Mixed drinks with diet beverages may boost breath alcohol levels

People who mix alcohol and diet drinks end up with more alcohol on their breath, according to a new study.
People who drank vodka mixed with diet soda had higher alcohol concentrations on their breath than those who drank the same amount of vodka mixed with regular soda, researchers write in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
Prevention materials should include this information so people know that by trying to avoid some extra calories in a mixed drink, they risk having higher breath alcohol concentrations, write the researchers, led by Amy Stamates of Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights.
Previous research found similar results, but the findings were not generalizable to real-world scenarios, the researchers add.
For the new study, they had 10 men and 10 women between ages 21 and 30 drink five different mixed beverage combinations over five sessions. The drinks contained varying amounts of vodka and either diet or regular sweetened soda. One drink was just regular soda alone.
The researchers then measured the alcohol concentrations in the participants' breaths for three hours.
They found higher concentrations of alcohol on the breaths of the participants when they drank the mixed beverages containing diet soda.
For a low amount of alcohol, the researchers found breath alcohol concentrations were about 22 percent higher when participants had their beverages mixed with diet soda rather than regular soda.
For a larger amount of alcohol, breath alcohol concentrations were about 25 percent higher when the drinks were made with diet soda.
While there were no differences in the results by gender, the researchers say the findings may be particularly relevant to young women, who are most likely to use diet beverages in their mixed drinks.
Dr. Chris Rayner, a gastroenterologist at the University of Adelaide in Australia, told Reuters Health that so-called gastric emptying is likely the reason for higher alcohol concentrations in the participants' breaths.
In a previous study, Rayner found alcohol left the stomach and entered the bloodstream faster when people used diet drinks in their mixed beverages, compared to when they used regularly sweetened drinks.
"Although it makes good press, I wouldn't interpret the findings as indicating that diet beverages are 'bad,'" said Rayner, who was not involved with the new study.
Instead, he said, the effects of alcohol are mitigated if consumed with nutrients like sugar, because it slows the entry of alcohol into the small intestine, where it is absorbed by the body.
"So my message would be that consuming alcohol without any accompanying nutrients will result in a somewhat higher peak blood alcohol concentration," he said. "However, it is at least as important to consume alcohol in moderation, regardless of whether it is taken with or without food."
The authors of the study were unable to respond to a request for comment by deadline.

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Sugar-free drinks may damage teeth, study says

Sugar-free drinks may be as damaging to your teeth as those that contain the sweet stuff. New research from the Oral Health Cooperative Research Centre at the University of Melbourne, Australia, found soft drinks and sports drinks without sugar can cause measurable damage to tooth enamel.
Researchers found that sugar-free drinks that contain acidic additives and those with low pH levels led to softening of dental enamel by between one-third and one-half of normal. The team tested 23 different types of sugar-free drinks, according to Medical News Today.
"Many people are not aware that while reducing your sugar intake does reduce your risk of dental decay, the chemical mix of acids in some foods and drinks can cause the equally damaging condition of dental erosion,” said Eric Reynolds, a professor at Melbourne Dental School.
Sugar forms a plaque on the tooth surface that bacteria digest and convert to acid. This acid attacks teeth by dissolving outer layers of tooth enamel— therefore any acidic drink can also erode teeth, according to Medical News Today. If the damage progresses, it can expose the soft pulp inside the tooth, Reynolds said.
In their study, researchers also found that both sugary and sugar-free drinks— including flavored mineral water— cause a measurable loss of tooth enamel, with no significant difference between the two types of drinks. Six of eight of the sports drinks tested caused dental enamel loss.
Researchers suggested the following to protect teeth health:
- Look for acidic additives such as citric acid and phosphoric acid in the ingredient list of sugar-free products.
- After eating or drinking acidic products, rinse your mouth with water and wait for an hour before brushing. Doing so any sooner can remove the softened tooth layer.
- Chew sugarless gum after drinking acidic beverages— such as soda— on its own to increase saliva flow to neutralize the acid.

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Influential health survey needs to slim down, officials say

When the government launched what would become most influential survey to monitor the nation's public health, there were just 75 questions - and 95 percent of those asked agreed to sit for it.
But that was nearly 60 years ago, and the National Health Interview Survey has mushroomed along with the government and its interests. There are now 1,200 potential questions, and the average family takes more than 90 minutes to complete the survey.
Not surprisingly, the refusal rate has gone up, as well: Thirty percent are refusing to take part. And that has raised concerns that the survey - conducted in people's homes - has gotten too big.
"If you tell them it's going to take an hour and it could be longer... right away people are going to say no," said Joseph Paysen, who oversees the survey in the New York City area.
These and other issues have prompted plans for dramatic changes. But as government officials embark on a redesign, they're contending with bureaucratic obstacles and pleas from researchers who want more questions asked, not less.
"They're kind of in a hard place," observed James Lepkowski, a survey research expert at the University of Michigan.
U.S. Census Bureau workers conduct the survey every year, on behalf of another federal agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It's a $30 million annual project, and somewhere around 50,000 people answer the survey's questions each year.
Their answers have shaped our understanding of topics ranging from how common arthritis is to how many people get X-rays to what proportion of U.S. children suffers seizures. The survey's responses also are the foundation of how we measure the nation's progress (or backslide) on problems like obesity and smoking.
Tellingly, the CDC recently added questions to it about use of electronic cigarettes - even though other surveys already asked about that subject - because the agency wants a new, unimpeachable statistical baseline on the controversial topic.
"It's been kind of the gold standard" for continuous, nationally-representative information on the American public's health, said Lynn Blewett, a University of Minnesota expert on health data.
The survey has been a crucial source of health information for a long time.
In the 1800s and early 1900s, infectious diseases ranked as the nation's leading causes of death, so most government health statistics involved births, deaths, and germ illnesses. But with the development of germ-fighting antibiotics and other advances, illnesses like heart disease and cancer became the top killers, and new kinds of statistics were needed.
In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a law creating the health interview survey. The purpose was to learn how common chronic illnesses and disabilities were, and to learn about the characteristics and behaviors of people who had them. The survey began in 1957. It was placed under the CDC's umbrella in 1987.
The survey's data became the basis for measuring the nation's progress in fighting disease. It spurred funding for a CDC arthritis program, and shaped the agency's policy on cervical cancer screening. It was the first federal household survey to track the growing popularity of cell phones. And it's been a primary measuring stick for how many people are gaining health insurance under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.
But now it's just one data source in a crowded field. The CDC has conducted or funded hundreds of surveys designed to improve researchers' understanding of peoples' health and health behaviors. That includes roughly 20 ongoing surveys of all or parts of the U.S. public. Many are focused on specific topics, like HIV or teen smoking.
Meanwhile, people are being approached for political polls or other surveys, or asked for personal information by businesses trying to sell them things. Bombarded by so many solicitations, "you're not trusting" when approached to be part of the government health survey, said Susan Cochran, a UCLA researcher who works with the survey data.
That uneasiness, coupled with people's busy schedules, means more and more potential participants decline. It's not just the health interview survey that's affected - response rates have been declining for surveys in general.
No one's talking about doing away with the health interview survey, but there have been proposals to merge it with other government health surveys.
But researchers and advocacy groups have been sharply opposed to the idea. Indeed, many of them want the survey to get bigger, not slimmer.
"I'm concerned about mental health," Vickie Mays, a UCLA researcher who works with survey data. A more comprehensive, ongoing set of questions on that topic is needed to better understand the nation's psychological well-being, she said.
Each survey also has a constituency within CDC, some located in at CDC headquarters in Atlanta and some at a CDC sub-agency - the National Center for Health Statistics - in Hyattsville, Maryland.
"They have these silos," Lepkowski said.

