Posts Tagged ‘exercise’

Sometimes, objective evidence hits the wall against a very popular idea. Bam. Publication bias means that even a careful study might not see the light of day. Consider the case of public parks and obesity. The Indisputable Value of Public Parks Who can dispute the value that parks bring to our lives? They might prompt […]

Is this what fitness is all about? Or is it closer to fashion? How does it relate to health? Spinning businesses like Soul Cycle and Peloton are achieving cult status. Devoted followers immerse themselves in demanding sessions led by charismatic instructors. Some of those instructors might compete well with a marine drill sergeant. The advertising […]

Jessamyn Stanley, author of the Every Body Yoga, deals gracefully with passive aggressive trolls who ask, “what about your health?” What about your health? Why are you asking such an intimate question? I can google. I know about heart disease and diabetes. And so Stanley has more than 300,000 devoted Instagram followers and a book […]

Here’s a fascinating new way to look at health disparities. How much disparity does a place have in walking? Does everyone take many steps per day? Or do some take a lot while others take very few? A new study in Nature finds that disparities in opportunities to walk predict higher obesity rates.  Big Data […]

Obesity rates started soaring almost four decades ago. Multiple presidents and surgeons general have called for action to address it. You might think we would have an answer by now to the most basic question: why? But we don’t. And this week, the Endocrine Society presented the facts in a scientific statement. It calls for […]

Eating disorders present fitness professionals with a tough challenge. Working out is a good, healthy habit that health professionals encourage. But the line between healthy habits and unhealthy obsessions is very real. The National Eating Disorders Association describes the other side of that line as compulsive exercise. Recognizable But Not Fully Defined Fitness professionals see […]

Boomers had it easy in the 80s, right? The current cross-generation debate has millennials persuasively refuting the idea that they’ve inherited a coddled life. This debate is age old, but one thing is pretty clear. Fitness is harder in the twenty-tens than it was back when Jane Fonda was bobbing around in her workout video. Same […]

Bless his heart. Michael Bloomberg means well. And he’s done a lot of good for the health of New Yorkers. Life expectancy is up. He boldly took on smoking and trans fats. He’s worked tirelessly to nudge New Yorkers toward healthier diets and more active lives. Nibbling on blackberries, grapes, and carrots – artifacts of virtue – he lamented to Frank […]

Is that electronic leash on your wrist really doing anything? Can you rely upon fitness trackers for good information? A pair of recent studies add to the reasons you might doubt it. Heart Rate, Yes; Calories Burned, No Researchers from Stanford tested seven fitness trackers and published their result in the Journal of Personalized Medicine. […]

“Open your bedroom window at night to prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes.” The Telegraph reports this simple solution from an Oxford endocrinology professor. In a similar vein, the Guardian says “access to nature reduces depression and obesity.” That promise comes from a report of the Institute for European Environmental Policy. Cool Night Air Professor Asheley Grossman […]