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Exercise upgrades immunity?
Immunity: A Trend Worth Supporting

While it may not be getting the same COVID-19 notoriety as the word “pivot,” “immunity” has a spine—and it’s much more than just a keyword.

Hiking Group
Hiking: It’s For Everyone!

Telling a person to “take a hike,” used to be a bit of an insult, but sending someone on a trek is really more of a favor. Besides having physical benefits, hiking improves mental health by fostering a relationship with nature. Research shows that spending time among trees and the great outdoors reduces blood pressure, lowers cortisol and adrenaline levels, and amps up the immune system (Mitten 2016).

Families and fitness
10 Ways to Help Families Change

Families need you! A growing body of research makes it clear: Families provide a powerful force in supporting—or opposing—better health behaviors. Indeed, the authors of a state-of-the-art review in a…

Gait analysis
Gait Analysis in Your Shoe

Do you include gait analysis in your assessments to help you craft the perfect program? A new technology may simplify the process.

Steps and Weight Loss
Steps and Weight Loss

New research shows that, while increasing steps to 4,400 steps per day enhances longevity (and walking more does have numerous health benefits), adding steps without increasing intensity or changing other lifestyle habits may not lead to weight loss.

High intensity interval walking
Interval Walking in Midlife and Beyond

For middle-aged and older adults who may not want to run, new research in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings (2019; 94 [12], 2413–26) shows that high-intensity interval walking effectively improves health and fitness. The protocol for this type of walking is 3 minutes at 70% of VO2max followed by 3 minutes at 40% of VO2max, repeated for 5 or more sets.

Aquatic Walking Benefits
Aquatic Walking Benefits

Water exercise is a great alternative to treadmill or outdoor walking for people who experience discomfort when training on land.

Are 10,000 Steps Necessary?

Are some of your clients obsessed with achieving their step counts every day? While 10,000 steps is a popular marker, it turns out that taking as few as 4,400 steps per day is associated with a lower risk of death for women with a mean age of 72 years.

“Clearly, even a modest number of steps was related to lower mortality rate among these older women,” said principal investigator I-Min Lee, MBBS ScD, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Minimalist Shoes and Stronger Foot Muscles

Minimalism is trending in many areas of life, including athletic shoes, with many fans touting numerous benefits. But does the evidence support the hype? Yes, according to research findings published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2018; doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000001751). Walking in minimalist shoes is as effective as foot-strengthening exercises and may result in better compliance than doing specific exercises.

How Fast You Walk May Affect How Long You Live

Want to outwalk the grim reaper? Pick up the pace, say researchers. A new study from the United Kingdom suggests that quicker walking may add years to your life.
The study’s primary aim was to examine the impact of walking pace and volume on all-cause mortality. To determine this, researchers looked at mortality records for 50,225 individuals from Scotland and England who had self-reported their walking data via interview.

The Long-Term Benefits of Pedometer Use

Studies show that tracking daily steps with a pedometer leads to higher activity levels. A new report out of the U.K. suggests the practice can inspire people to take more steps for many years.
The report included data from two separate 12-month studies; one involved inactive adults aged 45–75, while the other featured older adults aged 60–75. In the first, participants were assigned to one of three 12-week pedometer-based interventions—consultation with a nurse, support by mail or no consultation. In the second, there was no mail support group.

Activity Tracker Usage Improves

The initial finding—that people stop using their fitness trackers after the first 6 months—seems to be evolving. In a new study by insurance company Humana, 80% of participants in a structured program were still using activity trackers after 6 months. Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia found that game design elements—such as points, levels, badges and financial incentives—helped to keep users active.

Spotting and Fixing Flaws in Walking Biomechanics

Participating in a program of regular exercise is a good idea at any stage of life, but particularly as we get older. Exercising frequently and consistently has many documented benefits, including promoting good health, preventing disease, enhancing mental health and physical capacity, aiding recovery from injury and illness, minimizing the effects of aging, and improving one’s ability to handle the physical demands of life (Bird, Smith & James 1998).

A New Way to Combat High Blood Pressure During Menopause

Researchers have linked menopause with arterial stiffness and high blood pressure. A recent study of Korean women, led by The North American Menopause Society, suggests that taking the stairs is a good way to manage those conditions.

4,000 Steps a Day for Brain Fitness

By walking more than 4,000 steps a day, adults aged 60 and older can improve both attention and mental skills, according to a study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (2017; doi:10.3233/JAD-170586).
University of California, Los Angeles, researchers examined the relationship between physical activity and cognitive function in nondemented older adults with memory issues. For 2 years, researchers tracked the number of daily steps taken by 26 older adults and conducted neuropsychological tests and MRI scans to measure thickness of brain ­structures.