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Category: Exercise

Published on Leave a comment on Some Exercise After A Concussion In Athletes May Help Recovery

Over the years the treatment of sports-related concussions has really changed. It used to be that the person was told to rest in a darkened room for several days, but lately research has been suggesting the opposite.

A recent study found that after receiving a sports-related concussion, it is beneficial to engage in one 20 minute aerobic exercise 5 to 14 days after the  injury (concussion). The aerobic exercise was only at 80% heart rate threshold (the threshold associated with symptoms worsening and/or exhaustion. In other words, it was an aerobic exercise that wasn't too vigorous, and only for 20 minutes. In the study they cycled on recumbent bikes.

In the small study (16 participants between 8-24 years, all varsity athletes), the exercise didn't make symptoms worse. In fact, it helped with their thinking (executive functioning of the brain) and improved concussion symptoms in the early stages of recovery. This may be due to increased blood flow and oxygen to the brain from moving about.

From Medical Xpress: Concussed athletes' brains benefit from just 20 minutes of exercise

In a new study, Western researchers have shown just one 20-minute session of moderate intensity aerobic exercise can improve an athlete's executive function and concussion symptoms in the early stages of recovery.

Executive function is essential for everyday tasks, from remembering a grocery list to making strategic decisions in sports. When a basketball player closely guarded by an opponent holds back from shooting, opting to pass the ball to a teammate instead, they're tapping into the brain's inhibitory control—an important aspect of executive function. But a sports-related concussion can disrupt executive function, impacting on-field performance.

...continue reading "Some Exercise After A Concussion In Athletes May Help Recovery"

Published on Leave a comment on Reduce Back Pain By Sitting Less and Moving More

Reduce how much sitting you do each day, by getting off your butt and moving around more. Even if it's just one hour per day. That's what research tells us in how to prevent back pain from worsening in overweight adults.

A study conducted in Finland found that reducing how much an overweight person sits daily is enough to prevent the worsening of back pain. Study participants (64 overweight or obese adults with metabolic syndrome) were assigned to either of 2 groups: 1) the intervention group where the goal was to reduce sitting (sedentary) time by one hour each day, or 2) the control group that did not change their daily sitting (sedentary) time.

People in the control group (who did not decrease daily sitting time) significantly increased back pain intensity over the 6 months, while the group that sat less each day experienced no change in back pain.

Other studies support the role of walking in preventing back pain episodes.

From Science Daily: Reducing daily sitting may prevent back pain

A new study from the University of Turku in Finland showed that reducing daily sitting prevented back pain from worsening over six months. The result strengthens the current understanding of the link between activity and back pain as well as the mechanisms related to back pain. ...continue reading "Reduce Back Pain By Sitting Less and Moving More"

Published on Leave a comment on Walking Helps Prevent Low Back Pain Episodes

Great news for individuals with lower back pain. Which is a lot of us. A recent study found that the simple act of walking helps  with prevention of low back pain episodes!

In the study, persons who had recently recovered from an episode of lower back pain were randomly assigned either to 1) an individualized and progressive walking intervention, along with 6 sessions with a physical therapist over a 6 month period (to discuss the walking) or to 2) a no treatment control group. Afterwards, the walking group took an a median of 208 days until their next activity-limiting episode of lower back pain, while the control (no walking) group took a median of 112 days.

In other words, walking regularly resulted in going twice as long until the next occurrence of low back pain compared to non-walkers. They also had fewer occurrences of activity limiting low back pain episodes. Note that these were individuals (43 to 66 years) who had a history of low back pain episodes

How much did they walk? The walkers kept a walking diary, with the median 80 minutes of walking in week 1, which increased to 130 minutes by week 12. They walked a median of 3 times in week one, which increased to 4 times in week 12.

From Science Daily: Walking brings huge benefits for low back pain

Adults with a history of low back pain went nearly twice as long without a recurrence of their back pain if they walked regularly, a world-first study has found. ...continue reading "Walking Helps Prevent Low Back Pain Episodes"

Published on Leave a comment on Improve Fitness To Lower Risk of Prostate Cancer

A recent large Swedish study found that men who increased their cardiorespiratory fitness had a  significantly lower prostate cancer risk (when compared to men whose cardiorespiratory fitness stayed the same or declined) .

