News and Features Related to Health & Fitness

1. Massage Is Good for Athletes’ Muscles
   

   Aug. 22, 2008 -- Researchers are confirming what serious athletes have long believed: Swedish massage immediately after intense exercise helps muscles recover. To test the validity of this common practice in the sports world, scientists did studies on a team of six rabbits. Each rabbit's hind legs w

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2. 10 Workout Secrets: Expert Exercise Tips
   

   Getting and staying fit can be a challenge. For many of us, it's hard enough just to get up off the couch. So what's the secret of people who have managed to make exercise a way of life? To find out, WebMD talked to fitness experts and successful exercisers who revealed the top tips, tricks and secr

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3. Sweet Reward
   

   By Liz Applegate, Ph.D. How to choose a frozen treat for every occasion--and taste   For: A postrun treat  By law, regular ice cream must contain at least 10 percent butterfat--and some contain much more. This means a half-cup serving of premium varieties, such as Ben & Jerry's and Häagen-Dazs, can

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4. Pick Up Your Pace
   

   By Ed Eyestone Know when to take your track work up a notch Just because you finish your intervals without dry heaving doesn't mean you should jack up your pace right away. Speeding up too much too soon can be a recipe for disaster. Knowing when and how to pick up the pace will help you meet your go

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5. Head Check
   

   By Nancy Averett Learning how to manage your emotions can help you run your best Warren Finke was leading the 1983 Pacific Coast Trail 50-miler, an ultramarathon near San Diego, when a race volunteer mistakenly directed him past the unmarked turnaround point. He ran on for nearly a mile before other

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6. Cheerleading Leads the Pack in Injuries
   

   Aug. 15, 2008 -- The sport of cheerleading -- with its daredevil flips and pyramids -- accounts for 65.1% of catastrophic injuries among high school girl athletes in the last quarter century, according to a new study. Cheerleading also is responsible for 66.7% of catastrophic injuries among female c

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7. Eat to Win
   

   By Amy Paturel Is food the ultimate performance enhancer? Track and field Olympian Marion Jones was America’s darling during the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney, bringing home three gold medals and two bronzes. She ran like a lean, high-powered machine, and credited nutrition supplements—including flax

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8. 4 Natural Fuel Foods for Your Next Workout
   

   By Amy Paturel Help or hype? What foods can you count on to go the extra mile, and which foods fall short? See what recent studies reveal before your next workout. 1. A Spoonful of Honey Recent research suggests that carb blends (foods containing fructose and glucose) may be superior to straight glu

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9. 10 Tips for an Olympic Body
   

   When the 2008 Olympic Games open in Beijing, millions will be marveling at all the athletes' bodies.  Muscled legs, backs, abs, and arms -- sure signs of the Olympic body, carefully sculpted for power, speed, and endurance.  But what does it take to get that Olympic body? And could the average Joe (

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10. Exercise in a Pill? Maybe
    

    July 31, 2008 -- It may be possible to make a pill that captures the endurance-boosting effects of exercise, scientists report in Cell. So far, they've tested two compounds in lab tests in mice. One of those compounds, called GW1516, boosted endurance in mice that exercised, but not in sedentary mic

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