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When it comes to exercise for heart health, you don't want to peak too early in life. Recent research suggests that if you want to protect yourself against high blood pressure as you age, you need to play the long game and keep your exercise levels up through middle age. But social factors can make this more difficult for some people to do than others, according to a study of more than 5,000 people across 4 US cities. "Teenagers and those in their early 20s may be physically active but these patterns change with age," study author and epidemiologist Kirsten...

The elimination of damaged cell components is essential for the maintenance of the body's tissues and organs. An international research team has made significant findings on mechanisms for the clearing of cellular wastes, showing that strength training activates such mechanisms. The findings could form the basis for therapies for heart failure and nerve diseases. Muscles and nerves are long-lasting, high-performance organs whose cellular components are subject to constant wear and tear. The protein BAG3 plays a critical role in the elimination of damaged components, identifying these and ensuring that they are enclosed by cellular membranes to form an "autophagosome." Autophagosomes...

One-minute, short bursts of high-intensity interval training for 19 minutes may be more effective for improving fitness among people six months or more after a stroke than traditional, 20–30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise sessions, according to research. The multi-site trial took place between September 2018 and March 2024 and included stroke survivors between six months to 5 years after a stroke. Researchers randomly grouped participants to receive either three days per week of 12 weeks of high-intensity interval training or three days per week of 12 weeks of traditional moderate exercise sessions. The high-intensity interval training protocol involved ten 1-minute...

could easily get close to 10,000 steps a day when I lived in New York City, but after moving to Raleigh, NC, where I work from home and rely on a car, my steps plummeted. Some days I barely cracked 1,000 strides. I was still strength training a few times a week, but I wasn’t happy being sedentary for so much of my working day. I decided to try using a walking pad (an under desk, folding treadmill) so I could consistently hit my step goal. Over the past year, I've taken my average step count from negligible numbers to...

Walking 10,000 steps a day is one of the most popular health goals in the world, largely thanks to the influence of the best fitness trackers. This divides opinion in the fitness space: some claim it’s an arbitrary figure which has led to an obsession with “getting your steps”, while others argue that encouraging people to move more can only be a good thing. As a fitness writer, and someone who has walked 10,000 steps a day for more than a year, I have a foot in both camps. The number 10,000 is nice and round, but doesn’t seem to...

A new study shows that a 30-minute exercise session can increase the proportion of tumor-killing white blood cells in the bloodstream of breast cancer patients. White blood cells, the cells of our immune system, fight against cancer, bacteria, and viruses. The most important cell types that destroy cancer cells are cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells. Cell types that support cancer growth include, for example, regulatory T cells and myeloid derived suppressor cells. Twenty breast cancer patients who had just been diagnosed and therefore had not yet started their cancer treatments participated in the study. During the study, the...

Twelve months of heavy resistance training—exercise that makes muscles work against force—around the time of retirement preserves vital leg strength years later, show the follow-up results of a clinical trial, published online. Resistance training can help to counteract this loss, but most of the published research has involved relatively short periods of time (6-9 months) to monitor its effects. The researchers therefore wanted to know whether a year of supervised resistance training with heavy loads would make any difference over the longer term. At the time, participants who had recently retired and were healthy. They were randomly assigned either to...

People with high blood pressure have a higher risk of cognitive impairment, including dementia, but a new study from suggests that engaging in vigorous physical activity more than once a week can lower that risk. In 2015, published findings from the landmark Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) showed that intensive blood pressure management reduced cardiovascular disease and lowered the risk of death. SPRINT began in the fall of 2009 and included more than 9,300 participants with hypertension ages 50 and older, recruited from about 100 medical centers and clinical practices throughout the United States. Participants were randomly assigned to...

New research provides insights into how exercise may help to prevent or slow cognitive decline during aging. For the study, investigators assessed the expression of genes in individual cells in the brains of mice. The team found that exercise has a significant impact on gene expression in microglia, the immune cells of the central nervous system that support brain function. Specifically, the group found that exercise reverts the gene expression patterns of aged microglia to patterns seen in young microglia. Treatments that depleted microglia revealed that these cells are required for the stimulatory effects of exercise on the formation of...

Aerobic training is known to regulate blood pressure more effectively when practiced in the evening than in the morning. Researchers who conducted a study of elderly patients concluded that evening exercise is better for blood pressure regulation thanks to improved cardiovascular control by the autonomic nervous system via a mechanism known as baroreflex sensitivity. "There are multiple mechanisms to regulate blood pressure, and although morning training was beneficial, only evening training improved short-term control of blood pressure by enhancing baroreflex sensitivity. This is important because baroreflex control has a positive effect on blood pressure regulation, and there aren't any medications...

