MONDAY, April 9, 2018Staying physically fit can help ward off heart trouble, even if your genetics put you at higher risk for clogged arteries, a new, large study suggests. The researchers looked at nearly 500,000 middle-aged and older adults and found those with higher fitness levels were less likely to develop heart disease over six years. And that was true even for people who carried gene variants that raise the odds of heart problems. That does not mean exercise erases the effects of genes, the researchers added. But if you do have a genetic vulnerability to heart disease, you’re better off being physically fit. “It’s likely that if you try to improve your fitness level through exercise, you’ll benefit,” said senior researcher Dr. Erik Ingelsson, a professor of medicine at Stanford University in California. How much, or what type, of exercise is “enough”? The study cannot answer those questions, Ingelsson said. His team did not test any particular exercise regimens. The researchers looked at how people’s fitness levels — gauged during a stationary bike workout — correlated with their risk of developing heart disease over the next six years. They found that regardless of the genes people carried, higher fitness levels meant a lower risk of heart trouble. Among the one-third of people at highest genetic risk, those with the highest fitness levels were 49…  read on >

WEDNESDAY, April 4, 2018Toned abs don’t just look great, they’re also vital for good posture and avoiding lower back pain. But there’s a limit to how far the exercises known as crunches will go toward getting you those six-pack abs. These exercises create definition, but they won’t get rid of belly fat, according to a report in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. That goal needs the one-two punch of exercise to firm muscle and diet to reduce fat. That being said, crunches belong in a core workout — that’s one targeting all the muscles in your torso. When it comes to crunches, working smarter is more important than doing hundreds of them. To intensify ab workouts: Increase the number of reps per set. Increase the number of sets. Shorten resting time between sets. Increase the angle of exercises. Wear ankles weights. Hold a weight plate against your chest. Here are specific pointers to improve the effectiveness of the most popular exercises. For the basic crunch, lie on your back, knees slightly bent, feet flat on the floor and hip distance apart. Breathe in, then exhale as you tighten your abs and lift your head and shoulders toward the ceiling. Do not curl up toward your knees. Hold briefly, then slowly return to the starting position, inhaling as you lower yourself to the floor.…  read on >

FRIDAY, March 30, 2018Home exercise equipment has come a long way over the years. It’s a great option if you’re starting a fitness program and don’t want to go to a gym or can’t get to your gym often enough. There’s also the convenience of having your favorite piece of cardio equipment in your home, especially on bad weather days. Whatever your reason, take steps to make sure that the machine is cost effective and that you’re getting all the features you’re used to at the gym or that you’ll need to stay motivated at home. There are different considerations for each type of machine. For instance, for real elliptical movement you need a rear-drive unit with an adjustable incline ramp at the front, the American College of Sports Medicine explains. Less expensive front-drive ellipticals often don’t deliver a natural motion and may not feel comfortable to you. There are equally big differences between electronic stair steppers and manual ones, and between manual and motorized treadmills, for which a 3-horsepower motor is best. Check out the range of built-in speed adjustments. If you’re a beginner, the machine should be able to progress with you; if you’re a seasoned user, it should have enough settings to keep you challenged for the long term. Next, determine what bells and whistles are important to you, such as preset…  read on >

FRIDAY, March 30, 2018Headed to a Major League Baseball game? Be prepared to duck and cover. As the 2018 season gets underway, a new study finds that fans’ risk of being struck by a foul ball or flying bat at Major League Baseball (MLB) games is on the rise. Each year, about 1,750 fans are hurt by foul balls at MLB games. That works out to about two injuries for every three games — more common than batters getting hit by wayward pitches, according to Indiana University researchers. The researchers did not examine injuries among the more than 40 million fans who attend minor league games. But fans’ risk of getting hit at MLB games rose as nearly two dozen new stadiums opened since 1992, the study found. The added risk is easy to explain, the researchers said. “Fans today frequently sit more than 20 percent closer to home plate than was the case throughout most of the 20th century,” said study author Nathaniel Grow, an associate professor of business law and ethics at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. “When you combine that with an increase in the speed with which baseballs are being hit into the stands, fans have less time to avoid errant balls or bats heading in their direction,” Grow explained in a university news release. A typical foul ball enters…  read on >

TUESDAY, March 20, 2018Tiny pellets could treat arthritic knee pain, delaying the need for knee replacement surgery, a small study has found. Microparticles inserted into small blood vessels around the knee helped reduce the pain and improve function in eight arthritis sufferers, according to clinical trial results. The results were presented Monday at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s annual meeting, in Los Angeles. “Patients overall were able to improve their physical function in the knee after the procedure, and there were no adverse events related to this treatment,” said lead researcher Dr. Sandeep Bagla. Bagla is director of interventional radiology at the Vascular Institute of Virginia in Woodbridge. Boston Scientific, maker of the microparticles, funded the study. Much of the pain that comes from knee arthritis actually stems from inflammation in the lining of the knee joint, also called the synovium, Bagla said. In fact, small blood vessels created by degenerative arthritis feed this inflammation by increasing blood flow to the lining. To treat this, Bagla and his colleagues decided to try blocking those tiny blood vessels using microparticles — spheres about a tenth of a millimeter in size made from a synthetic gel-like material. The microparticles are inserted using a catheter run through a pinhole-sized incision, in a procedure that lasts between 45 and 90 minutes, Bagla said. “It’s an outpatient procedure, and no…  read on >