The CDC's budget has been relatively flat over the last decade, and in some years, the health interview survey has had to cut back the number of people interviewed, even though smaller samples can weaken the accuracy of a survey's findings. The survey benefited from an extra $5 million to $7 million a year after passage of the Affordable Care Act, engineered by Obama administration officials eager to demonstrate the law's impact. But that added money is ending and survey administrators expect a more modest budget moving forward.
The CDC is currently soliciting public comment for a redesigned survey that's to be used starting in 2018.
The last such redesign was in 1997, after the survey had crept up to a two-hour experience.
Paysen - the New York supervisor who works for the Census Bureau - has watched families go through the health interview survey in recent years, and he has detected frustration with what seemed to them to be redundant questions.
"The shorter it is," Paysen said, "the easier it will be."

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12 exercises for a better night's sleep

When it comes to your health, getting the right amount of sleep may be the most important thing you can do for your body and mind. Maybe you eat healthy and exercise an hour (or even two) a day, but those pale in comparison to sleep, something you spend one-third of your life doing. Unfortunately, almost everyone struggles with sleep at some point, whether it’s falling asleep, staying asleep, or just getting enough. That’s why we spoke with fitness professionals, doctors, and sleep specialists to give you a list of exercises, and tips, for a better night’s rest.

1. Control Your Breath
A hectic lifestyle means your mind and body are constantly on the go. Before you go to bed, though, it is helpful to slow everything down. One of the best methods is to practice some breathing exercises. The simplest: sit cross-legged (or in any position that’s comfortable) on a soft surface like a yoga mat, inhale deeply for 5 to 7 seconds, hold the breath for an equal amount of time, then exhale for as long as you can. By the time you’ve finished repeating this for 10 rounds, you should feel a lot calmer, and hopefully, a lot sleepier.
2. Massage Your Feet
Your feet are the main point of contact with the earth, and over the course of a day, they can take a heck of a beating. Rubbing them not only relaxes those tiny, overused little muscles, but also slows your nervous system and stimulates your internal organs, explains Angi McClure, a licensed massage therapist, fitness instructor, and founder of MYMA Movement. McClure says to especially focus on an acupuncture point in the center of the foot, just below the knuckles, where, when pressure is applied, will calm you down like nothing else.

3. Feel Your Forearms
Whether it’s typing all day at a computer, carrying heavy bags, or lifting weights in the gym, your forearms are constantly being used throughout the day. “They tend to hold a lot of tension, and [massaging them] can resonate not only in the neck, but also emotionally in the head,” says McClure.
4. Hug and Love Yourself 
In a standing position, reach your arms out wide as you inhale, then exhale as you wrap your arms around your body, as if giving yourself a hug, advises McClure. Focusing on your breath as your perform the move with help draw your energy inward and push aside all external distractions.

5. Stretch Your Chest
“Stretching the front of the chest can open up the heart and release any tension that we hold in that area, [be it] physically or mentally,” says McClure. One technique: Stand in a doorway and push your arms into the frame, palms facing outward, creating an ‘M’ shape. Next, step forward a foot or two to create a deeper opening in the chest. If it feels like too much, back off, or stretch with only one arm at a time. Be aware of your breath as you do this, and close your eyes if it feels comfortable.
6. Howdy Horse Stance
The horse stance is a Qigong exercise where you stand, feet a bit wider than shoulder width, soften your knees, and drop your tailbone down until your butt is parallel to the ground. Next, reach your hands above your head as you inhale then slowly lower your hands to your stomach as you exhale. The aim of this exercise is to connect your body’s energy (called chi) with the earth, and to center your mind. Repeat the arms movement and inhale/exhale ten times, and your mind should be clear and relaxed.

7. Qi Ball Hold
The Qi ball hold is a Tai Chi exercise where you stand and place your hands in front of your stomach as if you were holding a beach ball with your right hand on the top, and your left hand on the bottom. Matching your breath with the movement, alternate your hands so your left hand is on the top, right hand on the bottom, continuing to switch hands as you breathe. The soft swinging movement of your arms works “to center the body, calm the breath, and prepare the mind for sleep,” says McClure.
8. Keep a Routine
With everything going on in life, maintaining a solid routine can be difficult, but given its importance, that’s no excuse. “Having a routine and going to sleep at a similar time every night is extremely important because one of the things that fights against us is what is call our circadian rhythm,” says Dr. Jeremy Weingarten, M.D., M.S., director of the Center for Sleep Disorders and the Pulmonary Physiology Laboratory at New York Methodist Hospital. “Circadian rhythm is a timing of sleep that our body naturally has and that’s based on light, daytime and nighttime patterns, and the release of melatonin. If we’re not going to sleep at the same time every night, we’re fighting our intrinsic biological sleep initiation pattern.”
9. Take a Hot Bath
Your core body temperature drops when you sleep, so taking a hot bath would seem counter-intuitive, but Dr. Weingarten says it may actually help you fall asleep quicker. “If you take a hot bath before bedtime, when you come out of the bath, your body temperature immediately drops, and so [taking a bath] sometimes helps people drift off to sleep.”

10. Stay Out of Bed Until Bedtime
Your bed is for one thing: sleeping. Keep it that way, says Dr. Weingarten. “The associations we develop of being in bed and doing other activities sets up a very bad pattern where our minds and our subconscious start to believe that being in bed and being awake is an alright thing,” Dr. Weingarten explains. “Avoid any activities in the bed, like watching television, eating, even reading in bed.” And if reading before bed is your thing, use a book, not an iPad or computer. The reason: bright light from computer screens suppress the release of melatonin.
11. Listen to Your Body
Some people believe exercising in the morning helps you sleep because by night, you’re exhausted. Others believe exercising at night is a better choice. In the end, it’s up to you. “It’s really a trial and error kind of thing,” says Dr. Wiengarten. “You can’t predict how an individual is going to respond to exercise in terms of their sleep initiation or quality.” Try exercising in the morning one week, gauge your sleep, and then try exercising at night. Whichever one helps you sleep better is the answer for you.

12. Manage Your Stress
Maybe the reason everyone struggles with sleep at some point or another is everyone struggles with stress and anxiety now and then. Managing, and decreasing stress and anxiety, might be the most effective way to improve your sleep. “Our stressful lifestyle, and levels of anxiety and depression definitely affect our ability to fall asleep and stay asleep,” says Dr. Weingarten. “Those are probably the most common causes of insomnia.”

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Weight gain between pregnancies raises risks for babies, study says

Healthy-weight women who gained weight between their first and second pregnancies—even as little as 12 pounds for someone of average height—had an increased risk of a stillbirth or their baby dying within the first year of life, compared with women whose weight remained stable, according to a Swedish study.
The new study, based on a database of more than 456,000 Swedish women and published in the U.K. medical journal the Lancet, is thought to be the first to examine how weight gain between pregnancies is connected to risk of infant death. It suggests that weight gain during this period may be a modifiable risk for reducing stillbirth and infant mortality, which researchers say hasn’t declined much in recent decades in many high-income countries.
The risk of stillbirth and infant mortality remained small overall, but the relative risk was markedly higher for women who gained weight between pregnancies. For women who kept their weight steady, the infant mortality rate was two per 1,000. That rose to 2.3 per 1,000 for women who started off at a normal weight and put on about 12 pounds (5.6 kilograms). The rate of stillbirths increased to three per 1000 from two per 1,000. For women who put on about 12 pounds, the infant mortality risk increased by 30%. The risk increased further with more pronounced weight gain.