It’s the cycle of life. Lifelong bicyclers may live longer, have stronger immune systems and are less likely to experience knee pain or osteoarthritis, than people who don’t ride bikes. Although previous studies have already shown several benefits of cycling, new research now shows that people who cycle regularly have significantly less chance of developing osteoarthritis by the age of 65, according to NPR. The study, which was published last month in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, surveyed 2,600 people with an average age of 64 about their lifetime exercise habits. All of the participants were at an...

Exercise prompts muscles to release molecular cargo that boosts brain cell function and connection, but the process is not well understood. New research has found that the nerves that tell muscles to move also prompt them to release more of the brain-boosting factors. "The molecules released from the muscle go into the bloodstream and then to the brain." said Hyunjoon Kong. "As we get older, we lose these neurons from the muscle," he said. The researchers compared two muscle tissue models—one with neuron innervation and one without. They found that the innervated muscle produced more molecules that promote brain neuron...

Consistently exercising 2–3 times a week over the long term is linked to a lower current risk of insomnia as well as the ability to clock up the recommended 6–9 hours of shut-eye every night, suggests an international 10-year study. The researchers assessed the frequency, duration, and intensity of weekly physical activity and symptoms of insomnia, nightly sleep clocked up, and daytime sleepiness among middle-aged adults. The 4,399 study participants (2,085 men; 2,254 women) were drawn from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey. They had answered questions on the frequency and duration of physical activity at baseline (ECRHS II;1998–2002) and...

PORTLAND, OR — Local Woman Kiera Thompson left her gym frustrated after a few male patrons glanced her way, despite the fact that she had gone there specifically so they would glance her way. "Ugh! I wore my skimpiest workout outfit, put my hair in a high ponytail, and spent the entire time lifting weights right where all the dudes work out, and a few of them, you know, glanced in my direction!" Thompson lamented. "I mean, can't a girl in skin-tight yoga pants and a pretty much non-existent top work out in peace without guys noticing she's practically naked?"...

Several storylines related to the events of January 6 have crumbled under closer scrutiny over the past 10 months: the “fire extinguisher” murder of Officer Brian Sicknick; the notion it was an “armed” insurrection and a grand “conspiracy” concocted by right-wing militias; claims that the building sustained $30 million in damages, and so on. In the meantime, the Biden regime has attempted to cover up key aspects of that day, including the name of the officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt, which was only recently revealed. Justice Department lawyers continue to resist the release of 14,000 hours of surveillance...

Andrew Holmes has more than 264,000 followers on TikTok He recently demonstrated his three-move workout that can be done anywhere Holmes did the exercises in his bathtub and on his living room table A Canadian weight loss coach who shed 45 pounds and transformed his body has revealed his 10-minute 'no excuses' workout that can be done anywhere. Andrew Holmes, founder of Weight Loss Warriors, has more than 264,000 followers on TikTok, where he shares fitness and nutrition tips. The content creator, who uses the handle @andrewholmes79, recently demonstrated his effective three-move workout. 'If you're trying to lose weight and...

A trio of medical researchers has found that many men experiencing erectile dysfunction can overcome much of the problem by simply engaging in aerobic exercise. Prior research has shown that many older men experience problems with achieving an erection when they want to have sex. In this new study, the researchers identified that some research has shown that erectile dysfunction is quite often associated with cardiovascular health and associated symptoms such as inflammation and narrowing and/or hardening of the arteries. They also noted that regular aerobic exercise has been shown to reduce symptoms of cardiovascular disease. This made them wonder...

Forget walking 10,000 steps a day. Taking at least 50 steps climbing stairs each day could significantly slash your risk of heart disease, according to a new study. The study, published in Atherosclerosis, found that climbing more than five flights of stairs daily could reduce risk of cardiovascular disease by 20%. Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) along with coronary artery disease and stroke are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. "Short bursts of high-intensity stair climbing are a time-efficient way to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and lipid profile, especially among those unable to achieve the current physical activity recommendations," said...

Those suffering from chronic neck pain can alleviate the symptoms on the way to full recovery if they adopt optimal posture and spinal alignment, according to a study. The study evaluated two widely-used corrective approaches to remedy chronic non-specific neck pain caused by forward head posture (FHP) and CBP rehabilitation and traditional exercise programs. "The CBP technique is a posture-correcting method that depends on stretching the viscous and plastic elements of the longitudinal ligament and intervertebral disks, in addition to effectively stretching the soft tissue through the entire neck area in the direction of normal head and neck postures," the...

An estimated 80% of older adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure. A study found that adding a relatively minimal amount of movement, about 3,000 steps per day, can significantly reduce high blood pressure in older adults. This study sought to determine if older adults with hypertension could receive these benefits by moderately increasing their daily walking, which is one of the easiest and most popular forms of physical activity for this population. The study focused on a group of sedentary older adults between ages 68 and 78 who walked an average of about 4,000 steps per day before...