Exercise & Fitness Archive

Chair yoga can help you boost balance, flexibility, mood, and overall strength.

You don't have to be steady on your feet to reap the rewards of yoga. There's a kind of yoga class tailored to people who need assistance with balance and stability. It's called chair yoga, because the yoga is performed while seated or while standing next to a chair for support. "It's especially good for people who can't get up and down off the floor, but really anyone is a candidate for the class as long as the person doesn't have an injury that would cause harm by movement," explains Laura Malloy, director of yoga at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine, part of Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

Yoga benefits

Yoga is a series of poses (called postures) and breathing techniques that include an element of meditation. The postures are beneficial in a number of ways. They help reduce muscular tension, build flexibility and strength, add bone strength, and improve balance.

Declining muscle mass is part of aging, but that does not mean you are helpless to stop it.

The saying goes there are two certainties in life: death and taxes. But men should also add loss of muscle mass to the list.

Age-related muscle loss, called sarcopenia, is a natural part of aging. After age 30, you begin to lose as much as 3% to 5% per decade. Most men will lose about 30% of their muscle mass during their lifetimes.

Many team sports have tremendous health benefits for children, but youth football, in particular, continues to pose a concern because of the high risks of concussion and other injuries. A recent NEJM article has taken a stance against allowing tackling in youth football. But is this position really the best way to promote the health and safety of youth athletes?

Yoga is becoming increasingly popular among American children. Emerging research has shown that yoga has a number of physical and psychological benefits for children, and many classrooms now integrate yoga into a typical school day. Yoga can also be a great way for parents and children to play and interact at home. We’ve included several fun yoga-based exercises and games that parents and children can enjoy together.

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Experts' advice has changed as we've learned more about the connection between physical activity and health.

If exercise could be packed into a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation.

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Men who need a regular reminder to stay active can get a little help from these electronic friends.

Your body is wired to receive and respond to feedback. You easily identify pain, discomfort, and fatigue and are quick to make changes to correct the problem.

In the journals

Even if you are active, increasing the time you spend standing every day may further lower your odds of becoming obese, says a new study from the American Cancer Society.

The researchers studied more than 7,000 patients, ages 20 to 79, and reviewed the association between their standing time and their risk of obesity. They looked at specific measurements—such as body mass index, waist circumference, and body fat percentage—and metabolic syndrome, a clustering of factors that increases the risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

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In the journals

A study published in the journal Frontiers in Aging and Neuroscience (Aug. 25, 2015) has found that fitness levels in older adults correlates with activation in areas in the brain's frontal lobe responsible for executive function—mental skills used to manage time, plan and organize, and remember details. The researchers examined brain imaging and cardio fitness data from 128 adults ages 50 to 80. Cardio fitness level was determined by measuring maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max) while a person walked at increasing speed on a treadmill. Executive function skills were measured by how fast and accurately a person responded to computer stimuli like numbers and letters.

The results: People with a higher cardiorespiratory fitness level showed greater brain activation in the frontal lobe. They were also better at performing two simultaneous tasks compared with a single one. This is important since older adults have more difficulty processing multiple tasks, says the researchers. While this study found a link between good cardio health and better cognitive function, more research is needed to show you can improve your brain function by increasing your fitness.

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Compared with brisk walking, swimming allows you to meet your fitness goals with less stress on your joints and muscles.

In terms of convenience, it's hard to beat brisk walking as a form of exercise. You don't need any special equipment or venue, and most people can do it. But for some people—such as those with achy knees, sore hips, or substantial weight—walking may be uncomfortable. And during the winter, harsh weather in many parts of the country can make walking outdoors unpleasant—even treacherous at times. A water workout in a warm indoor pool, followed by a relaxing sauna could be an appealing alternative that's also good for your heart.

Research we're watching

Older adults can reap greater heart benefits from a daily stroll if they pick up the pace a bit, a study in the Nov. 4, 2015, Circulation reports.

Most exercise studies include predominantly younger adults. This new study is an exception. Researchers followed more than 4,200 people—whose average age was 73—for 10 years. They gathered information about the participants' health and their physical activity.