Research/Exercise Science Articles

STUDY REVIEWED: Grgic, J., Schoenfeld, B.J., & Latella, C. 2018. Resistance training frequency and skeletal muscle hypertrophy: A review of the available evidence. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, S1440–2440 (18), 30862–64.

Extremely fit patients live longer than less fit peers, according to research conducted at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. “We found in our study there is no limit in how much exercise is too much,” said principal investigator Wael Jaber, MD, Cleveland Clinic cardiologist. “Everyone should be encouraged to achieve and maintain high fitness levels.” The study’s purpose was to examine the relationship between high fitness levels and longevity as compared with more modest levels of cardiovascular fitness.

Good news for people who have delayed starting a training program. If the following exercise regimen is begun before age 65, studies show that the heart muscle can regain elasticity, reversing stiffening that can develop from lack of physical activity. Cardiologists from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Texas Health Resources in Dallas have been studying how to promote health and elasticity of the heart muscle.

As many as one-third of all adults over 65 years old fall each year, with consequences that include serious injury, limited activity and significant costs. Researchers at California State University, Northridge, conducted a study that shows that Pilates reformer training—as little as once per week—can effectively reduce these risks.

Fitness professionals understand the importance of building and maintaining lean body mass for functional mobility and health. New research shows that medical professionals should also be promoting this message to their patients. “Muscle mass should be looked at as a new vital sign,” said principal investigator Carla Prado, PhD, RD, associate professor at the University of Alberta, Canada. “If healthcare professionals identify and treat low muscle mass, they can significantly improve their patients’ health outcomes.

Exercise is good for the aging brain. Indeed, the right kind of exercise can protect against neurodegeneration, the natural decline of brain functions that accompanies aging. You could encourage your older clients to play “brain games” on computers or mobile apps. Alas, multiple studies say this approach helps only with the specific cognitive functions the games use (Bamidis et al. 2014). Hence, a computer game that requires a lot of visuospatial processing tends to improve visuospatial processing—but not much else.

STUDY REVIEWED: Chekroud, S.R., et al. 2018. Association between physical exercise and mental health in 1.2 million individuals in the USA between 2011 and 2015: A cross-sectional study. Lancet Psychiatry, 5 (9), 739–46. Exercise has proven benefits for improving physical health. But what about mental health? For starters, active people are nearly 45% less likely to have depressive symptoms than inactive people (Booth, Roberts & Laye 2012). But a deeper look at the connections between exercise and mental health raises complicated questions:

There’s a reason why #motivationmonday has more than 11 million social media posts. Health promotion researchers from the Johns Hopkins University Center for a Livable Future determined that Mondays are a particularly motivating day for people to begin or renew commitments to improve health behaviors (see bit.ly/2NSVSTq).

If you want to help your clients find more time to exercise, try asking them how much time they spend watching Netflix. An analysis by the Streaming Observer, a website dedicated to streaming technology information, showed that the average Netflix user watches 71 minutes of Netflix daily. Other data sources show that the average American spends 17.4 minutes a day exercising. In other words, people spend four times as much time watching Netflix as they do being active.

Motivate moms to keep up the great work by letting them know their healthy lifestyle choices are likely to have a powerful impact on their kids’ health. Researchers at the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that children are 75% less likely to develop obesity when mothers stick to the following five healthy habits: