HHS HealthBeat | Seniors home exercise
Working out with a safe and sensible exercise DVD can do a senior good. At the University of Illinois, Edward McAuley tested a DVD program that focused on flexibility, toning and balance.
McAuley says most of the 307 seniors stayed with it over the six months of the study, and did about as much work as the program required. And he says physical tests showed they wound up in better shape. Continue.
Science Daily | Older Adults Benefit from Home-Based DVD Exercise Program
Fitness DVDs are a multimillion-dollar business, and those targeting adults over the age of 55 are a major part of the market. With names like “Boomers on the Move,” “Stronger Seniors” and “Ageless Yoga,” the programs promise much, but few have ever been rigorously tested. “There are tons of DVDs out there, 20 percent of them are purchased by older adults, and with few exceptions there is no evidence that they work,” said University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Edward McAuley, who led a new study testing the efficacy of a home-based DVD exercise program for people 65 and older. Continue.
Greatist | Are Mobile Devices Effectively Increasing our Physical Activity?
Studies have been conducted to determine the effectiveness of mobile devices on physical activity behavior. In 2012, researchers in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign conducted a meta-analysis they claim is the “first to synthesize current research focused on the use of mobile devices for increasing physical activity.” Continue.
K-State Today | Guilt versus gut: Assistant professor helps working mothers find balance with exercise, children.
Guilt is a major obstacle working mothers face for staying active, according to Emily Mailey. She is a Kansas State University assistant professor of kinesiology who researches and develops interventions to promote physical activity among working mothers. “The level of physical activity among working moms is quite low compared to a lot of other populations because there are so many barriers that the moms are trying to overcome,” Mailey said. “They have very limited free time because of work, family and household responsibilities, and on top of all that, they feel guilty for taking time away from their children to do something for themselves.” Continue.
Reuters | Exercise, meds both help depressed heart patients.
People with heart disease who are also depressed may get as much relief from their depression symptoms with regular exercise as with medication, according to a U.S. study. Researchers writing in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that of 101 heart patients with signs of depression, those who exercised for 90 minutes per week and those who started taking Zoloft both improved significantly compared to participants assigned to drug-free placebo pills. Continue.
BBC | Chronic fatigue syndrome: Brain training is most cost-effective treatment.
Exercise and behavioural therapies are the most cost-effective and successful ways to treat Chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as ME, an analysis shows. A study of 640 patients showed these treatments had the potential to save the economy millions of pounds if they were widely adopted. The findings were published in the journal PLoS ONE. Continue.
USA Today | A person’s gait could be early sign of Alzheimer’s.
Subtle changes in the way a person walks can be an early warning sign of cognitive decline and a signal for advanced testing, researchers reported Sunday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Vancouver, Canada. The findings are the first to link a physical symptom to the disease, which up until now required doctors to begin a diagnosis by focusing on cognition and administering lengthy neurological exams. Continue.
NYT | The 10-Minute Workout, Times Three.
“Every four years, the summer Olympics get people excited to exercise,” says Glenn Gaesser, a professor and director of the Healthy Lifestyles Research Center at Arizona State University, who oversaw a new study about exercise and high blood pressure that was inspired in part by the coming games in London. The streets and gyms fill with people who, fueled by stories of Olympic success, “run or work out for an hour or more,” Dr. Gaesser says. But “within a few weeks, most people have quit” and resumed their sedentary lives. Continue.
NPR | Staying Active Fends Off Alzheimer’s, Even In People Over 80.
Activity cuts the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and slows cognitive decline, even in the very old, according to a new study. There’s been plenty of evidence for the “use it or lose it” theory of brain capacity. But this study is one of the first to show that activity of all sorts benefits people over age 80, even if they’re not “exercising.” Continue.
MNT | Physical Activity Keeps Workers Mentally Fit.
Obesity can be a dangerous risk to our physical health, but according to a Tel Aviv University researcher, avoiding the gym can also take a toll on our mental health, leading to depression and greater burnout rates at work.
Dr. Sharon Toker of TAU’s Recanati Faculty of Management, working with Dr. Michal Biron from the University of Haifa, discovered that employees who found the time to engage in physical activity were less likely to experience a deterioration of their mental health, including symptoms of burnout and depression. Continue.
