Sports « Weekly Gravy

(HealthDay News) — From texting to cooking, we use our hands often. There are many exercises that can strengthen your hands and fingers, increase your range of motion and provide relief, says Keck Medicine. It mentions five exercises to improve flexibility, dexterity and strength: Squeeze a soft ball in your palm as hard as you can for a few seconds. Repeat ten times. Make a gentle fist and wrap your thumb across your fingers. Hold for one minute, release and repeat. Warm up before exercise. Use a heating pad or soak hands in warm water for five-to-10 minutes. Place your hand flat on a table. Gently lift each finger at a time off the table. Hold for a few seconds and lower the finger. Stretch your wrists for 15-to-30 seconds. Repeat two-to-four times.

(HealthDay News) — Training too hard or too fast is the culprit behind many exercise-related injuries, says BetterHealth. Before working out, consult with a doctor, gym instructor or coach on how to exercise safely. BetterHealth mentions these warning signs that you should immediately stop exercising: Discomfort or pain. Chest pain or other pain that could indicate a heart attack. Significant breathlessness. A very rapid or irregular heartbeat.

Going to the gym is supposed to improve your health, but it can also be a hotbed of cold and flu bugs, an expert warns. “The biggest thing about the gym is there are a lot of areas where germs, viruses and fungus can be year-round,” said Bryan Combs, a nurse practitioner in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Nursing. Handlebars on elliptical machines, treadmills, stationary bicycles and weight machines are among the dirtiest places in gyms. “Even if the handlebars are cleaned regularly, handlebars are going to be covered in bacteria,” said Combs, who added that you should clean the machines before and after each time you use them. “You need to use wipes or a disinfectant spray to wipe down the machines or weights before and after,” Combs said in a university news release. “Once you clean the equipment, hang your towel on an area that you know is clean. When you get done, clean it again for the next person.” Towels are another potential problem. “While the towels have been washed, a lot of gyms use the same container to carry dirty towels to the washing area and then use the same one to bring clean towels back, so they can become contaminated again,” Combs said. Bring your own clean towel to the gym and wash your towel after each… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection that often occurs in people who wear damp socks or tight shoes, says Mayo Clinic. The infection is contagious and is spread by contact with an infected person or contaminated surfaces. To help prevent athlete’s foot, the clinic suggests: Keep your feet dry, especially between your toes. Change socks regularly. Wear light, well-ventilated shoes. Alternate pairs of shoes. Protect your feet in public places. Treat your feet with antifungal powder. Don’t share shoes.

You made your resolution — this year was finally going to be the year you lost weight. But then your neighbor stopped by with a plate of cookies, and well, your resolve didn’t even last a day. Maybe next year? But instead of looking at your resolutions as a sweeping year-long project, what if you concentrated on making healthy changes every Monday? That way, if you slip up and dive into that pile of cookies, another chance to get it right is just a few days away. It’s called the Healthy Monday Reset, and the idea is to send you into the week with a fresh mindset. “What we really want people to do is implement a mindset change. If you think about the New Year’s resolution, you pick one day a year to start changes and if you fall off the wagon, it’s another year,” explained Ron Hernandez, the managing director of The Monday Campaigns. “But with Monday, you have 52 opportunities in a year. If you fall short one week, there’s always an opportunity right around the corner, so you don’t have to wait that long to make a change,” he said. This, Hernandez added, is something you can really integrate: “‘Monday, I will make better choices.’” A study conducted with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that people often describe… read on >

Pilates is an excellent exercise discipline that develops strength and agility, and you don’t need to take formal classes or use Pilates machines to get its benefits. Using a stability ball with floor exercises is tailor made to target your core — the muscles of your abdomen. Here are three to try from the American Council on Exercise. Note: Choose a ball between 7 inches and 10 inches in diameter. Roll-ups: Sit on a mat and place the ball between your legs. Raise your legs and slightly lower your back to make a V shape with your body. Your arms should be straight out in front of you. Now, keeping your legs elevated, engage your pelvic floor and abdominal muscles and slowly roll down your back, vertebra by vertebra until it’s flat on the floor. As you go, your arms reach up and behind your head until they’re flat on the mat. Touch the floor briefly and then roll back up. Build up to 10 repetitions. Leg Circles: Lie on your mat and place the ball under your right calf, just above the ankle. Point the toes of both feet and then make sweeping circles with your left leg, lifting it up and out to the left in a counter-clockwise direction. Repeat 5 times and then reverse to clockwise. Next place the ball under your… read on >