Women who were already overweight, whose babies are known to have an elevated risk of both outcomes to begin, didn’t have a greater risk with respect to infant mortality. But overweight women who lost weight between pregnancies reduced the risk of neonatal mortality—their baby dying in the first 28 days of life—for their second babies, according to the study.
“From a public-health perspective, it is possible that lives could be saved if we lived in the ideal world and you go back to your ideal weight,” said Sven Cnattingius, a professor in reproductive epidemiology at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and first author on the study.

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Dizziness, but not fall risk, improves after routine cataract surgery

 Older people with visual impairment who undergo cataract surgery report less dizziness, but may be at the same risk of falls as before the surgery, according to a new study.
You would have expected the fall rate to improve, said senior author David B. Elliott of the Bradford School of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Bradford in West Yorkshire, U.K.
Decreased dizziness and improved vision after cataract surgery lower the chances of tripping over small objects, but getting multifocal lenses after cataract surgery blurs the lower visual field, and adapting to this change might increase the risk of falls, Elliott said.
"The vast majority of cataract occurs in older people and is more prevalent the older you get," he told Reuters Health by email. "As visual impairment approximately doubles the risk of falls and as cataract is one of the main causes of visual impairment in older people, then falls are common in people with cataract."
The researchers analyzed self-reported dizziness and falls before, and six months after, cataract surgery among 287 people whose average age was 76 years. Roughly one third had surgery on their first eye, one third had surgery on their second eye and one third had surgery on both eyes at the same time.
Before surgery, just over half of participants reported dizziness, which declined to 38 percent after surgery. Dizziness seemed to be reduced for people having surgery on their first eye or on both eyes, but not on their second eye, according to the results in Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics.
Before surgery, 23 percent of participants said they had suffered a fall over the past six months, which was similar to the 20 percent who said they fell in the six months following surgery.
Fall risk after surgery was higher if the patient had switched to multifocal spectacles.
Thirty percent of people that started wearing multifocal, or "progressive lenses," after cataract surgery fell, yet only 15 percent of those taken out of progressives fell after surgery, Elliott noted.
"This study presents valuable findings in that falls may be increased indirectly by people commencing wearing multifocal glasses - an identified risk factor for falls," said Professor Stephen Lord, senior principal research fellow of the Falls and Balance Research Group of Neuroscience Research Australia, who was not part of the new study. "Multifocal glasses increase fall risk by blurring the visual field where people need to look as they walk, i.e. about two steps ahead."

Cataract surgery helps improve all aspects of visually-related activities such as reading, driving and computer work, Elliott said.
It markedly improves vision, reduces vision-related disability and improves quality of life, Lord told Reuters Health by email.
"All surgery has risks, but cataract surgery is one of the safest," Elliott said. "I would strongly recommend it," he said, noting that he even recommended it for his own mother.
"For the vast majority of older people the benefits far outweigh the risks," Lord said. "The implications of this study are that visual management of older people is important."

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7 sneaky reasons you're always thirsty

When that parched feeling strikes, the reason why is usually clear: You've been skimping on your H₂O intake, bingeing on your fave salty treat, or working out ultra-hard. But your mouth morphing into the Sahara may also be your body's way of hinting that you have a health condition. (Make YOUR well-being a priority this year! Join Prevention and other leading minds in health & wellness for our annual R3 Summit)
"Any condition that alters your water or salt balance in the body can trigger thirst," said Dr. Laura M. Hahn, a primary care physician at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.
If you follow good hydration practices (your pee should be within the light yellow to clear range) yet still feel dehydrated, you may want to check in with your doc to rule out these sneaky saboteurs:
1. Diabetes

Diabetes can increase your risk of dehydration—especially if you're not yet aware of it. When blood sugar levels are too high, your body peer-pressures your kidneys into producing more urine to get rid of the excess glucose, said Dr. Heather Rosen, medical director of UPMC Urgent Care North Huntingdon in Pennsylvania.
"Frequent urination, another common symptom, will bring on thirst," she added. "This leads to drinking more fluids, which compounds the problem."
If you experience excessive thirst and urination, as well as other symptoms like unexplained weight loss, fatigue, or irritability, your doc can carry out a blood glucose test to find out if you have diabetes.
2. Diabetes Insipidus
Although diabetes insipidus isn't related to the diabetes we know and loathe, it does share some of the same signs and symptoms, such as dehydration and a busy bladder. Diabetes insipidus is characterized by a hormone imbalance in your body that affects water absorption. Because you end up losing vast amounts of water through your urine and have no say in the matter, thirst strikes as your body tries to compensate for the fluid loss, said Dr. Prudence Hall, founder and medical director of the Hall Center in Santa Monica, Calif. Since there are several types of diabetes insipidus and it can be caused by other conditions, your doctor will perform a variety of tests to determine which treatment option is best for you.
3. Your Period
During the great flood, you may feel the urge to suck up water like a shop vac. Don't worry: It's totally normal.
 "Estrogen and progesterone levels can both affect fluid volume," Rosen said. "Add to that blood loss from the cycle itself—especially if your periods are on the heavy side—and the result is a compensatory increase in thirst."
In other words, when you're stranded in PMS Land, make sure you keep a bottle of water handy.
4. Dry Mouth
Dry mouth, also known as xerostomia, is often mistaken for excessive thirst. "It's an abnormal dryness of the mucous membranes in the mouth, due to a reduction of the flow or change in the composition of saliva," Rosen said.
If your glands aren't making enough saliva, that can lead to other pesky symptoms like bad breath, trouble chewing, and thick, stringy saliva. Dry mouth can be a side effect of prescription medications, allergy medicines (Benadryl or Claritin), and dizziness or motion sickness medications (Antivert or Dramamine), Hahn said.
"There are also several diseases that can cause dry mouth, so this is always worth bringing up with your doctor," she added.
5. Anemia
Ongoing or sudden blood loss—thanks to issues like heavy periods and bleeding ulcers—is the most common cause of anemia. Your body loses red blood cells faster than they can be replaced, and will try to make up for the fluid loss by triggering thirst, Rosen said.
"A very common yet unrecognized cause of heavy periods is low thyroid conditions," Hall said. "Up to 70 percent of people experience some degree of thyroid deficiency, which translates to a large number of very thirsty women."
A physical exam and blood test will determine if you have anemia, and the treatment you receive will depend on the type you're diagnosed with.
6. Low Blood Pressure
"Chronic stress causes our adrenal glands to underfunction, which may result in low blood pressure when the stress is severe," Hall said. "This can cause dizziness, depression, anxiety, and also extreme thirst."
Thirst is your body's way of adding more water to your blood, in an attempt to raise your blood pressure. Really, the only long-term solution for this is to decrease and better manage your stress.
7. Your Diet
"Foods that have a diuretic effect [think celery, asparagus, beets, lemons, melons, ginger, and parsley] can make you thirsty because they cause you to urinate more," said Jessica Cording, RD, a dietitian at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. "Though these foods have a lot of health benefits, consider this effect yet another reason to incorporate a wide variety of fruits and veggies into your diet: You'll cover your nutritional bases and keep your thirst in check."
You can also balance the scales by eating more fluid-rich foods, like oatmeal and brown rice, which soak up water during the cooking process.
This story originally appeared on Prevention.com.

