Recent Blog Articles
Wildfires: How to cope when smoke affects air quality and health
PTSD: How is treatment changing?
Virtual mental health care visits: Making them work for you
How healthy is sugar alcohol?
A bird flu primer: What to know and do
New urine test may help some men with elevated PSA avoid biopsy
Dupuytren's contracture of the hand
Why play? Early games build bonds and brain
Moving from couch to 5K
How — and why — to fit more fiber and fermented food into your meals
Exercise & Fitness Archive
Articles
Try this: All aboard for paddleboarding
Paddleboarding is a popular water sport in which people stand or kneel on a "surfboard" and use a long paddle. It's a great stress buster, and it can help improve balance and strengthen key muscles, like those in the core, back, arms, and shoulders.
Exercise tied to reduced risks of dying from flu or pneumonia
A 2023 study of more than 577,000 people found that people who said they met the guidelines for weekly physical activity had a 48% lower risk of dying from flu or pneumonia over a nine-year period, compared with people who said they didn't meet the guidelines.
Plyometrics: Three explosive exercises even beginners can try
Plyometric training involves short, intense bursts of activity that target fast-twitch muscle fibers in the lower body that generate power for increased speed and jumping height. Doing plyometric exercises can boost strength, power, and agility.
3 strategies for safer home workouts
Home workouts often lead to injuries, such as muscle strains and falls. To reduce injury risks, people should choose a well-ventilated, clutter-free space with a level floor and plenty of room to move; add safety essentials to the space, such as an exercise mat, a mirror to help maintain the proper exercise form, and a smart speaker to call for help if needed; and practice safe exercise habits, such as warming up before a workout and then stretching afterward.
Try this: Swinging with kettlebells
Kettlebell swings are a simple exercise that helps improve posture and strengthens muscle groups that often do not get enough attention, such as those in the back of the thighs, the buttocks, the hips, and the lower back.
Move of the month: Pull-down
Using stretchy bands (known as exercise bands or resistance bands) can be a good way to ease into strength training. Pull-downs target the muscles of the middle and lower back and the front of the upper arms.
Orienteering: Great exercise and better thinking skills?
The navigation sport orienteering combines map and compass reading with exercise. It's a fun way to get outside and get some exercise — and it may even help fight cognitive decline.
Move of the month: Stationary lunge
Lunges, which strengthen the entire lower body, are a good example of a functional exercise. These exercises mimic everyday actions (such as picking something up off the floor), thereby improving physical functioning throughout the day.
Try this: Take a step back
Performing reverse lunges helps develop key hip muscles for better stability and teaches how to better control backward movement and coordination.
Exercise may improve atrial fibrillation
A 2023 study found that for people with atrial fibrillation, a program of supervised and home-based exercise may reduce the severity and frequency of their symptoms.
Recent Blog Articles
Wildfires: How to cope when smoke affects air quality and health
PTSD: How is treatment changing?
Virtual mental health care visits: Making them work for you
How healthy is sugar alcohol?
A bird flu primer: What to know and do
New urine test may help some men with elevated PSA avoid biopsy
Dupuytren's contracture of the hand
Why play? Early games build bonds and brain
Moving from couch to 5K
How — and why — to fit more fiber and fermented food into your meals
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