Preventing Atrial Fibrillation: Another Good Reason to Make Regular Physical Activity Part of Your Lifestyle!

Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) is the most common type of irregular heartbeat seen in adults. If left untreated, AFib significantly increases the risk of stroke. In recent years, evidence has accumulated that obesity and low levels of physical fitness are risk factors for AFib. In this blog, we discuss how improving fitness level and losing weight can contribute to a cessation of AFib; this is known as ‘AFib freedom.’...

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Fit vs. Fat: What’s More Important for Women’s Health?

Heart disease is still the leading cause of death among American women. When it comes to assessing a person’s risk of heart disease, we know that cardio fitness and obesity are both important risk factors to consider. What’s less clear though is which one is a better indicator of risk. Our latest research takes a closer look at whether it is more important for women to improve their fitness or reduce their weight to prevent death from heart disease....

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Preventing and Managing Diabetes with Exercise

For the 30 million Americans with diabetes, exercise may be the key to living #WELLintothefuture....

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Does Fitness and Body Weight in Adolescents Predict Later-Life Disability?

A recent study shows that too much fat and too little fitness in teens may lead to disability down the road....

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Cardio or Strength Training - Which Comes First? 

Which comes first, cardio or strength? Get the most out of your workout by learning whether it is better to start with aerobic training or strength training.  ...

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Should You Drink Water or Sports Drinks During Physical Activity?

It’s important to stay hydrated during physical activity, especially in the summer heat. So, is it better to drink water or a sports drink? That depends on the situation....

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Protecting Eyes While Playing Outside

Outside playtime is a fun way to boost physical activity and improve children's growth and development, but don't forget to protect children’s eyes from the harsh sun....

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Men’s Health Month: Improving cardiorespiratory fitness reduces heart failure mortality

June is Men’s Health Month, which is a great opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of preventive health care for men. Heart failure is a common cause of illness and death in older adults. A study by The Cooper Institute shows that improving cardiorespiratory fitness reduces heart failure mortality in men....

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Does Pickle Juice Relieve Muscle Cramps?

Many exercisers promote the benefits of pickle juice for relieving muscle cramps but what does the scientific evidence say about pickle juice – if it works and how it works?...

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Park Utilization and American’s Fittest or Fattest Cities: Are They Connected?

Surely by now you have seen at list one listing of America’s Fattest Cities.  If you are like me, did you wonder what criteria were used to create this listing? Well I discovered it is the U.S. Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index that surveys 1000 Americans every day. The index is a partnership between Gallup and Healthways that began in January of 2008. Other news and magazine publications then use part of this information to publish the ‘Top Ten Fattest Cities in America’ or ‘The Top Ten Fittest Cities in America’. The criteria includes six sub-indexes: Life Evaluation Index Emotional Hea...

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Jump Into Your New Year Exercise on Different Surfaces

As you jump into the New Year, along with your New Year's resolutions, consider adding changes to your exercise routine to keep it fresh and new. Recently we discussed what the effect of just changing your music can have on your workout in the article "Singing the Workout Blues." While changing your music takes very little effort, changing your routine may take a little work but often it is well worth the effort. One possibility is to add in plyometric training which is basically jump training. Plyometrics can easily be incorporated into your exercise routine as long as you have basic levels...

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Are we boring our children into inactivity?

I have a son and a daughter who are, nicely put, extremely active (wild and crazy!).  For instance, my son who is 3 is already riding his bike without training wheels and my daughter (now 14 months) at 11 months decided to climb out of her crib. They keep me on my toes for sure. I am a pretty "hands-off" parent letting them climb and jump (and fall) but there are times that I worry about safety and if certain activities or ways in which they are playing are too risky. Recently we were at the park and my son wanted to slide down the fireman's pole. It is a pretty high pole and this is not...

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