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How physical activity helps the elderly stay sharp

Older adults who regularly engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity perform better in mental tasks as they are more flexible in terms of brain functions, a new study says.
The findings could soon help doctors determine how physically active you are simply by imaging your brain.
"We looked at 100 adults between the ages of 60 and 80, and we used accelerometres to objectively measure their physical activity over a week," said one of the lead researchers Agnieszka Burzynska, professor at Colorado State University in the US.
The researchers also used functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to observe how blood oxygen levels changed in the brain over time, reflecting each participant`s brain activity at rest.
They evaluated the microscopic integrity of each person`s white-matter fibers, which carry nerve impulses and interconnect the brain.
"We found that spontaneous brain activity showed more moment-to-moment fluctuations in the more-active adults," Burzynska noted.
"In a previous study, we showed that in some of the same regions of the brain, those people who have higher brain variability also performed better on complex cognitive tasks, especially on intelligence tasks and memory," Burzynska pointed out.
The researchers also found that, on average, older adults who were more active had better white-matter structure than their less-active peers.
The new findings were reported in the journal PLOS ONE.

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Develop close friendships to stay fit

Developing close friendships early in life may help children stay physically fit later in their adulthood, suggests new research.
"These results indicate that remaining close to -- as opposed to separating oneself -- from the peer pack in adolescence has long-term implications for adult physical health," said one of the researchers Joseph Allen from University of Virginia in the US.
"In this study, it was a robust predictor of increased long-term physical health quality," Allen noted.
The findings indicate that adolescent relationship qualities may come to influence adult health through decreased levels of later anxiety and depressive symptoms.
The researchers recruited a diverse group of 171 seventh- and eighth-graders and followed them from ages 13 through 27 years old.
From ages 13 through 17, the participants' best friend filled out a questionnaire assessing the overall quality of the friendship, including the degree of trust, communication, and alienation in the relationship.
Friends also provided information about how much participants' focused on fitting in with their peers.
Participants' health quality was then assessed annually at ages 25, 26, and 27 years old with questions about their overall health, anxiety and depression symptoms, and body mass index.
Results indicated that both high-quality close friendships and a drive to fit in with peers in adolescence were associated with better health at age 27.
The study was published in the journal Psychological Science.

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And you thought `guilting` teens into exercise works out

A new study has suggested that trying to guilt middle-schoolers into exercising won't get them to be any more active.
The University of Georgia researchers found that the students who don't feel in control of their exercise choices or who feel pressured by adults to be more active typically aren't.
Middle-schoolers who feel they can make their own decisions about exercising are more likely to see themselves as a person who exercises, which in turn makes them more likely to exercise.
Lead author Rod Dishman said that this age is a critical juncture in a child's life, as kids typically decrease their activity levels by 50 percent between fifth and sixth grades.
The results confirm that the beliefs these kids hold are related to physical activity levels, Dishman noted, adding "but can we put these children in situations where they come to value and enjoy the act of being physically active?"
Dishman and colleagues at the University of South Carolina are now looking at ways to help kids identify with exercise at a younger age, so that by the time they reach middle school they are more likely to identify as someone who exercises.
This might mean teaching more structured games in elementary school, integrating physical activities into classroom lessons or expanding community recreational leagues to give kids more opportunities to improve on a particular sport.
What parents and teachers don't want to create, Dishman cautioned, is a sense of guilt for not exercising. The research overwhelmingly found that students who felt obligated to be more active were less likely to embrace activity overall.
Dishman pointed out that the best thing is to do it because it's fun and it's the kids who say they are intrinsically motivated who are more active than the kids who aren't.
The study appears in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

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How you keep balance while jogging

Do you know why a jogger does not feel dizzy or lose balance while a roller-coaster rider can find his or her head spinning with no control over the abrupt dips and swoops? The secret is hidden in the sensory hair cells in your inner ear.
The reason for the difference lies in the vestibular organ (VO) located in the inner ear, which controls balance and posture, researchers have reported.
The VO senses ongoing self-motion and ensures that, while running, the jogger unconsciously compensates for the accompanying changes in the orientation of the head.
The team from University of Bordeaux in France and Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) of Munich in Germany revealed that cells in the spinal cord which generate the rhythmic patterns of neural and muscle activity required for locomotion also adaptively alter the sensitivity of the hair cells in the VO.
It enables them to respond appropriately to the broad range of incoming signal amplitudes.
"We are not really aware of what movement actually involves because our balance organs react immediately to alterations in posture and head position,” said neurobiologist Boris Chagnaud from LMU.
The hair cells, which detect the resulting changes in fluid flow in the semicircular canals in the inner ear, enable us to keep our balance without any conscious effort, he explained.
The capacity to adapt and respond appropriately to both slight and substantial displacements of the head in turn implies that the sensory hair cells in the inner ear can react to widely varying stimulus intensities.
The whole adaptation process is controlled by neurons in the spinal cord, which transmit signals to the VO via nerve cells just before the muscles carry out the next locomotory behaviour.
These signals thus notify the VO in advance about the temporal form of the impending movement.
The team now intends to study whether all the hair cells in the inner ear also respond to efferent information emanating from the spinal cord.
The results were reported in the online journal Nature Communications.

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Exercise may help preserve mental sharpness in oldies

A new study has revealed about the connection between fitness level, brain activity and executive function in older adults.
The new study from a team at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois found that dual-task processing in a core executive function brain region is associated with higher cardiorespiratory fitness and dual-task performance.
First author Chelsea Wong said that previous studies have shown that there's a relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and behavioral performance in older adults, adding that other studies have looked at cardiorespiratory fitness and brain function, but really linking all three of those hasn't been quite been done as explicitly as they did in this paper.
The team, led by Art Kramer, examined brain imaging and fitness level data from 128 adults between the ages of 59-80.
With functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans gathered in the Beckman Institute's Biomedical Imaging Center, the researchers found that certain regions of the brain were activated more when performing two simultaneous tasks compared to a single task.
The team found the overall relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness levels and higher executive function may be partially explained through activation in a region of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex and the supplementary motor area (ACC/SMA).
Kramer noted that this research adds to their growing understanding of the relationship among physical activity and cognitive and brain function--and suggests that people can improve the brain health by changing their lifestyle even as they age.
The study is published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.

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Fitness or weight loss: Which is better?

Weight loss. These two words have a kind of mystifying power over the entire world. It probably even reminded you that you missed your morning walk today or skipped your gym class.

If there's one thing that everyone thinks about practically everyday, it's about how they can shed those extra kilos or lose that ever-persistent belly fat.

But have you ever stopped for minute and thought about being fit rather than slim? Got you thinking, didn't it? You may be slim, but are you fit and healthy?

Fitness, many people may not be aware, is more important than losing weight. Fitness is more than just staying slim. It is a result of healthy diet and exercise, and overall good health.

Being slim may not necessarily mean that you're fit. Therefore, it's high time you changed your goal from losing weight to getting fit!

Below, we bring you a few benefits of staying fit and why it holds more value than just simply losing weight.

1. Fitness:

The most essential thing for you to know is that while fitness will most definitely result in weight loss, vice versa isn't true. Weight loss cannot ensure fitness. You can lose weight even in an unhealthy way. Fitness involves everything good. You need to exercise, ensure appropriate rest, and eat healthy to achieve your fitness goal.

