EXERCISE A DEFENSE AGAINST DEMENTIA

Odds of dying from brain deterioration were less for physically fit individuals.

Yoga Pose: Mountain Pose

Physical activity may reduce the risk of dementia-related death, according to a new study.

Researchers assessed the health of more than 45,000 men and nearly 15,000 women, ages 20 to 88 years, in the United States and grouped them into one of three fitness categories — low, middle or high.

After an average follow-up of 17 years, about 4,050 participants died. Of those deaths, 164 were attributed to dementia (72 vascular dementia and 92 Alzheimer's disease). Of those 164 deaths, 123 of the people were in the low-fitness group, 23 were in the middle-fitness group, and 18 were in the high-fitness group.

People in the high- and medium-fitness groups had less than half the risk of dying as those in the low-fitness group, the researchers concluded.

The study appears in the February issue of the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

"These findings support physical-activity promotion campaigns by organizations such as the Alzheimer's Association and should encourage individuals to be physically active," study author Riu Liu said in a journal news release.

"Following the current physical-activity recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine will keep most individuals out of the low-fit category and may reduce their risk of dying with dementia," Liu added.

Liu conducted the study as part of her dissertation at the University of South Carolina. She is now a postdoctoral fellow at the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

While deaths in the United States associated with heart disease, breast cancer and stroke have declined in recent years, deaths related to dementia and Alzheimer's rose 46 percent between 2002 and 2006, according to the release.

The study doesn't prove that exercise will prevent dementia, however. Other factors may also come into play.

EXERCISE CAN BUILD YOUNG ADULTS' BONES

Exercising in young adulthood boosts bone density, new research suggests.Researchers looked at the physical activity levels of over 800 Swedish men aged 19 to 24 and found that those who boosted their physical activity during that period also showed increased bone density in the hips, arms and lower legs and spine.

Young men whose physical activity decreased during that period had significantly more "brittle" bones, according to a University of Gothenburg news release.

Improved bone development, which occurs throughout childhood and into young adulthood, can reduce the risk for fractures and osteoporosis later in life.

The study was released online in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

"The men who increased or maintained high levels of physical activity also developed larger and thicker bones in their lower arms and legs," study author Mattias Lorentzon, of the Sahlgrenska Academy's Centre for Bone and Arthritis Research, said in a news release. "These findings suggest that maintaining or, ideally, increasing physical activity can improve bone growth in our youth, which probably reduces the risk of fractures later on."

Exercise Helps the Child to Boost Academic Ability

Promoting physical activity among young school kids can end up improving their academic performance, a new study suggests.

Italian researchers tracked 138 children aged 8 through 11 who took mental acuity tests under a series of conditions that sometimes involved physical activity and sometimes did not.

"School teachers frequently claim that students lose attention and concentration with prolonged periods of academic instruction.”The key elements of learning, particularly important during development, are attention and concentration. Our study examined the relationship between exertion and the attention and concentration levels of schoolchildren."

The findings appear in the March issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

Over a three-week period, the children sat for three exam sessions of 50 minutes each. Before the first test they had all engaged in some form of physical exertion. Before the second test they had only engaged in academic exercises. And the third time they had participated in both physical and academic activity. All the tests were structured to gauge concentration skills as well as the speed with which the kids responded and the quality of their answers.

The children performed best following either physical activity or academic activity, but less well when both were combined before testing.

Processing speed went up by 9 percent after engaging in some form of mental "exercise" and 10 percent after physical activity. But after a combined physical and mental exertion, testing scores went up by just 4 percent.

Similarly, in terms of concentration skills, pretesting mental activity boosted scores by 13 percent, while physical activity sent scores rising by 10 percent. When both were combined, testing results went up by just 2 percent.

The authors said the lower scores could be due to a rise in stress associated with asking children to exercise both their brains and their bodies in the same time span.

Findings suggest that varying types of exertion have different beneficial influences on school children's immediate cognitive performance. While more research is needed, we believe this provides helpful justification for increasing physical activity opportunities in the academic setting.

EXERCISE MAY BOOST SURVIVAL IN BREAST AND COLON CANCER

Being physically active might lengthen the lives of people with breast and colon cancer, a new study suggests.

Exercise may also benefit patients with other cancers, but there is no substantial evidence to make that claim, the researchers added.