Men who increased their fitness by more than 3% over the course of a year had a 35% lower risk of prostate cancer during the 7 year follow-up. Cardiorespiratory fitness was measured two times (baseline and a year later) by peddling on a stationary cycle and measuring absolute and relative VO2 max - the amount (volume) of oxygen the body uses while exercising as hard as possible.

By the way, other studies also find that cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with the risk of some cancers, as well as dying from certain cancer types. This study did not find an increase in cancer deaths, but it also only followed the men 7 years.

Bottom line: Increase your activity levels! Walking, hiking, bicycling gardening, sports, exercises - it all counts. You can do it!

From Medical Xpress: Increase in annual cardiorespiratory fitness by more than 3% linked to 35% lower prostate cancer risk

An increase in annual cardiorespiratory fitness by 3% or more is linked to a 35% lower risk of developing, although not dying from, prostate cancer, suggests research published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. ...continue reading "Improve Fitness To Lower Risk of Prostate Cancer"

Published on Leave a comment on Try Exercise First For Erectile Dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction is a serious problem for many men, especially as they get older. A review and analysis of 11 well-done studies  looking at whether exercise helps with erectile dysfunction found that YES, it does.

They found that exercising for at least 30 minutes three times a week can be just as effective as Viagra and Cialis at improving erectile dysfunction (ED). Also, the worse the ED at the start of a study, the more exercise helped.

What were the exercises? Any aerobic activities that got the heart pumping, such as cycling, tennis, or brisk walking. In the studies looked at, the exercise sessions were typically 30 to 60 minutes, and occurred 3 to 5 times a week. Some studies had the men exercise on their own, while other studies had the men attend supervised exercise sessions.

Bottom line: Exercise improved ED in all men! It didn't matter what the men weighed, their medication use - it helped them all. (Examples of earlier studies looking at exercise and physical activity helping improve ED.)

This could be because ED is considered a measure of a man's overall heart health. When there is heart disease, inflammation, and narrowing or hardening of the arteries - then ED increases. Physical activity, on the other hand, improves health, including heart disease.

Excerpts from Medscape: Exercise as Good as Viagra for ED: Study

Exercising for at least 30 minutes three times a week can be just as effective as Viagra and similar medications at improving erectile function, according to a new analysis of the best research to date on aerobic exercise and erectile function. ...continue reading "Try Exercise First For Erectile Dysfunction"

Published on Leave a comment on Daily Walking Up Stairs Lowers the Risk of Heart Disease

We've known for a while that exercise and physical activity lower the risk of developing heart disease. It turns out that a good exercise that many of us do in the course of ordinary life is walking up and down stairs. Yes, that counts!

A large study (458,860 adults) used data from the UK (Biobank). They found that walking up 5 flights of stairs (about 50 steps) daily was associated with a 20% lower risk of developing heart disease (including ischemic strokes) after 5 years.

Interestingly, persons who were stair climbers at the beginning of the study, but then stopped at some point during the 5 year length of the study had a higher risk of heart disease than those who never climbed stairs.

Bottom line: Walk up stairs whenever you can. It's good for your heart!

From Science Daily: Walking more than five flights of stairs a day can cut risk of heart disease by 20 percent, study says

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 from Tulane University. ...continue reading "Daily Walking Up Stairs Lowers the Risk of Heart Disease"

Published on Leave a comment on Some Habits For Living A Longer and Healthier Life

There is tremendous interest in how to live a long and healthy life. This means trying to avoid getting diseases that so many suffer from as they age, such as diabetes, heart disease, and dementia. What diets are best? What kind of lifestyle?

NPR published a recent article about 7 daily habits linked to living a longer, healthier life, using information from Dan Buettner's work on blue zones. Scientific research supports the importance of these habits, especially good nutrition (for example, the Mediterranean diet) and physical activity.

The blue zones are communities throughout the world in which there are a lot of centenarians (people living to 100 years or more). What is important is that the people in these communities are aging with good health, and leading active and fulfilling lives - without dementia, and not in nursing homes.

The diets vary from place to place, but all avoid fast foods and highly processed foods. Instead, a lot of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes (beans), and nuts are eaten. Little meat. Food is cooked at home. By the way, this type of diet is associated with a good gut microbiome, and generally a good gut microbiome goes with good health.

Unfortunately, these blue zone areas are now fading, due to changes in lifestyles  - fast food, etc. But a few other places are stepping up, trying to make living spaces healthier and incorporating what has been learned about health and longevity - for example, Singapore.