2. Improved digestion:

Weight loss may often harm your digestion. A change in diet can cause bloating, bodily changes and discomfort. Exercise can also help you avoid digestive problems. Even easy-to-do exercises like breathing, walking, and other physical activities can improve your digestive system. A general fitness routine worked out through proper balanced diet and exercise for improved digestive function can be done.

3. Health benefits:

Fitness results in healthy respiratory and circulatory systems. Overall fitness gives you healthy skin, alertness and a healthy system. While weight loss may be bad for your health and respiratory system, regular exercise and a healthy diet aids the heart in the smooth circulation of blood and oxygen.

4. Better lymphatic system:

Your lymphatic system is also a part of the circulatory system, comprising a network that provides better flow of fluid called lymph which improves circulation, reduces swelling, metabolism and flexibility. Basic exercises like strength training and stretching can improve the lymphatic system.

5. Healthy heart:

Another benefit of preferring fitness over weight loss, is a healthier cardiovascular system. A person deprived of exercise has a higher risk of cardiovascular problems like heart attack and stroke. Weight loss through dieting or an overdose of exercising may do more harm than good.

6. Mental health:

Physical fitness means a healthy body and more than that, it means a healthy mind. Physical fitness is connected to your mental health in every way possible.  Every physical activity makes the brain agile, sharp and alert. Mental fitness is as crucial as physical health and weight loss may result in fatigue and depression, which puts the brain under unwanted pressure.

7. Attractive personality:

Exercise improves your muscles and hence, your overall personality. You can do everything in a better way. Weight loss ignores your body's actual needs and therefore you lose your personality as well.

So make fitness the key to your happiness!

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Top five exercises for healthy ageing!

Physical activity, exercise and fitness – the benefits of all these terms are endless – from reducing your risk of several diseases to keeping your youth intact.

Yes, exercise is the key to staying young and fit. Although we know about the immense health benefits of exercise and physical activity, most of us are just either being lazy or don't have time to workout in this super busy schedule.

But think over it again, if you wish to retain that youthful, radiant look. You shouldn't find excuses to write off your workout – it's entirely within your graps and how you manage your time.

So instead of depending on anti-ageing products and services, protect yourself against the effects of ageing naturally and internally with a few movements.

Here are a few exercises that will help you stay younger and healthier:

Stay active: The best way to counter the effects of ageing on our bodies and minds is maintaining good fitness. Studies suggest that aslittle as 15 minutes of exercise a day may increase a person lifespan by as much as three years.

Walking: Studies show that adults over 65 who walk or exercise moderately reduce their risk of dementia by one-third.

Jogging: A study from the University of Colorado has shown that jogging or running can help protect against memory loss after an illness.

Tai Chi: Research has found that older people who do tai chi improved their balance and increased their senses of well-being. Tai chi prevents falls among seniors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, falls are the leading cause of injury death and the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital trauma admissions among people 65 or older.

Leg exercise: With age, you are more likely to experience swelling in the legs - a condition called peripheral edema – associated with ageing. Leg exercise can help reduce or prevent the swelling.

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Love to workout? Don't overdo it!

 

Exercise is always considered good for health. Without adding physical activity in your fitness routines or weight loss routines, it's next to impossible to achieve the desired goal.

Hitting the gym, a jog in the park, brisk walking, swimming, cycling, yoga, practicing martial arts, etc., can be a part of your regular exercise routines.

Many people exercise to remain fit, others do it to achieve a particular weight goal, some even suffer from lack of it. But there are also those, who soon become addicted to their workout and intentionally or unintentionally overdo it.

Like excess of anything is bad for health, too much of exercise can be harmful too. This is why it is important that you give the body a much-deserved break when it needs to rest after strenuous workouts.

Therefore, it's important to be well aware of the negative aspects of over-exercising.

1. Osteoarthritis:

Also referred to as degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis causes inflammation of the joints in the body. One of the risk factors that may contribute to the health condition is too much exercise.

2. Targets mental health:

Exercise and physical activity play a crucial role in shaping your own image about yourself and your life as a whole. According to studies, excessive exercise causes poor mental health, sometimes resulting in depression.

3. Menstrual problems:

Women who indulge in vigorous exercise, may have irregular periods, heavy or loss of their normal menstrual cycles. You need to review your current nutritional status, exercise regimen and overall health in such circumstances.

4. Eating disorders:

Those who are addicted to exercising have just fitness goals in mind. In their quest to achieve the desired fitness goal, they become prone to various eating disorders. Such people are more likely to fall bait to disorders such as bulimia and anorexia.

5. Fatigue:

Over exercising leaves you drained. Mental or physical exhaustion can affect you in several ways. Your arduous exercise routine doesn’t let your body rejuvenate and you are left fatigued and tired with no energy left for anything else. You may also develop chronic fatigue syndrome.

6. Hampers heart health:

While exercising, the heart rate temporarily increases. Over-exercising can put stress on the heart to get back to normal heart rate. Moreover, there is always a lurking risk of a heart attack during exercise if you have a known problem with your heart.

7. Sore muscles:

Constant muscle soreness is one of the signs that you are exercising more than you should. Joints, bones and limbs may start to hurt when there is an overuse of muscles. Whether you are doing strength training or cardio, ensure that your body gets enough time to revitalize.

8. Sleep problems:

In a state of overload, you are at a greater risk of falling victim to sleep problems and even insomnia. When your muscles are overworked, you become restless and have problems falling asleep.

9. Impacts immunity:

If you are prone to falling ill with common cold or seasonal flu and other minor infections, over exercising could be the culprit. Excessive exercise suppresses your immune system, leading to frequent viral infections.

10. Backache:

An overdose of exercise can overwork the back muscles and can also sometimes place unwanted stress on the spine, which may result in a backache.

Happy workout!

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How Tai Chi can help older people with chronic ailments

A new study has linked the ancient Chinese exercise Tai Chi to improved physical capacity among older adults with certain common long term conditions.

Among people with breast cancer, heart failure, osteoarthritis and chronicobstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), these improvements were not at the expense of worsening pain or breathlessness, the findings show.

Tai Chi consists of slow, gentle, flowing movements that aim to boost muscle power, balance, and posture. It also includes mindfulness, relaxation, and breath control.

The results showed that Tai Chi was associated with trends, or definite improvement, in physical capacity and muscle strength in most or all four long term conditions.

This included improvements in the six minute walking test; muscle strength, as measured by bending and stretching the knees; the time it takes to get up and move known as the TUG test; and quality of life.

Tai Chi was also associated with an improvement in the symptoms of pain and stiffness in osteoarthritis and in breathlessness in COPD. And it was associated with improved sit to stand times among patients with osteoarthritis.

The study is published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

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Quick weight loss tips: How to avoid overeating

Are you on a weight losing spree? But do you eat right or know how to limit your fat intake to get rid of those unwanted flabs? Do you also exercise almost everyday?

Let's say you've done all these but they were of not much help.

Chances are that your food portion sizes or eating habits such as binge eating may have crept up – unless you have a medical condition that's underlying your weight problem.