"We have lots of data that says physical activity after a cancer diagnosis is generally safe and is associated with many improvements in overall quality of life, and these data suggest that it may even be beneficial in terms of prolonging life," said lead researcher Dr. Rachel Ballard-Barbash, associate director of the applied research program in the division of cancer control and population science at the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

"For many years, we have tended to think of a diagnosis of cancer being fatal, but as we are diagnosing people much earlier and receiving effective treatment, they're living for a long time with their cancer," she said.

Cancer is becoming more of a chronic disease, Ballard-Barbash explained.

"Because of that, many people actually are at risk for other chronic diseases, like heart disease, diabetes and hypertension, and physical activity is well known to be beneficial for these conditions," she added.

The report was published in the May 8 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

For the study, Ballard-Barbash's team analyzed 27 observational studies published between January 1950 and August 2011 that looked at cancer survival and physical activity.

The evidence of these benefits was strongest for breast cancer patients, where exercise significantly reduced death from all causes including breast cancer, the researchers found. Strong data also existed for improved survival among colon cancer patients.

The researchers also looked at other randomized controlled studies that suggested exercise benefited patients in a variety of ways, including improving insulin levels, reducing inflammation and possibly improving the body's immune system.

Dr. Edward Giovannucci, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health and author of an accompanying journal editorial, said that "even though direct cancer effects of physical activity are not definitively proven, given that physical activity is generally safe, improves quality of life for cancer patients and has numerous other health benefits, adequate physical activity should be a standard part of cancer care."

"The vast majority of cancer patients will likely benefit to some degree from physical activity," he added.

Few factors have shown as much promise in extending the lives of cancer survivors, Giovannucci wrote.

"Many treatments may increase survival, but at a cost of quality of life; physical activity may not only extend life but also enhances its quality," he added.

Samantha Heller, a dietitian, nutritionist, exercise physiologist and clinical nutrition coordinator of the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital, in Derby, Conn., said that "we have evidence to suggest that physical activity not only improves survival of people living with cancer, but it also decreases the risk of many other chronic diseases."

"Conversely, physical inactivity has been associated with many cancers including breast, colon, prostate, pancreas and melanoma," she said.

Because of certain chemotherapy and radiation therapy treatments for cancer, survivors may be at an increased risk of additional cancers and chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, Heller said.

"Therefore, a healthy lifestyle including regular exercise and a healthy diet is essential for survivors to reduce the risk of cancer recurrences and other diseases," she said.

Regular physical activity also improves sleep, psychological and emotional well-being and helps manage stress, Heller said.

"The number of cancer survivors is, happily, growing in the U.S.," she said. "We need to get the word out to them that exercise, whether it is walking, dancing, running, swimming or hula hooping, will boost their health, fitness level and quality of life."

EXERCISE PLUS COMPUTER TIME MAY BOOST SENIORS' BRAINS

A combination of moderate exercise and mental stimulation through computer use may help reduce the risk of age-related memory loss more than computer use or exercise alone, according to new research.

The study, published in the May issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, included more than 920 people in Olmsted County, Minn., aged 70 to 93, who completed questionnaires about their computer use and physical activity over the previous year.

The Mayo Clinic researchers found signs of mild cognitive impairment in nearly 38 percent of participants who did not exercise and did not use a computer, compared with just over 18 percent of those who did moderate exercise and also used a computer. Mild cognitive impairment is the stage between normal age-related memory loss and early Alzheimer's disease.

The investigators also found that 36 percent of participants who did moderate exercise and used a computer had normal memory function, compared with about 20 percent of those who did not exercise or use a computer.

Moderate exercise included brisk walking, hiking, aerobics, strength training, golfing without a golf cart, swimming, doubles tennis, yoga, martial arts, weightlifting and using exercise machines, the authors explained in a Mayo Clinic news release.

"The aging of baby boomers is projected to lead to dramatic increases in the prevalence of dementia, a physician scientist at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, said in the news release."As frequent computer use has become increasingly common among all age groups, it is important to examine how it relates to aging and dementia. Our study further adds to this discussion."

Although the study uncovered an association between combined exercise and computer use and better memory function, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

Greater Exercise Intensity May Add Years to Life

The intensity of exercise, not the duration, is what's important in terms of improving your chances of living a longer life, a new study suggests.

Researchers who looked at cyclists in Denmark found that men with high levels of cycling intensity lived 5.3 years longer, and those with average intensity lived 2.9 years longer, than men with low intensity.

