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Help Build Your Kid’s Brain

Forget about preventing obesity and reducing the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes, getting your kids to exercise on a regular basis can actually make him smarter. According to a new study, exercise can make a child’s brain bigger. Translation: If you want a smarter kid, use your own brain and encourage him to get moving… and if you are really smart, you will run a few laps with him. This, according to researchers at the University of Illinois. The new study consisted of two parts: The first featured 9 and 10-year-olds, who were divided into two groups, one deemed … Continue reading →

Exercise Boosts Your Brain at Any Age!

If you’re worried about your brain’s health, you might want to think about your physical fitness levels. A new study from the Center for Brain Repair and Rehabilitation at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden looked at the link between physical fitness and brain fitness (or, if you want to be technical about it, call it “cognitive function”). Researchers looked at data on more than a million Swedish men born between 1950 and 1976 who enlisted for military service at age 18. Included in those 1.2 million men were more than a quarter of a million siblings — and some … Continue reading →

Do You Protect Your Eyes When You Exercise?

I once doled out $120 for a pair of sunglasses designed specifically for runners. I wore them once during a marathon and haven’t used them since. I bought them after reading several articles about the importance of eyewear for long distance runners. I worried about my cornea’s being burned while running in sunny conditions and the increase risk of cancer associated with lack of proper eyewear, so I bought the sunglasses… and now I barely use them partially because I can never find them when I need them and partially because I don’t enjoy having to constantly fiddle with them … Continue reading →

Exercise is Child’s Play

A new study shows that individuals, who have a hard time sticking with structured fitness plans, can still reap the benefits of exercise by participating in child-like play. Researchers maintain that the type of calorie-burning, mind-stimulating play that children often partake in can also benefit older individuals. For example, the study found that tossing a Frisbee, dancing, and rock climbing were some of the most effective ways for adults to incorporate play into their exercise routines. According to the study, which was recently published in the Compendium of Physical Activities, a 150-pound person can burn up to 322 calories by … Continue reading →

Defining Your Exercise Personality

Do you gravitate towards certain types of gym equipment more than others? Do you struggle to stick with your exercise routine? Experts say the way you answer those questions plays a big part in defining your fitness personality type. Researchers at the American College of Sports Medicine suggest that there are five distinct personality types that exercisers can use to develop successful fitness regimens. What’s more, experts maintain that using the personality types is a great way to structure a lasting exercise routine. The following are the fitness personality types as defined by researchers at the American College of Sports … Continue reading →

In Pursuit of Michelle Obama’s Arms

They’re everywhere! First Lady Michelle Obama has bared her toned biceps, triceps and shoulders at several Inaugural Balls, on the covers of Vogue and People, at her husband’s first televised address to Congress and in her official White House photograph. The 5-foot-11-fitness buff’s arms are the talk of gyms from coast-to-coast. Trainers claim female clients are begging them to create fitness regimes so they too can sport arms of steel like Obama’s. The 45-year-old mother of two obviously watches what she eats and works out, but even if you were to duplicate the first lady’s exercise routine to the letter, … Continue reading →

Regular Exercise Can Make You Smarter

It’s not a claim made by a chain fitness club, but the results of a new study: Regular exercise can help stimulate your brain functions. According to new research published in the journal Hippocampus, elderly adults who are more physically fit tend to have bigger hippocampi and better spatial memory than those who are less fit. The hippocampus is a brain structure vital to certain types of memory. It is located deep inside the medial temporal lobe of the brain, and according to researchers, bigger is better when it comes to hippocampus size. Researchers believe certain activities modify hippocampus size … Continue reading →