59 Yet a new study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center shows that exercise does not worsen the pain associated with the disorder and may even lessen it over time. The findings are published in the current online issue of the journal Arthritis Care & Research.
- Mediterranean Diet Counteracts a Genetic Risk of Stroke [news]
- A gene variant strongly associated with development of type 2 diabetes appears to interact with a Mediterranean diet pattern to prevent stroke. Their results, published online today in Diabetes Care, are a significant advance for nutrigenomics, the study of the linkages between nutrition and gene function and their impact on human health, particularly chronic disease risk.
- Pumping Iron Can Cut Your Diabetes Risk [news]
- Two new studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine underscore the benefits of exercise in preventing Type 2 diabetes and reducing the risk of death in people who already have the disease. The researchers found that those who exercised had the lowest risk. Men who weight trained for a half-hour a day (2.5 hours a week) had a 34% lower risk of Type 2 diabetes than men who never hit the weight room. Those who combined weight lifting with a half-hour of aerobic activity each day — exercise including brisk walking and running — cut their risk by 59%, compared with sedentary men.
- Exercise May Be the Best Medicine for Alzheimer's Disease [news]
- New research out of the University of Maryland School of Public Health shows that exercise may improve cognitive function in those at risk for Alzheimer's by improving the efficiency of brain activity associated with memory. Memory loss leading to Alzheimer's disease is one of the greatest fears among older Americans. While some memory loss is normal and to be expected as we age, a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, signals more substantial memory loss and a greater risk for Alzheimer's, for which there currently is no cure.
- Exercise-Induced Improvements in Glycemic Control and Type 2 Diabetes [news]
- Exercise-induced improvements in glycemic control are dependent on the pre-training glycemic level, and although moderate-intensity aerobic exercise can improve glycemic control, individuals with ambient hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) are more likely to be nonresponders, according to a research letter by Thomas P. J. Solomon, Ph.D.
- The ten worst pieces of diet advice ever
- EVER eaten rotten food? Followed the latest celebrity fad? Skipped breakfast to keep the calories down? Let us put the record straight, and put this cruel game of Chinese whispers to rest. Check out our pick of the worst pieces of diet advice… ever!
- Is quinoa really all it’s cracked up to be? [news]
- The first thing I had to learn was how to pronounce this. It’s not kwee-no-a as it looks, but keen-wah. It originated in South America and has been used for over 3000 years. It’s related to beetroot and spinach, and contains essential amino acids like lysine as well as good quantities of calcium, phosphorus and iron. Quinoa has a high protein content for a pseudo-cereal and is useful for vegans and those who are lactose intolerant because of its calcium content. It’s high in fibre (7g per 100g serving) and best of all is gluten-free.
- Legal Performance Enhancer Discovered in the Nutrient Betaine [news]
- According to a study supervised by Ithaca College's Exercise and Sport Sciences Chair Thomas Swensen, betaine -- a nutrient found in shellfish and beets -- boosts athletic performance by nearly six percent when added to a sports drink. Tips and Takeaways "Betaine may contribute to creatine synthesis, which improves, strength, power and short-term performance," Swensen said. "Future research should elucidate the mechanism of how betaine supplementation improves performance."
- Exercise Reorganizes the Brain to Be More Resilient to Stress [news]
- Physical activity reorganizes the brain so that its response to stress is reduced and anxiety is less likely to interfere with normal brain function, according to a research team based at Princeton University.The researchers report in the Journal of Neuroscience that when mice allowed to exercise regularly experienced a stressor -- exposure to cold water -- their brains exhibited a spike in the activity of neurons that shut off excitement in the ventral hippocampus, a brain region shown to regulate anxiety. These findings potentially resolve a discrepancy in research related to the effect of exercise on the brain -- namely that exercise reduces anxiety while also promoting the growth of new neurons in the ventral hippocampus. Because these young neurons are typically more excitable than their more mature counterparts, exercise should result in more anxiety, not less. The Princeton-led researchers, however, found that exercise also strengthens the mechanisms that prevent these brain cells from firing.
- Google’s Latest Search Innovation: Nutrition [news]
- On Monday, Google added a new feature to its search capabilities: in-depth and accurate nutrition information. Before this week, if you Googled, “How many calories are in a carrot?” you would see a mumbo-jumbo list of varying calorie counts from many different sources — and often the results conflicted. Now, whether you are searching on desktop or using voice search on your smartphone, users can get in-depth, clear and curated results to their dietary questions. The new data is pulled primarily from the nutritional database maintained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. There’s nutritional information including calories, carbs and proteins for foods from broccoli to cupcakes. There’s more complex meals like burritos and chow mein, but Google is still perfecting foods and meals with multiple ingredients — not everything has a profile yet, including fast-food fare.
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