Exercise may do more than build body strength: New research shows it might also keep brain cells in shape. According to the study, exercise helps maintain the brain’s gray matter, which is linked to various skills and thinking abilities. So, keeping your gray matter intact may help prevent thinking declines, the German researchers explained. The report was published online Jan. 2 in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings. “This [study] provides indirect evidence that aerobic exercise can have a positive impact on cognitive function in addition to physical conditioning,” said Dr. Ronald Petersen, a Mayo Clinic neurologist. “Another important feature of the study is that these results may apply to older adults, as well. There is good evidence for the value of exercise in midlife, but it is encouraging that there can be positive effects on the brain in later life as well,” said Petersen, who co-authored an editorial that accompanied the report. The German researchers, led by Katharina Wittfeld, followed more than 2,000 adults in northeastern Germany from 1997 through 2012. Over the study period, fitness was measured and participants underwent MRI brain scans. Although the study found an association between exercise and brain health, it couldn’t prove a cause-and-effect relationship. According to Mayo Clinic experts, moderate and regular exercise — about 150 minutes per week — is recommended. Good fitness also involves: Not smoking. Following… read on >

Gymgoers who’ve accidentally left their headphones at home might be all too familiar with this frustrating feeling: Exercising without music is a much harder go. And now a broad new review of nearly 140 studies — the first of its kind — suggests there’s real science to back that up, with clear evidence that music not only makes exercise seem easier and more enjoyable but actually results in a more productive, efficient workout. “No one would be surprised that music helps people feel more positive during exercise … [but] the fact that music provided a significant boost to performance would surprise some people,” said lead author Peter Terry, dean of graduate research and innovation at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia. “And the fact that music was shown to improve physiological efficiency would certainly raise eyebrows.” Terry and his team reviewed studies that were conducted as far back as 1911 and as recently as 2017. Collectively, they included almost 3,600 people. The focus was restricted to studies that explored music’s impact on either sport-related activities or exercise routines. So while walking as an exercise was included, gardening and housework were not. Nor were music-based experiences such as dance, gymnastics and ice skating. Music’s impact was assessed by the way it made a person feel during workouts; how it affected perceptions of exercise difficulty; and… read on >

If you plan to make a New Year’s resolution about improving your health, the American Medical Association (AMA) has some good suggestions. “With too many holiday sweets and not enough exercise likely in the rearview mirror, now is the perfect time to consider your personal goals and how you can make positive health choices in the coming year,” AMA President Dr. Patrice Harris said in an association news release. “The good news is that there are a few easy steps you can take that will set you on the right track for a healthier 2020,” Harris added. Learn your risk for type 2 diabetes and take steps to prevent or delay the onset of the disease. Get the recommended amount of physical activity. For adults, it’s at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity, or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity activity. Know your blood pressure and, if you have high blood pressure, take steps to get it under control. Doing so will reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke. Cut back on processed foods, especially those with added sodium and sugar. Eat less red meat and processed meats, and eat more plant-based foods, such as olive oil, nuts and seed. Reduce your consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and drink more water instead. If you’re prescribed antibiotics, take them exactly as directed. Antibiotic resistance… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Bruises occur when blood vessels below the skin rupture, says Cleveland Clinic. Most bruising is caused by minor accidents, medications and age. Bruises caused by minor injuries usually disappear within a week or two. Cleveland Clinic suggests getting a bruise checked by your doctor if it: Shows no signs of improvement after a week. Is located on a part of your body where injury or accident is unlikely. Keeps occurring or comes back. Involves unusually large, unprovoked bruising.