Finding the motivation to exercise can be a challenge at any time of year. Add cold weather and shorter days to the mix, and working out – especially outdoors – can seem like a tremendous feat. But exercising outdoors has a range of benefits such as increasing vitamin D exposure and a general sense of…
I could have saved myself the cost of a trip to the coast. I live at an elevation of 3,500 feet, and last year I traveled to Victoria, British Columbia, to run my Boston Marathon qualifying race. As it turns out, any boost I got from traveling to sea level was purely psychological. That isn’t…
New study results from the University of Kansas to be presented this weekend at the Gerontological Society of America’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., bolster the adage that “heart healthy is brain healthy.” The investigation shows neighborhoods that motivate walking can stave off cognitive decline in older adults. “People can walk either to get somewhere…
Teenagers trying to lose weight should engage in an exercise program that includes both aerobic and resistance training, a randomized trial has found. It also found that diet without exercise accomplishes little. Canadian researchers put 304 obese teenagers on a diet with a daily energy deficit of 250 calories (measured from their resting energy expenditure)….
If people need motivation to get up from their office chairs or couches and become less sedentary, two useful new studies could provide the impetus. One found that sitting less can slow the aging process within cells, and the other helpfully underscores that standing up — even if you are standing still — can be…
Trading the gas pedal for foot power or bike power to get to your job can also improve your mental health, British researchers report. Daily commuters who stopping driving to work and started walking or riding a bike were under less stress and were able to concentrate better, the study showed. And the authors noted that using…
“The possibility of not working is part of the experiment,” said the jovial person in charge, the Brazilian artist Michel Groisman. This was one of several focused, simple and pleasantly aimless activities designed by Mr. Groisman as part of the first Elastic City Walks Festival, a 12-day series of artist-led “participatory walks” throughout Manhattan and…
When you’re feeling a deluge of negative emotions, you know that it can be helpful to “walk it off.” And according to a new study, there’s evidence to back up the stress-releasing strategy. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, found that taking group nature walks is associated with a whole host…
When confronted with an overly active child, many exasperated teachers and parents respond the same way: “Sit still!” It might be more effective, though, to encourage the child to run. Recent research suggests that even small amounts of exercise enable children to improve their focus and academic performance. By now it’s well known that diagnoses…
Experts say we should be walking at least 10,000 steps a day (about 5 Miles) just to stay healthy. But according to experts at Edinburgh University we are walking 80 miles a year less than we did ten years ago. Research reported in The Lancetfound that adding 2,000 moderately paced walking steps (20 minutes) a day to regular activity…