Here's how to avoid overeating:

• Eat only when you are hungry and not out of habit.
• Learn to pay attention to your body or hunger signals and stop eating before you are stuffed or when you start to feel satisfied.
• Be selective of what you eat – meaning, knowing to choose the type of foods that are beneficial to weight loss like replacing processed foods with fruits and vegetables.
• Choose small portions – this is very crucial if you are on a weight loss plan because smaller portions means you consume fewer calories. Use medium sized plates when eating at home to avoid overeating.
• Take time to chew your food before swallowing. This will slow down the pace at which you are eating while allowing you to savor the flavors of your meal.
• Spare at least 20 minutes to finish your meal – remember your stomach takes close to 20 minutes to send signal to the brain that it is full.
• Don't skip your breakfast as doing so can make you to eat more later on. Research suggests that people who eat more fat, protein, and carbohydrates in the morning stay satisfied and eat less over the course of the day than those who don't eat breakfast.

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Watch: This fitness app tracks how much you brag about your workouts

New Delhi: Every day we keep hearing about new fitness apps, which have now become very much part of our lives – from calculating the amount of calories that we consume to tracking the amount of the time spent in the gym to keep us fit.

Called 'I'mFIT', this new fitness wristband will help you track the time you spend bragging about your workouts, reports Mashable.

Not only does it track your bragging, but this app prods you to post a status on your Facebook account before you even get off the elliptical.

Introducing I'mFit, a new fitness wristband that tracks how much time you spend talking about your workouts.

Video credit: YouTube/The Watercooler

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Exercise improves fertility in women

Exercise and weight loss improves ovulation in women who have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a common hormone disorder that often causes infertility, a new study says.

"The findings confirm what we have long suspected - that exercise and a healthy diet can improve fertility in women who have PCOS," said one of the study authors, Richard Legro, a professor at Penn State College of Medicine in Pennsylvania. 

Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common cause of female infertility. The condition occurs when a woman's body produces slightly higher than normal amounts of testosterone and other androgens, sex hormones associated with male traits. 

The resulting hormone imbalance can cause irregular or absent menstrual periods, weight gain, acne, excess hair on the face and body, or thinning hair on the scalp. 

Women with PCOS often take birth control pills to regulate the menstrual cycle and reduce the level of androgens in the body as past research has indicated that pretreatment with a short-term course of birth control pills can raise pregnancy rates among women with PCOS. 

The latest study examined the differences in pregnancy outcomes among 149 women with PCOS who either took birth control pills, underwent lifestyle modification or a combination of the two interventions for a four-month period. 

The participants were between the ages of 18 and 40. 

The researchers found that women who participated in the lifestyle modification intervention and took birth control pills were more likely to ovulate than women who were assigned to take birth control pills. 

"The research indicates preconception weight loss and exercise improve women's reproductive and metabolic health," Legro said. 

The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

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Five best exercises for heart health!

 

Exercises and physical activity are the words that take centre stage when it comes to healthy living, lifestyle, weight management, etc.

Our heart, which is a hard-working muscle, gets stronger and healthier if we lead an active life. And, yes, it's never too late to start exercising and you don't have to be a sportsperson. Even taking a brisk walk for half an hour a day can make a big difference.

But, you should also know that not all workouts are heart healthy.

While it's a good idea to consult your doctor before taking up any exercise to make sure that you are ready for whatever activity you have in your mind, here are five best heart-friendly exercises:

Aerobic exercise: For a healthy heart, experts recommend 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise on most days of the week. Aerobic exercise include – jogging, running, biking, etc.

Climbing stairs: This can be done both at home or at your work place. In order to get maximum heart health benefit from any aerobic exercise, one should aim to reach between 50 and 85 percent of your maximum heart rate, said experts.

Tai Chi: The gentle movements of tai chi, which is performed using slow rhythmic body movements combined with deep breathing and concentration, reduce stress and give many health benefits, including heart.

Dancing: Dancing your way to heart health can be a most enjoyable form of exercise. It is a great acivity for those at risk of cardiovascular disease. While it is up to you either to go for a high impact or low impact, a good aerobic beat is about 120 to 135 beats per minute.

Stretching: Stretching should be a part of your exercise plan. It can be tough for many, but doing this a couple of times a week will make you more flexible. One needs to be cautious while doing stretching exercises to avoid any discomfort or injury in the body.

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Ten minutes of high intensity exercise can improve heart health in teens

Washington DC: A new study has revealed that short and high intensity exercise can reduce an adolescent's risk of developing a heart condition.

Lead researcher Alan Barker and his University of Exeter team have demonstrated that performing eight to ten minutes of high intensity interval exercise thrice a week can improve important markers of cardiovascular health.

In the study, the researchers asked six girls and seven boys aged between 13 and 14 to carry out six high intensity workouts over two weeks.

They were asked to cycle in high speed bursts of one minute, with a 75 second break in between. They started with eight bursts and built up to ten over two weeks.

The results showed that the training improved both blood vessel function and the brain's ability to control the beating of the heart. Both of these measures are considered to be important markers of cardiovascular disease

Barker said the study indicated that providing the intensity was high, health benefits were achievable with just eight to ten minutes of exercise.

The study is published in the Journal American Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory Physiology. 

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When it comes to workouts, more is better for your heart

A new research has revealed that doing higher level of physical activity lowers the risk of developing heart failure rather than just following the US physical activity guidelines recommendation.

The research led by American Heart Association explained that the current US physical activity guidelines recommendation of a minimum of at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a week was associated with only a modest reduction in heart failure risk, whereas increasing twice the minimum recommended dose helps to reduce the risk of heart failure.

The researchers explained that heart failure occurs when the heart is not able to supply adequate amounts of blood to the rest of the body and is characterized by shortness of breath and a reduced ability to exercise.

Jarett D Berry, senior author of the study, said that walking 30 minutes a day as recommended in the US physical activity guidelines, might not be enough for healthy heart, so one should do more physical activity to reduce the risk of heart failure.

The study noted that decreasing heart problems with increasing physical activity was consistent across all age, sex, race, and geographic location based subgroups studied.

The research is published in Circulation journal. 

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Social media friends can make you stay fit!

Do you agree that your social media friends can make you stay fit?

Well, a recent study suggests that health buddies on the social networking sites can inspire you to hit the gym or motivate you to do yoga which will help you stay fit.

Internet and social media are more helpful and effective for improving people's exercise habits than those promotional advertisements, according to researchers from University of Pennsylvania.

The study which was led by Professor Damon Centolawas, showed that a fitness motivator can be more effective and vastly cheaper than health promotions.

During the trial, the team created a website where 217 graduate students enrolled in free exercise classes at the University of Pennsylvania gym.

Part of the group also received promotional messages from the University, including highly engaging motivational videos and infographics emphasizing fitness tips and the importance of exercise.

Meanwhile, another part of the group saw no advertising messages.

Instead, members of this group were placed into social networks with six of their peers.

While these peer groups remained anonymous to one another, participants were regularly updated on each other's fitness achievements.

They could monitor each other's progress on the website and when one signed up for a weightlifting or yoga class, the others were notified by email.

As a control group for the two interventions, a final group of participants received no further follow-up through the study.

By the end of the 13-week study, the findings were clear.

Promotional messages caused an initial bump in class attendance but the motivational effects quickly wore off.

The promotional messages had almost no long-term effect on class participation.

“Health buddies, on the other hand, were much more effective at motivating people to exercise,” Centola noted.

“We were able to use the positive signals to form a reinforcing loop that pushed everyone to exercise more," added Jingwen Zhang, an author on the study.

The results reveal that same positive behaviour signals are also powerful in our online networks and can be harnessed for the social good.

This approach could be applied not only to encourage exercise, but also to promote vaccinations, medication compliance and preventative care.

The study was published in the journal Preventive Medicine Reports.

