Health & Fitness News & Features

With an abundance of couch-to-5K programs at your fingertips, from smartphone apps to beginner groups, it's easier than ever to start running.

Even a little running on a regular basis can extend your life, Australian researchers say.

For days when you don't feel like going to the gym or gearing up for an outdoor workout like running or biking, make it simple with these at-home cardio workouts.

The findings show that despite the benefits of endurance sports, an excessive training load can have ill effects on your brain, French researchers said.

Just 2 Weeks on the Couch Starts to Damage Your Body By Serena Gordon HealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, Sept. 19, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- A new study proves that the old adage "use it or lose it" is definitely true when it comes to fitness. After just two weeks of sedentary behavior, formerly fit people had:A decline in heart and lung healthIncreased waist circumferenceGreater body fat and liver fatHigher levels of insulin resistance"The study showed that two weeks of reduced physical activity -- from approximately 10,000 steps per day down to 1,500 per day -- caused changes

If you're looking for incentives to hit the gym, new research suggests that staying in good shape may help preserve brain structure, boost memory, and improve the ability to think clearly and quickly.

From Bluetooth technology and social media to high-tech screens and glasses, fitness clubs are using fun, innovative tools to set goals, track workouts, and keep members motivated.

A new study found that men in their 70s and 80s who had never followed an exercise regimen could build muscle mass as well as "master athletes" -- those of the same age who had worked out throughout their lives and still competed at the top levels of their sports.

The Norwegian researchers also found that too much sitting was associated with a higher risk of early death.

Whole body cryotherapy is a growing trend at spas and wellness centers, thanks in part to its popularity among athletes and celebrities. But it can be risky, and experts question how well it works.

Researchers found that calluses offer the foot protection while you're walking around, without compromising tactile sensitivity -- or the ability to feel the ground.

Among adults living in rural America, 13.3% were exercising in 2008 at recommended rates, but by 2017 that number had risen to 19.6%. And in cities, rates went even higher -- from 19.4% to 25.3%.

Scientists concluded that in grueling physical activities that last for days, weeks and months, humans can burn calories at most at 2.5 times their resting metabolic rate.

“Physical activity is good for you. What's new and striking is how little you need to do to make a difference," the study's lead author said.

A combination of an exercise app, an activity tracker and personal counseling increased women's physical activity levels, researchers found.

Not only does it provide much needed exercise for people who are often tied to their desks for the entire work day, it can also give them a stress-reducing mental lift.

In the U.S., total sitting time from 2007 to 2016 rose by about an hour a day, to 8.2 hours for teens and 6.4 hours for adults

The researchers classified them as "weekend warriors" if they exercised only one or two days a week, or as regularly active folks who spread their exercise out over the week.

Increasing their activity benefited both men and women, in all age groups, and at all fitness levels, the researchers said.

Douglas County, Colorado, a suburb of Denver, was among the top in at least four of the report’s 81 measures, including physical activity, educational attainment and median household income.

Americans who got in just 10 to 59 minutes of moderate physical activity every week had an 18 percent lower risk of death from any cause, compared with couch potatoes, the researchers found

In the study, people who'd been inactive in youth but decided to get more physical in middle age saw almost the same reduction in their chance of dying early as people who’d exercised all their lives.

Last year the 72-year-old, 6-foot 3-inch Trump weighed 239 pounds, but in a year he has gained 4 pounds and is now 243 pounds. That puts him at a body mass index of 30.4, which crosses the 30 BMI clinical threshold for obesity.

Researchers found that aerobic exercise increased participants' overall fitness as well as their so-called executive function -- thinking skills that are key to reasoning, planning and problem-solving.

Ashley Borden, author of the book Your Perfect Fit and a personal trainer with a roster of celebrity clients, suggests ways you can keep your fitness resolutions this year.