Bottom line: Research shows a diet rich in plant-based foods (whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes), plenty of sleep, lots of movement (physical activity), and a sense of purpose in life are all important in aging well.

Excerpts from correspondent Allison Aubrey article at NPR: 7 habits to live a healthier life, inspired by the world's longest-lived communities

At a time when life expectancy in the U.S. has dipped and diet-related disease is a leading cause of death, it's no wonder that Dan Buettner's decades-long exploration of centenarians who thrive in the longest-lived communities on Earth is attracting lots of attention. ...continue reading "Some Habits For Living A Longer and Healthier Life"

Published on Leave a comment on Documentary About Healthy Aging and Living Longer

There has been tremendous interest in the past decade over the best diet and lifestyle for aging well and living to a ripe old age. Author Dan Buettner has spent much of the past decade visiting communities around the world where there are many residents who live to 100 years or more, and in good health. He calls these communities blue zones.

Dan Buettner now has a good National Geographic documentary on Netflix called Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones. This documents him visiting Blue Zones (Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Loma Linda, Calif.; and Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica) looking at the lifestyles and diets in this communities.

He found that while the diets vary, overall the people in these communities have a lot of plant based whole foods (especially whole grains, vegetables, beans, and tubers, such as sweet potatoes), and they avoid fast-food and highly processed foods. They do not take dietary supplements. They have a lot of physical activity in their daily activities, are committed to their families, take time to de-stress, and they have social networks with healthy behaviors.

He also recently published a book called The Blue Zones Secrets for Living Longer: Lessons From the Healthiest Places On Earth.

Published on Leave a comment on Being Physical Fit Is Linked To A Lower Risk of Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke

A recent large study found another great reason for being physically active. The researchers found that physical fitness is linked to  atrial fibrillation (AFib) and stroke.

Atrial fibrillation is a heart rhythm disorder, and having it is linked to a much higher risk of having a stroke. The researchers found that being physically fit (exercise! physical activity!) is linked to lower rates of atrial fibrillation, stroke, and MACE (major adverse cardiovascular events, such as stroke or heart attack leading to death).

There was an eleven year follow up of the approximately 15,450 participants, all of whom did not have atrial fibrillation at the start of the study. The study tested the  physical fitness of the participants (average age 55 years) on an exercise treadmill.

Bottom line: Physical activity and physical fitness are important for reducing the risk of developing heart problems, including atrial fibrillation. Yes, even taking walks (brisk is best) will improve physical fitness.

From Science Daily: Keep fit to avoid heart rhythm disorder and stroke

A study in more than 15,000 people has found that physical fitness is linked with a lower likelihood of developing atrial fibrillation and stroke. The research is presented at ESC Congress 2023.
...continue reading "Being Physical Fit Is Linked To A Lower Risk of Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke"

Published on Leave a comment on Short Bursts of Physical Activity Associated With Lower Cancer Risk

Great news for people who don't have the time or the desire to engage in exercise routines, gym visits, or sports. A recent large study found that several very short bursts of physical activity (each less than a minute or two) during the day are beneficial to health. They lower cancer risk!

Researchers followed 22,398 non-exercising adults (average age 62 years) for 7 years. The participants wore tracking devices (wrist accelerometers) for 1 week at the beginning of the study to measure their activity levels. Starting at year 2 their cancer incidence was looked at.

They found that several short bursts of vigorous physical activity (each lasting less than 1 or 2 minutes) each day was associated with lower rates of cancer. And it was a dose response - the more of these little bursts of physical activity over the day, the lower the rates of cancer, especially physical activity related cancer.

About 3 1/2 minutes a day of vigorous activity was associated with a 17 to 18% reduction in cancer risk, but 4 1/2 minutes a day was associated with a 31% to 32% reduction in physical activity-related cancers (e.g., breast, endometrial, and colon cancers).

Bottom line: Engage in a little huffing and puffing physical activity every day and lower your risk of cancer. Run up those stairs! Dance to a song! Carry those heavy groceries! Every bit counts. This could be because short bursts of physical activity improve cardiorespiratory fitness and lower inflammation.

Excerpts from Science Daily: Short bursts of daily activity linked to reduced cancer risk

Promising new research suggests a total of just 4.5 minutes of vigorous activity that makes you huff and puff during daily tasks could reduce the risk of some cancers by up to 32 percent. ...continue reading "Short Bursts of Physical Activity Associated With Lower Cancer Risk"