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Change up your walking pace to shed those extra kilos

If you are looking for a simple way to burn more calories, then you may want to change up your stride as a new study shows that varying walking pace burns more calories.

Researchers at The Ohio State University found that walking at varying speeds can burn up to 20 percent more calories compared to maintaining a steady pace. The study is one of the first to measure the metabolic cost, or calories burned, of changing walking speeds.

Most of the existing literature has been on constant-speed walking. This study is a big missing piece, said co-author Manoj Srinivasan, adding that measuring the metabolic cost of changing speeds is very important because people don't live their lives on treadmills and do not walk at constant speeds. They found that changing speeds can increase the cost of walking substantially.

Their results show that by using traditional methods, people may be underestimating the number of calories burned while walking in daily life or playing sports. The very act of changing speeds burns energy, Srinivasan explained, but that cost is not generally accounted for in calorie-burning estimations.

The researchers found that up to eight percent of the energy we use during normal daily walking could be due to the energy needed to start and stop walking.

"Walking at any speed costs some energy, but when you're changing the speed, you're pressing the gas pedal, so to speak. Changing the kinetic energy of the person requires more work from the legs and that process certainly burns more energy," explained first author Nidhi Seethapathi.

The study also confirmed the researchers' prediction that people walk slower when covering shorter distances and increase their pace as distance increases. This finding could have implications for the field of physical therapy and rehabilitation, where measuring the speed it takes to cover a certain distance is used as an indicator of a patient's progress.

For more tips on how to burn more calories when walking, Srinivasan, who leads the Movement Lab at Ohio State, offers some simple advice: walk in a way that feels unnatural.

"How do you walk in a manner that burns more energy? Just do weird things. Walk with a backpack or walk with weights on your legs. Walk for a while, then stop and repeat that. Walk in a curve as opposed to a straight line," he said.

The study is published in the journal Biology Letters.

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Are you running the right way?

If you think that running is the easiest way of maintaining good health, then you might be wrong as there are multiple technicalities that one should keep in mind while running, otherwise one can face adverse effects.

Researchers explained that if the runner increases the distance, then he shouldn't increase the speed, one should always do pre-run stretches and should make sure to wear the right shoes, the Independent reported.

Xavier Amatriain, Vice President of Engineering at Quora and regular marathon runner, said that to avoid injuries one should limit the speed if willing to increase the distance of the run or if one is running faster then he should keep it shorter.

Amatriain added that by just focusing on running without doing leg/core strengthening exercises or quad/gluts exercises one could end up having injury. 

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Start jogging for good health!

Do you start you day with jogging in the morning? Well, probably many of us have except a few because of hectic schedules. But, we all know that jogging is one of the best ways to improve your health and fitness. So, one should start their day by engaging in this form of physical activity for at least 30 minutes everyday.

Here are some benefits of why one should jog daily:

Heart: Jogging not only makes you fit but it also provides your body with many cardiovascular benefits. Regular jogging strengthens your heart and helps it function more efficiently.

Weight loss: It is an excellent way to lose weight. One can easily burn calories by jogging regularly. So people, start jogging to lose weight.

Mental health: Jogging not only improves your health and fitness but it also provides you with good mental health. While jogging, endorphins are released which make you feel calmer and happier. It also helps you get rid of stress and depression and makes you more confident.

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Yoga improves lung function in patients with COPD

New Delhi: Yoga exercises provide improvements that are just as effective as traditional pulmonary rehabilitation methods in improving lung function of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), researchers from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here have found.

COPD is a progressive lung disorder that makes it hard to breathe.

The researchers found that yoga can improve pulmonary function, exercise capacity, and indices of systemic inflammation in patients with COPD.

"Yoga is a cost-effective form of rehabilitation and is as effective as a standard PMR (pulmonary rehabilitation)," said the study by Randeep Guleria and colleagues from AIIMS.

For the study, 60 patients with COPD were randomly divided into two groups. One group was taught yoga exercises including asanas, pranayam, meditation and relaxation techniques. The other underwent a structured pulmonary rehabilitation programme.

These groups were tested on shortness of breath, serum inflammation, and lung function tests.

Results showed that yoga and pulmonary rehabilitation exercises resulted in similar improvements in pulmonary function and quality of life after 12 weeks of training.

The findings appeared in the journal Chest.

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Aerobics exercise helps to control asthma

Washington D.C.: A new study has found that aerobics is really helpful for asthma patients and is effective in controlling asthma.

The researchers of American College of Chest Physicians did a 12-week supervised aerobic exercise program for patients with asthma and found that exercise yielded significant improvements in asthma control.

The researchers observed that patients, who performed aerobics exercise, had clinically and statistically improved asthma control (0.5 decrease in ACQ), short-acting bronchodilator (SABA) usage (nearly three times less per week), and depressive symptoms (four-point drop in BDI-II).

The study is published in Chest journal. 

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Do workouts to keep your brain young

The secret to a younger brain may lie in exercising your body, according to recent research.

INeuroimaging studies, in which the activity of different parts of the brain can be visualised, have provided some clues as to how does being physically fit affect our aging brains?

The exciting new study led by Dr Hideaki Soya from the University of Tsukuba in Japan and his colleagues show, for the first time, the direct relationship between brain activity, brain function and physical fitness in a group of older Japanese men. They found that the fitter men performed better mentally than the less fit men, by using parts of their brains in the same way as in their youth.

As we age, we use different parts of our brain compared to our younger selves. For example, when young, we mainly use the left side of our prefrontal cortex (PFC) for mental tasks involving short term memory, understanding the meaning of words and the ability to recognize previously encountered events, objects, or people. When older, we tend to use the equivalent parts of our PFC on the right side of the brain for these tasks. The PFC is located in the very front of the brain, just behind the forehead. It has roles in executive function, memory, intelligence, language and vision.

With tasks involving the temporary storage and manipulation of memory, long term memories and inhibitory control, young adults favor the right side of the PFC, while older adults engage both the right and left PFC. In fact, with aging, we tend to use both sides of the PFC during mental tasks, rather than just one. This phenomenon has been coined HAROLD (hemispheric asymmetry reduction in older adults) and reflects the reorganisation of the brain as compensation for reduced brain capacity and efficiency due to age-related structural and physiological decline.

Using clever statistical tests called mediation analyses to look at these interactions, the researchers found that aerobically fitter older men can perform better mentally than less fit older men by using the more important brain regions when needed. In fact, the fitter older men are using parts of their brains in the same way as when they were younger.

The study appears in NeuroImage. 

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Aerobics can keep Alzheimer's at bay

A new study has revealed that long-term aerobic exercise can prevent age-related brain changes.

Lead author Ileana Soto of The Jackson Laboratory said that their data suggested that normal aging causes significant dysfunction to the cortical neurovascular unit, including basement membrane reduction and pericyte loss.

In the study, the researchers provided mice with a running wheel from 12 months old (equivalent to middle aged in humans) and assessed their brains at 18 months (equivalent to 60 years old in humans, when the risk of Alzheimer's disease is greatly increased).

Young and old mice alike ran about two miles per night, and this physical activity improved the ability and motivation of the old mice to engage in the typical spontaneous behaviors that seem to be affected by aging.

The results showed that the exercise significantly reduced age-related pericyte loss in the brain cortex and improved other indicators of dysfunction of the vascular system and blood-brain barrier.

It also decreased the numbers of microglia or monocytes expressing a crucial initiating component of the complement pathway that others have shown previously to play are role in age-related cognitive decline.

