Exercise

Exercise does some pretty amazing things for your health. It probably wouldn't come as much of surprise that exercise can help smokers quit. This particular study - from the University of Exeter is unique however in that it shows the effect of exercise on images of smoking. Let's explore!

These are the piano stairs, a fun little experiment by -- who else? -- TheFunTheory.com. The basic idea behind their initiative is that making something fun is the most effective way to change someone's behavior.

Before the stairs were altered, we clearly see the majority of people using the escalator. But when the stairs become a giant, working piano, 66 percent more people used the stairs. Why? Because it's fun!

It takes about six weeks for a bonafide couch potato to see real results from a fitness program, though feeling the results starts to happen immediately. Unfortunately, many people just aren't that patient, and quit long before they've really even begun.

Going from flab to fit can seem like a long, overwhelming process. But the truth is, every day you stick with it is a day closer to your goal. As the visual evidence in the video above proves.

A new study of almost 4,400 Americans has found that staying moderately fit and active may help you live longer.

The study was of healthy adults, also taking into account other health factors such as obesity and diabetes. The researchers found that the 20% with the lowest fitness levels were twice as likely to die within the next nine years, as the 20% with the next-lowest fitness levels.

This is a follow-up post to the TIME Magazine Rebuttal.

My original intention was to follow up with a "How to Make Exercise Work For You" post (which I will get to), but I decided I had lost sight of something important that should be addressed first: helping those who may overeat in response to exercise.

What motivates you to get to the gym: Weight loss? Strong muscles? Longevity? Or maybe you're just tired of not fitting into your jeans?

If that's the case, then check out the Skinny Jeans Workout, programmed to specifically work on the core, butt, and thighs--or as instructor Lisa Grimmer told CNN, "anything placed in your jeans." The Skinny Jeans Workout will have you zipping up in no time.

As many as 50 million Americans are living sedentary lives, putting them at increased risk of health problems and even early death. This according to researcher Steven Blair, who called Americans' physical inactivity "the biggest public health problem of the 21st century."

A very small study in the UK suggests that drinking beetroot juice before exercising could improve your stamina.

The research was led by the University of Exeter, and involved eight men, aged 19 - 38. The men performed a series of cycling tests on exercise bikes, after six consecutive days of drinking: 500mls a day of organic beetroot juice 500mls a day of a placebo, blackcurrant cordial

TIME Magazine dropped a bomb shell article last week called, "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin". This piece has ignited discussions and debates in blogospheres, talk shows and water coolers alike. I'm hoping to accomplish 2 goals with this entry:

Exercise has been taking a beating in the media over the past couple of years. Pop diet book gurus and other "experts" vying for edgy, publicity-grabbing attention are telling us that exercise is useless for fat loss. At least everybody agrees that exercise is "good for us". Well, almost everybody...

Rush Limbaugh, the acerbic right-wing radio personality, proclaims that it is the "exercisers" who are responsible for escalating health care costs. Here's what Rush had to say:

Until recently, the link between yoga and improved asthma was anecdotal, but unproven.

But, a recent study out of New York University School of Medicine/Bellevue Medical Center has made a pretty good case. Researchers there found that asthmatics who practised Hatha yoga regularly (or three times a week) for ten weeks reported a significant improvement in asthma symptoms and quality of life, and some were even able to reduce their controller medications.

There are two theories as to why this works. One is that as asthmatics are trained to be more aware of their breath, they recognize and treat symptoms earlier. The other is that deep breathing done during yoga trains the lungs, making them stronger and more functional.

A 10-minute walking stress test can give important information about health risks to those middle aged and older. The test measures cardiorespiratory fitness, or how well the lungs, heart, and blood vessels work together.

Preventative medicine expert Dr Timothy Church, recently told CNN, "Fitness is just simply as powerful a risk factor as there is." I think that's a pretty bold statement, and one we would do well to pay attention to.

But fifty years ago, gyms as we know them today just didn't exist.

So how did we get to where we are today - and what "dos" and "don'ts" can we pick up from the past?

A very exciting study has just been released demonstrating that vigorous exercisers are 30% less likely to develop breast cancer. Here are the details - reported in the journal Breast Cancer Research.