Posts Tagged ‘fitness’

Regular physical activity is a key part of a healthy lifestyle. But when a young athlete takes fitness and training to the extreme, this behavior can quickly become unhealthy. In some cases, it can put individuals at risk for serious injury or even permanent harm. Parents, peers, and instructors alike must learn to recognize certain […]

How much does physical appearance matter in the military? After all, national security relies more and more on technology. This question jumps out from a full day workshop on obesity in the armed forces at the National Academies. The answer depends in part on the branch of service. Physical functioning and health are certainly important […]

This isn’t too mysterious. A number of recent studies are making it ever more clear that even small bits of exercise can give you a boost – in health and happiness. It doesn’t take long bouts of intense activity. From the Journal of Happiness Studies You gotta love this journal. Peer-reviewed and devoted to the scientific […]

You can’t outrun a bad diet. So says the wisdom of the internet. But a new study published yesterday in Circulation suggests that maybe you can outrun bad genes for heart disease. Emmi Tikkanen and colleagues found that fitness, strength, and physical activity might erase some – but not all – of the risk for heart disease, […]

Perhaps you’ve noticed. Popular culture has embraced fitness. Athleisure is everywhere in fashion. Gyms are enjoying a prolonged trend of seemingly limitless membership growth. The National Center for Health Statistics reports that the number or people who say they are meeting guidelines for physical activity is growing. But is our popular fitness culture putting a dent […]

The numbers are daunting. More than 70 percent of young Americans between 17 and 24 cannot serve in the U.S. military. Why? The soaring prevalence of obesity is at the top of the list. According to a new Heritage Foundation report, this means military readiness goals might be impossible to meet: The U.S. military is […]

This story is profoundly sad. We were reading about a recent decision by the USPSTF to affirm a broad recommendation for intensive lifestyle programs for obesity. The decision is a good one. Reporting on it by the American Academy of Family Practice (AAFP) unfortunately is not so good. AAFP presents the views of someone they […]

The headlines say the benefits of exercise can outweigh the health effects of severe obesity. The study says no such thing. The study examined fitness, not exercise. It showed that fitness might benefit even people with severe obesity, not that it cancels out obesity’s risks. But what will most people remember? The headline. A new […]

“Having a gym nearby does help us to lose weight, suggests new research.” So says Medical News Today. This bit of classic click bait for weight loss season comes from Lancet Public Health. It’s an observational study of the correlation between a person’s risk of obesity and their home address. The authors found that people […]

Getting down to the facts about the health benefits of physical activity is harder than it should be. But three new studies this week and a new roadmap for change certainly set the stage. The popular myth is that working out is a great way to lose weight. But the truth is better than the […]