Among female cyclists, those with high intensity lived 3.9 years longer, and those with average intensity lived 2.2 years longer, compared to women with low intensity.

The study was presented Monday at the European Society of Cardiology meeting in Paris.

Current guidelines recommend that adults get 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity in their leisure time, preferably every day of the week. The most beneficial levels of intensity, duration and frequency haven't been established.

The findings suggest "that a greater part of daily physical activity in leisure time should be vigorous, based on the individual's own perception of intensity," study author Peter Schnohr said in news release from the European Society of Cardiology.

In a previous study, Schnohr and his colleagues also found a link between higher levels of intensity and longer life.

Experts note that research presented at meetings has not been subjected to the same type of rigorous scrutiny given to research published in peer-reviewed medical journals.

JOGGERS LIVE LONGER

Jogging regularly could add about six years to your life, a new Danish study suggests.

"The results of our research allow us to definitively answer the question of whether jogging is good for your health," Peter Schnohr, chief cardiologist of the long-term Copenhagen City Heart Study, said in a news release from the European Society of Cardiology. "We can say with certainty that regular jogging increases longevity. The good news is that you don't actually need to do that much to reap the benefits."

In conducting the study, the researchers compared the mortality of joggers and non-joggers who took part in the population study of 20,000 people aged 20 to 93 that began in 1976. In making their comparison, they asked 1,116 male joggers and 762 women joggers about their jogging routine, including how fast and how long they jogged weekly.

"With participants having such a wide age span we felt that a subjective scale of intensity was the most appropriate approach," explained Schnohr, who is based at Bispebjerg University Hospital, in Copenhagen.

In the follow-up period of up to 35 years, the study found that 10,158 non-joggers and 122 joggers died. The researchers noted this was a 44 percent drop in the risk of death for male and female joggers.

The researchers found that male joggers can extend their life by 6.2 years, and women by 5.6 years.

Jogging at a slow pace for one to two and a half hours weekly provided the most significant benefits.

"You should aim to feel a little breathless, but not very breathless," said Schnohr. "The relationship appears much like alcohol intakes. Mortality is lower in people reporting moderate jogging, than in non-joggers or those undertaking extreme levels of exercise."

The study's authors noted there are several health benefits of jogging that contribute to increased life expectancy, including improvements in:

§  Oxygen uptake

§  Insulin sensitivity

§  Lipid profiles (raising "good" HDL cholesterol and lowering triglycerides)

§  Heart function

§  Bone density

§  Immune function

§  Psychological function

The improved psychological well-being may be due to the fact that people have more social interactions when they're out jogging, explained Schnohr.

The researchers added that jogging also helps lower blood pressure, reduce platelet aggregation and prevent obesity.

The study was slated for presentation Thursday at a meeting of the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, called EuroPRevent2012, in Dublin.

Data and conclusions presented at meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

SURF MORE TO IMPROVE YOUR FITNESS

If you're an online fitness fanatic who loves looking at new workouts, catching up with fitness and weight loss information, or drooling over healthy recipes can help.

Online fitness information has a positive if small effect on physical activity and fitness, researchers concluded after an analysis of 34 previous studies, particularly for short-term behavior changes. Different types of online intervention — whether it was an email newsletter, an online weight-loss community, an informational web page, or a combination of the three — all increased physical activity in participants. Sedentary or insufficiently active study volunteers became proportionally more active after receiving online fitness information than already active participants.

Here are more keys to transforming from an online fitness junkie to a real-life gym rat, based on the study:

·        Log in more than three times per week. The average participant in the studies analyzed accessed their online fitness intervention of choice at least three times each week. It seems that the more time you spend learning about fitness, the more likely you are to try out a few new moves.

·        Keep it up for 12 weeks. Unfortunately, one week of chatting with your new online diet buddies won't be enough to produce measurable results. Stick with your program for at least 12 weeks to see a natural change in your behavior.

·        Find content you love. If your Google Reader is always overflowing, get fitness information delivered in your inbox instead. That way, you will be more likely to regularly engage with the fitness content. Another key? Discovering websites and communities you love to visit.

Stay engaged. You will be more likely to take action if the online fitness content you're exposed to fits your needs and lifestyle. Are you a new mom who wants to lose baby weight? A middle-aged mom trying to work off some belly fat? Seek out a similar online community to help you start — and stick with — a fitness routine, or find another outlet that keeps you interested and coming back for more. The more engaged volunteers were with the content, the more active they eventually became, researchers found.

THE LIFELONG BENEFITS OF EXERCISE

Feel younger, live longer. It's no slogan — these are actual benefits of regular exercise. People with high levels of physical fitness are at lower risk of dying from a variety of causes, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Physical Fitness: What the Benefits of Exercise Mean for You

There's more good news. Research also shows that exercise enhances sleep, prevents weight gain, and reduces the risk of high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and even depression.

"One study found that when breast cancer survivors engaged in exercise, there were marked improvements in physical activity, strength, maintaining weight, and social well-being," explains Rachel Permuth-Levine, PhD, deputy director for the Office of Strategic and Innovative Programs at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

"Another study looked at patients with stable heart failure and determined that exercise relieves symptoms, improves quality of life, reduces hospitalization, and in some cases, reduces the risk of death," adds Dr. Permuth-Levine. She points out that exercise isn't just important for people who are already living with health conditions: "If we can see benefits of moderate exercise in people who are recovering from disease, we might see even greater benefits in those of us who are generally well."

Physical Fitness: Physical activity doesn't have to be strenuous to produce results. Even moderate exercise five to six times a week can lead to lasting health benefits.

When incorporating more physical activity into your life, remember three simple guidelines:

·         Exercise at moderate intensity for at least 2 hours and 30 minutes spread over the course of each week.

·         Avoid periods of inactivity; some exercise at any level of intensity is better than none.

·         At least twice a week, supplement aerobic exercise (cardio) with weight-bearing activities that strengthen all major muscle groups.

Physical Fitness is Making Exercise a Habit

The number one reason most people say they don't exercise is lack of time. If you find it difficult to fit extended periods of exercise into your schedule, keep in mind that short bouts of physical activity in 10-minute segments will nonetheless help you achieve health benefits. Advises Permuth-Levine, "Even in the absence of weight loss, relatively brief periods of exercise every day reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease."

Set realistic goals and take small steps to fit more movement into your daily life, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator and walking to the grocery store instead of driving. "The key is to start gradually and be prepared," says Permuth-Levine. "Have your shoes, pedometer, and music ready so you don't have any excuses."

To help you stick with your new exercise habit, vary your routine, like swimming one day and walking the next. Get out and start a baseball or soccer game with your kids. Even if the weather doesn't cooperate, have a plan B — use an exercise bike in your home, scope out exercise equipment at a nearby community center, or consider joining a health club. The trick is to get to the point where you look at exercise like brushing your teeth and getting enough sleep — as essential to your well-being.

Remember that physical fitness is attainable. Even with small changes, you can reap big rewards that will pay off for years to come.

THE SECRET TO STRONGER MUSCLES

One look at Olympic weight-lifters shows that the heavier the weights, the stronger the weight-lift, right? Although there's definitely some truth to this conventional workout wisdom, a new position paper published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism argues that there's more to the story.

Weight training with less weight, but more repetition may be as effective for building muscle as lifting heavier weights for fewer repetitions. The key to muscle gain, researchers say, is working the muscles to the point of fatigue, no matter the weight size. They want you to feel the burn.

A team conducted a series of experiments to measure how muscles react to different forms of training. They found, not surprisingly, that high-intensity muscle contractions from lifting heavy weights produced muscle development. But when volunteers performed resistance training with smaller weights until they reached muscle fatigue, identical muscle development was formed. The higher repetitions also helped sustain the muscle-building response in the days following the workout.

This means you can continue using 3-pound hand weights for bicep curls if you want. But if you want to see a bigger, stronger bicep, you must keep up the curls until you have to fight to pull up the weight each time. (For a woman who works out regularly, this could mean scores of repetitions.)

No matter how you chose to get there, the key to seeing a real benefit from strength training is using enough weight to challenge yourself, and repeating the exercises enough times that your muscles reach fatigue. As you get stronger, remember to switch to progressively heavier weights to keep on feeling the burn.

Why Strength Training is Essential

Now that you know how to strength train to build muscle mass, here's why strength training should be a regular part of your fitness routine.

·        Increasing muscle mass is the only way to boost metabolism. Fad diets claim they can increase your metabolism, but the only real way to make it happen permanently is to increase your muscle mass. This is because muscle burns more calories than fat, even at rest.

