Physical Activity News and Research

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Breastfeeding can partially offset long-term side effects of cancer treatment

Women who have survived childhood cancer should be advised to breastfeed if they can, in order to offset some of the negative health effects of their earlier cancer treatment. According to Susan Ogg and colleagues from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, making women aware of the benefits of breastfeeding should be part of routine post-cancer diet and healthy lifestyle recommendations.

20 Jan 2011

Writing by hand strengthens learning process, while keyboard typing impairs

When writing by hand, our brain receives feedback from our motor actions, together with the sensation of touching a pencil and paper. These kinds of feedback is significantly different from those we receive when touching and typing on a keyboard.

20 Jan 2011

Best friends influence children's physical activity

Boys and girls who take part in physical activity with their best friend in the neighbourhood where they live have higher levels of physical activity, new research has found. With many children not doing enough physical activity the findings could help with the UK's current health care concerns.

19 Jan 2011

American Heart Association documents commitment to improve heart and stroke-related public policy

The American Heart Association has, for the first time, published a statement, "American Heart Association and Nonprofit Advocacy: Past, Present, and Future," that documents the association's longstanding commitment to improve heart and stroke-related public policy.

19 Jan 2011

Alternative interventions do just as well as cognitive interventions for reducing 'senior moments'

Trying to stave off senior moments with memory drills and similar brain-boosting activities? A new evidence review suggests that these specific training regimes are not any better than simple conversations at improving memory in older adults.

19 Jan 2011

MU researchers offer tips to increase happiness and avoid wintertime woes

Frigid weather may seem like a good excuse to avoid workouts, stay inside and overindulge in comfort foods. However, health experts from the University of Missouri have found that these tendencies leave most people feeling less content during the winter months. MU researchers say people should establish new traditions to increase happiness and avoid wintertime woes.

19 Jan 2011

Study shows physical activity helps people with osteoarthritis to walk faster

When a traffic light at a busy intersection flashes the WALK sign, people with knee osteoarthritis worry they can't walk fast enough to make it across the street in time. New Northwestern Medicine research shows people with this common arthritis are more likely to walk fast enough if they lead physically active lives.

19 Jan 2011

Modifiable and non-modifiable lifestyle factors influence breast cancer risk

Many risk factors for breast cancer are well studied and documented. Thus, scientists are sure by now that early first menstrual period, late onset of menopause and a family history of breast cancer are associated with an increased breast cancer risk.

19 Jan 2011

Higher number of daily steps prevents obesity and reduces risk of diabetes

Simply taking more steps every day not only helps ward off obesity but also reduces the risk of diabetes, finds a study published on bmj.com today.

14 Jan 2011

CJSM highlights emerging issues in sport medicine

Should electrocardiograms be included in cardiovascular screening of athletes? What's the current status of research into long-term effects of concussions? These and other hot topics are the focus of the January Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, a special issue on "Emerging Issues in Sport Medicine."

14 Jan 2011

Kaiser Permanente Northwest leads nation in counseling against childhood obesity

Kaiser Permanente Northwest leads the nation among all reporting commercial health plans with top marks in counseling children for physical activity and nutrition, according to the National Committee on Quality Assurance's Quality Compass for 2010.

12 Jan 2011

5 easy steps to improve heart health

Did you know that a good night's sleep can help prevent heart disease? There are many simple ways to lower your risk.

12 Jan 2011

Physical activity associated with lower risk of death for prostate cancer patients: Study

A new study of men with prostate cancer finds that physical activity is associated with a lower risk of overall mortality and of death due to prostate cancer. The Harvard School of Public Health and University of California, San Francisco researchers also found that men who did more vigorous activity had the lowest risk of dying from the disease.

6 Jan 2011

Study explores 26 school-based nutrition interventions in the US

Thanks to the Let's Move initiative, society is becoming more aware of alarming statistics like 1 in 4 children are obese and childhood obesity has nearly doubled over the past two decades! With this platform, nutrition education and physical activity in the classroom have taken the forefront against this growing epidemic. A study in the January/February 2011 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior explores twenty-six school-based nutrition interventions in the United States.

6 Jan 2011

ACE identifies key objectives to combat obesity epidemic in the U.S.

The American Council on Exercise, America's leading authority on fitness and the largest nonprofit fitness certification, education and training organization in the world, today announced its vision for the future of the fitness industry and overall outlook for America's focus on healthy living in 2011.

5 Jan 2011

Mediterranean diet helps more than one chronic condition

In a study that was published in the Oct 13, 2001 issue of Diabetes Care, authors had reported that Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of developing diabetes significantly. Those on this diet were 52 percent less likely to develop diabetes, compared with those who adhered least to the diet. Salas-Salvadó J. of Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Reus, Spain and colleagues compared two groups of subjects following two Mediterranean diets, one with nuts at 30 grams per day and the other with olive oil at 1 liter per week, with those on a low-fat diet.

2 Jan 2011

Primal fitness offer tips that help you get in shape for 2011

For your New Year's fitness resolution, why not turn to something new, but at the same time, very old? A new trend, called Primal fitness, involves practicing activities that our early hunter-gatherer ancestors would have experienced in the wild - movements such as walking, running, balancing, climbing, lifting, carrying, throwing and catching.

29 Dec 2010

Top weight-loss behaviors

Losing weight and saving money are the top New Year's resolutions expected to vex Americans this year, experts say.

29 Dec 2010

Molecular-level insights into how physical activity influences the heart

Everyone knows that exercise comes with metabolic and cardiovascular benefits, but scientists understand surprisingly little about how physical activity influences the heart itself. Now, a new study in the December 23rd issue of Cell, a Cell Press publication, offers some of the first molecular-level insights.

24 Dec 2010

Great River Foundation awarded 2-year Wellmark Foundation grant to fight childhood obesity

The Great River Foundation, which is affiliated with Great River Health Systems, has been awarded a two-year grant from the Wellmark Foundation to help fight childhood obesity. The funding will be used to begin a new school-based exercise program at two Burlington elementary schools.

23 Dec 2010