A new study has looked at which is more effective for people with chronic lower back pain – specific strengthening exercises or walking. A lot of people make a lot of noise about core strengthening programs and I absolutely believe they play a role in supporting the lower back, but they need to be part of a general program which includes overall strength and fitness. And this study supported that; they found that “A six-week walk training programme was as effective as six weeks of specific strengthening exercises programme for …

New research has suggested that if you have a torn meniscus you might not need surgery after all. The study compared the progress of half a million people who either had an operation or had rehab. They found the surgery led to a quicker improvement, but that over time the results with rehab were great – 70% of people who did their exercises did not end up needing surgery.
A couple of quotes from the article:
1. The researchers found that physical therapy cost far less and carried far fewer risks from …

With the weather staying this beautiful I know what I’ll be doing this weekend – getting out in the sun for a run down by the beach. Apparently this will provide yet another benefit – exercise improves cognitive functions like memory. A new article on the New York Times website has all the info you need:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/10/how-exercise-may-boost-the-brain/?ref=health

I get asked about those shoes that look like gloves all the time. People bring me copies of those books about the mountain men of Chile running barefoot and get all philosophical about how our ancestors ancestors ran barefoot and it’s more natural and better for us and for the environment. I look outside at all the concrete and wonder if they’ve considered how hard the environment has become lately.

I’ve never personally been a fan of the “barefoot” running idea. I see a lot of people with a lot …

Hey guys, just read an interesting article about a study which compared the health benefits of running and brisk walking. Now, if you’re training for a fun run or a triathlon this probably won’t apply to you, but for the average person just trying to improve their health this is worth a read. Some of the key stats:

Running reduced the risk of heart disease by 4.5% while walking reduced it by 9.3%.
Calorie for calorie, walking also had a stronger impact on heart disease risk factors. The risk of first-time high …

The results are in. Our survey, which was answered by the parents of students from all the big schools here in Singapore found the following:

85.7% of parents want to learn more about the links between nutrition/exercise and academic performance
84.9% of kids aren’t hitting the suggested daily “2 and 5” of fruit and vegetables
90.2% of you acknowledge that a heavy backpack has a medium-large impact on a child’s spine
80.9% of parents rightly believe that substituting study time for exercise would improve your child’s academic performance
Over 80% of kids are doing a …

New Scientist recently ran an article on how to recharge your immune system. The article was broken down into several sections, which I have taken the key points from and outlined below for your perusal. Hope you find it useful!
1. Go for a walk every day: “When 500 adults were tracked for 12 weeks, those who were the most physically active – five sessions or more of aerobic exercise a week – spent nearly half the number of days sick with an upper respiratory tract infection such as a cold …

And the winner is….
Osteopathy! A new article (published January 3, 2012) compared the effectiveness of spinal manipulation with medications and exercises for neck pain. The medications in the study included aspirin, ibuprofen, muscle relaxants and narcotics.
Neck manipulation was proven to be statistically significant to medication at the 2 month follow up, and again at 3, 6, and 12 months, with nearly two thirds of people receiving neck manipulation reporting a 75% reduction in pain. The exercises (basic stretches and neck retractions) were also proven to be more effective than medications, …

Hello,
For those of you training for the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (or anyone running in any event for that matter), over the next couple of months I’m going to share my thoughts on common injuries you might run into as you build up your training. I’ve recently written a book on this and before that gets published I’m going to leak a few excerpts. I’m going to talk about ITB Syndrome as this is a common injury for those of you stepping up your mileage.
Understanding: Iliotibial Band (ITB) Syndrome is …

Hello,
For those of you training for the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (or anyone running in any event for that matter), over the next couple of months I’m going to share my thoughts on common injuries you might run into as you build up your training. I’ve recently written a book on this and before that gets published I’m going to leak a few excerpts. I’ll start with shin splints as it’s a common injury for people who have just taken up running.
Understanding: Shin Splints is the name given to pain …