Category Archives: Exercise

Exercising With Music Can Help Push Your High-Intensity Limits

If you exercise regularly, chances are good that you listen to music while doing so. It seems like common sense: music can give you a surge of energy, it’s a good way to take the boredom out of repetition, and it’s just plain fun. Science occasionally confirms these notions, as several studies have deemed exercising with music to be advantageous. For example, this 2000 study suggests that many different types of music can make moderately intense exercise seem easier when it’s played during a workout. The effect of music on high-intensity exercise, however, has not been been widely studied. This is mainly due to scientists’ assumption that strenuous exercise produces enough “physiological noise” in a person’s body that any music being played would be drowned out or ignored. However, a new study shows that exercising with music can indeed be beneficial even under intense circumstances.

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Posted in Body Building, Exercise, Health, News, Studies, Weight Loss, Weight Training | 3,724 Comments

Mental Illness Awareness Week: Exercise and Screenings Recommended

October is an important month in the world of health and fitness. It’s breast cancer awareness month, as well as AIDS awareness month, Rett Syndrome awareness month, dental hygiene awareness month and vegetarian awareness month. While all of these causes are worthwhile and important, there’s one topic that definitely shouldn’t slip through the cracks: mental health. Mental Illness Awareness Week is October 5 – 11, and it’s a great time for Americans to get educated about depression, anxiety and other mental disorders. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, around 40 million adults suffer from anxiety disorders in the U.S. This means that you probably know someone suffering with mental illness. Aside from simply “raising awareness,” Mental Illness Awareness Week is a great time to actually take action, possibly in the form of exercise or screenings.

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Posted in Exercise, Health, Mental Health, News, Studies | 11,963 Comments

Weightlifting Can Improve Memory, Study Says

There’s no shortage of scientific studies that suggest a positive relationship between exercise and brain function. We know that exercise can increase kids’ brainpower and help to prevent Alzheimer’s in older people. Also, Yoga is often though to help treat depression and sleep disorders. Even as recently as this week, scientists have made progress in determining why exercise prevents depression.

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Posted in Body Building, Exercise, Mental Health, News, Studies, Weight Training | 3,291 Comments

Caffeine-Infused Underwear and 7 Other Bizarre Weight Loss Products

Let’s face it: weight loss is hard. Diet and exercise takes time, commitment and willpower. And with so many people trying to lose weight, it’s no surprise that marketers have been trying to sell people shortcuts for years. Most people know that weight loss products as crazy as say, tapeworms, are way too dangerous and ineffective to attempt using (although it still happens in rare cases). However, there have been tons of bizarre weight loss products over the years that have been less risky but no more effective. Even just this week, the Federal Trade Commission had to put a stop to two companies that were manufacturing caffeine-infused underwear such as leggings, bras and girdles. The companies, Norm Thompson Outfitters and Wacoal America, were charged with deceptive advertising, as they promised “slimming and firming” within a month but had no evidence to backup those claims. Customer refunds will total around $1.5 million.

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Posted in Diet, Exercise, Food, Health, News, Nutrition, Weight Loss | 8,003 Comments

Cutting Belly Fat: 6 Essential Tips For Treating Abdominal Obesity

Americans keep getting bigger around the middle, and it’s definitely cause for concern. Abdominal obesity, also called central obesity, belly fat, beer belly or pot belly, is one of the most dangerous forms of obesity. Associated health risks include type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and asthma. Abdominal obesity is also a symptom of polycystic ovary syndrome and Cushing’s syndrome. While the obesity statistics have been high in America for years, a recent report in The Journal of the American Medical Association states that the problem is now as dire as it’s ever been. Get ready for this: over half the U.S. population now has abdominal obesity. To be exact, 54.2 percent of Americans suffer from the condition – up from 46.4 percent about a decade ago. This is in spite of the fact that overall obesity levels have generally leveled off. Also, the average American waist size went from 37.6 inches at the turn of the millennium to 3.8 in 2011-2012.

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Posted in Diet, Exercise, Food, Health, Medical, Nutrition, Weight Loss | 10,352 Comments