Hot on the heels of my previous review on the findings that higher intensity exercise training “generated significant reductions in abdominal fat levels” come the findings that it also helps reduce hypertension, lowers cholesterol, and diabetes.
The results really were quite overwhelming. There was no doubt that the harder you train the more benefits you get. They found that for every metre per second increment ie the faster you run:
1. You reduced the odds for having to use blood pressure lowering medications by 54% in men/46% in women,
2. You reduced the …

Clearly this article was written by a guy – you can feel the lack of commitment straight away in the title – tai chi may help reduce knee pain. The reason I’m posting this article is because it combines information from a few other posts, and I love it when various we get various sources supporting each other.
Previously I posted a piece on the correlation of the findings on medical imaging to pain and dysfunction. What that article said was that having osteoarthritis does not necessarily mean you get pain/poor …

We’ve already seen how effective exercise is for reducing men’s risk of developing cancer http://www.chrisjonesosteo.com.au/?p=348, now it’s the ladies turn. Along term study of nearly 6,000 women “found that those who exercised the most had a 25 per cent lower chance of developing cancer than those who were the least active”.
This new research supports findings from late last year which found “women who carry out lots of vigorous exercise are approximately 30% less likely to develop breast cancer than those who don’t exercise vigorously”. That study followed over 30,000 women. …

If you haven’t yet heard, recent studies have shown that women can reduce their risk of developing breast cancer by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Breast cancer is one of the cancers that has a strong genetic link, so for those who might be at a greater risk of developing it later in life, this is big news, as anything you can do to reduce your risk is obviously important.
According to Xanth Kleinig from The Daily Telegraph, “A major review of research by the World Cancer Research Fund blamed alcohol, lack …

In this study the investigators tried to assess which characteristics are related to the risk of being hospitalised in “older adults”. It has been established that as people get older they lose strength, but it is unclear whether having less muscle tissue necessarily means you are weaker per se, and it has also previously been unclear whether there are better ways to assess whether someone is at risk of being hospitalised. This study has answered those questions.
The goal of this study was to look at the link between “strength, function, …

We’ve previously looked at the effects of exercise on reducing the risk of falls in the elderly (HYPERLINK), following on from that I’d like to look at a couple of studies that examine the role of weight/resistance training on improving the physical function of “older adults” and then a study which has shown that having good physical function will reduce the risk of an “older adult” being hospitalised (HYPERLINK).
First up, the article on the benefits of resistance training. This was a Cochrane Review (http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab002759.html), and for those who don’t know …

Hate to say I  told you so, but really, we’re starting to get some pretty compelling evidence on the benefits of exercise. Check this out: A new study, published online July 28, 2009 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, has found that “men who exercised for at least 30 minutes a day at moderate to high intensity halved their risk of dying prematurely from cancer, mainly gastrointestinal and lung cancer.”
In the study, 2560 men were followed for a year to see what sort of exercise they did, and they were …

So sitting at work all day is no good for you. Duh. Now what can we do about it?
It is essential to break the cycle of repetitive strain, muscle fatigue, and pain. To do this we should recharge our muscles and take strain off our joints and discs every 20 minutes. Even if just for 10-30 seconds!
The first and most important thing to do is to stand up frequently. Micro breaks every 20 minutes are crucial to preventing the muscles from tightening.
Simply standing up and extending the lower back a …

If you want to give your self the best possible chance at preventing disc degeneration, follow these guidelines:
Low back flexibility – stretch low back muscles (eg rolling knees side to side), glutes (eg hugging your knee to your chest), hip flexors (eg lunge stretch), and hamstrings.
Core Strength – Deep abdominal strength/endurance as developed in Pilates; see figure (from http://www.nismat.org/ptcor/lbp involves drawing in your abdomen to contract the deep abdominals – get me to check you are doing it right next time you come in!)
Use correct Lifting Technique. Don’t combine movements …

Regular moderate physical activity positively influences many aspects of health. For example, a physically active lifestyle is associated with decreased risks of coronary heart disease and high blood pressure.
It has been believed for some time that a physically active lifestyle may also decrease the risk of bacterial or viral illness.
Previous studies had shown that people who were sedentary and under high levels of stress had elevated disease incidence.
Researchers hypothesised that voluntary physical activity may prevent stress-induced suppression of the immune system, thereby reducing the increased susceptibility and severity of infectious …