Surprisingly, these beneficial effects of exercise were not seen in mice deficient in a gene called Apoe, variants of which are a major genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.

The study is published in the Journal PLOS

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How drugs can help 'lazy' people exercise

Some psychoactive drugs dubbed as "doping for lazy people" can encourage sedentary people to exercise, experts suggest.

Physical exertion, along with excuses like lack of time, are some of the main perceived barriers to exercise. This is not surprising because humans are evolved to be "lazy".

"Reducing the perception of effort during exercise using caffeine or other psychoactive drugs (methylphenidate and modafinil) could help many people stick to their fitness plans," said Samuele Marcora, director of research at University of Kent.

The perception of effort is one of the main reasons why most people choose sedentary activities for their leisure time.

Compared to watching television, even moderate-intensity physical activities like walking require considerable effort.

Similarly, a reduction in perception of effort would be very helpful to the many people who find exercise difficult as they are overweight and exercise after work in a state of mental fatigue.

"There is no opposition to the use of psychoactive drugs to help quit smoking or treat obesity, the negative perception of doping in sport may prevent the use of stimulants (a drug or substance that makes you feel more awake and active) and other psychoactive drugs to treat physical inactivity," stated Marcora.

Physical inactivity is responsible for twice as many deaths as obesity and a psycho-pharmacological treatment for physical inactivity can be considered seriously, the authors noted in a paper that appeared in the journal of Sports Medicine.

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Light walking can lower blood pressure in diabetics

A new study has revealed that a few minutes of physical activity can lower blood pressure for people with Type 2 diabetes.

Author Bronwyn Kingwell of the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes said that they saw some marked blood pressure reductions over trial days when people did the equivalent of walking to the water cooler or some simple body-weight movements on the spot.

In the study, participants were men and women, average age 62, who were overweight or obese. About two-thirds of the participants were on medication to control blood pressure during the study.

Researchers checked blood pressure and blood norepinephrine levels at regular intervals across the day.

For light-intensity walking, participants took a slow, easy stroll on a treadmill. For simple resistance activities, they did half-squats, calf raises, knee raises, or gluteal muscle squeezes.

The researchers found that light walking was linked to an average 10-point drop in systolic blood pressure and simple resistance activities were associated with an average 12-point drop in systolic blood pressure.

Kingwell said that muscles activated when you move, increase blood sugar uptake, which was especially important among people with Type 2 diabetes since their bodies couldn't make enough insulin to maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

He added that the parallel lowering in norepinephrine levels were also an intriguing candidate in relation to the blood pressure.

Kingwell concluded that light activity breaks were not meant to replace regular, purposeful exercise. However, they might be a practical solution to cut down sitting time, especially if you were at your desk all day.

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Reasons why exercise is important for people with diabetes!

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, regular physical activity is key to managing the disease.

The fact is that exercise, in combination with a healthy diet will help you to take better care of yourself if you have diabetes.

It is recommended to exercise for at least three times a week for about 30 to 45 minutes. This will help control your blood sugar.

However, one should always consult a doctor before taking up any exercise program. Because your doctor can guide you about the kinds of exercise that are ideal for you depending on your conditions such as - how well your diabetes is controlled and any complications that you may have.

Benefits of exercise for diabetics include-

• Regular physical activity lowers blood sugar
• Regular exercise can help increase insulin action and keep blood sugars in check
• Daily exercise lowers blood pressure and cholesterol
• Exercise lowers your risk for heart disease and stroke
• It improves your circulation
• Regular physical activity helps relieve stress, which can raise your glucose level
• Regular exercise burns calories which will help you to avoid gaining excess kilos and maintain a healthy weight.
• Above all, exercise is important for your overall well-being and can help combat many health conditions and diseases.
• Research has shown that being physically active can help you lead a healthier and even happier life.

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30 Min Fat Burning & Full Body Toning Workout – Bipasha Basu

30 Min Fat Burning & Full Body Toning Workout (Advanced ) – Bipasha Basu Fit & Fabulous You 



Bipasha Basu does a full body advanced workout that will keep you fit and healthy and keep your body toned.

Loving yourself and pampering yourself has never been an easy task, the dusky diva of bollywood none other than Bipasha Basu, has made this very simple by introducing us to a repertoire of a fitness regime, called ""Fit & Fabulous You"".

In this video Bipasha tells us of how to do a rigorous 30 mins workout and burn the fat oout of you and at the same time increase the metabolism of your body. The routine helps strengthen the bones and improves muscle coordination.

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30 Min Fat Burning Cardio Workout - Bipasha Basu

30 Min Fat Burning Cardio Workout - Bipasha Basu Unleash 'Full Routine' - Full Body Workout 



Bipasha Basu is known to be the epitome of fitness and hardcore regime in Bollywood. In this video she tells us of how to do a rigorous 30 mins workout and burn the fat outta u. Unleash can help improve your lung,heart and circulatory function. The routine helps strengthen the bones and improves muscle coordination,It burns major calories and greatly assists in weight loss.

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30 Min Total Body Workout for Weightloss - Bipasha Basu

30 Min Total Body Workout for Weightloss - Beginners Workout


Bipasha Basu does a simple yet full of life workout for beginners that guarantees a fitter body.

Loving yourself and pampering yourself has never been an easy task, the dusky diva of bollywood none other than Bipasha Basu, has made this very simple by introducing us to a repertoire of a fitness regime, called ""Fit & Fabulous You"".

In this video Bipasha tells us of how to do a rigorous 30 mins workout and burn the fat oout of you and at the same time increase the metabolism of your body. The routine helps strengthen the bones and improves muscle coordination.

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30 Mins Aerobic Dance Workout - Bipasha Basu

30 Mins Aerobic Dance Workout - Bipasha Basu Break free Full Routine
Bipasha Basu herself performs a 30 mins hardcore dance aerobic workout and shows us her cool moves and a graceful way to lose weight. This 30-minute dance workout improves stamina, endurance and strengthens the abdominal muscles. A total body workout Break Free is a complete stress buster which allows you to have fun while you burn fat.

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Pick up walking pace to be heart healthy

Walking a little faster or for a few extra blocks may be good for older adults' hearts, according to a new study.

In the large prospective community-based study of older Americans, modest physical activity was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This was true even among men and women older than age 75 at baseline - a rapidly growing population for whom regular activity has been advised, but with little supportive empirical evidence.

Led by senior author Dariush Mozaffarian, the Tufts University researchers found that after adjustment for other risk factors and lifestyle behaviors, those who were more active had significantly lower risk of future heart attacks and stroke.

Adults who walked at a pace faster than three miles per hour (mph) had a 50 percent, 53percent, 50percent lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and total CVD, respectively, compared to those who walked at a pace of less than two mph.

Those who walked an average of seven blocks per day or more had a 36percent, 54percent and 47percent lower risk of CHD, stroke and total CVD, respectively, compared to those who walked up to five blocks per week.

Those who engaged in leisure activities such as lawn-mowing, raking, gardening, swimming, biking and hiking, also had a lower risk of CHD, stroke and total CVD, compared to those who did not engage in leisure-time activities.

The findings were similar in both men and women, in those above or below age 75 at baseline, and including only those with similarly good or excellent self-reported health.

Mozaffarian noted that these results are especially relevant because, with advancing age, the ability to perform vigorous types of activity often decreases. These support the importance of continuing light to moderate exercise to improve health across the lifespan.

The study appears in Circulation.

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