·        Regular weight training can help protect your brain. As you age, strength training can help keep you sharp. One recent study found that women who started strength training at the first signs of memory decline might ward off full-blown dementia by routinely lifting weights.

·        Muscle mass manages blood sugar levels. Because your muscles store glucose, researchers believe that muscle mass can help your body keep blood sugar in check and ward off type 2 diabetes.

·        Strength training plays a role in bone and joint help. One of the best ways to prevent or even reverse bone density loss is through strength training. If you have arthritis, studies have shown that regular resistance training can help ease joint pain.

Lean muscle looks good. Last but certainly not least, weight training is a surefire way to build those long, lean muscles.

TRAVELERS TO WORK OUT WHILE THEY WAIT AT AIRPORTS

A few airports around the country have opened gyms and yoga studios that travelers can use for a fee. San Francisco International Airport unveiled a yoga room in January, and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has a 1.4-mile walking path in a number of concourses, according to USA Today.

"When you're as fit and active, you don't want to sit around and do nothing, a graphic designer based in San Diego, to Everyday Health and always looking for a way to be active." Gillotti runs the website AirportGyms.com, which lists fitness centers at airports. The website allows travelers to search for workout options at various airports nationwide.

Gillotti also asks travelers to let them know about workout options that are a short walk or cab ride from airports. Some airport hotels, for example, invite non-guests to use their gyms for a fee. For example, at the Hilton Chicago O'Hare Airport, travelers can buy a day pass for $10, or $19 to use the workout room, the USA Today article states. A few airports have gyms located nearby.

The Los Angeles International Airport has an area for yoga, as well as tai chi and an 18-hole golf course.

Travelers have more time these days to leave the airport to sweat it out, as many airlines in recent years have reported increased delays, often because of glitches such as pilot shortages, taking too long to refuel and mechanical breakdowns, a separate USA Today story said. Congestion in the skies is also a major reason for the uptick in delays.

Staying active during a layover is also a way to fend off deep vein thrombosis, or blood clots in the deep veins of the legs, pelvis and arms, which can be worsened by seat pressure and inactivity during long flights.

Some flyers are hoping fitness centers will open up at their local airports.

WHAT TO EAT BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER YOUR WORKOUT

Breaking for a sports drink, snack, or energy gel during a workout might seem like a good idea, but a new position paper from the American College of Sports Medicine says it might not be necessary. Published jointly in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise and the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, the statement outlines the best times to refuel around exercise for optimal health and performance, plus, what kind of fuel your body needs.

The paper’s authors emphasized that it’s probably only necessary to eat during a workout if it’s two or more hours of continuous exercise. For example, Nancy Rodriguez, a sports nutritionist at the University of Connecticut who helped author the statement, said recreational runners competing in 5 or 10K races don’t need to carry water with them, and they don’t need to refuel during or after the race with a high-calorie sports drink, candy bar, or energy supplement.

However, anyone exercising for two hours or more should fuel up with carbohydrates before and probably during the workout. What you choose to consume depends on your personal preferences — many athletes experiment with different methods during long training sessions before selecting what works for them. Common snacks include single-serving energy gels such as Clif Shots, Gu, or PowerGel, or chewable fuel snacks such as Clif Shot Bloks Energy Chews. Each of these products contains glucose, which prevents the body from breaking down muscle in response to an energy deficit, and most contain caffeine for an added energy boost.

But if you’re a recreational exerciser who’s just hitting the gym a few times per week, skipping sugary snacks like these is recommended — especially if you’re exercising to lose weight. After all, the calories in just one 20-ounce original Gatorade (122) are enough to offset half of the calories burned during a 30-minute cardio session. Hydration is essential, though, so either stick to water while you exercise or have a small meal or snack before your workout comprised of easily digestible carbohydrates such as a banana.

Melinda M. Manore, a sports nutritionist at Oregon State University who was an author of the position paper, told the New York Times that moderate athletes should eat and drink soon after a workout, though a normal healthy meal that contains plenty of protein, complex carbohydrates, and fluids should be enough.

 For competitive athletes or even weekend warriors training for a half marathon or other endurance event, the experts recommend eating between 2.7 and 4.5 grams of carbohydrates for every pound of body weight, and 0.5 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound. So for example, a 150-pound person should eat at least 405 grams of carbs every day, along with at least 75 grams of lean protein. Fat intake should be 20 to 35 percent of your total calories, and experts do not recommend high-fat diets for athletes.