Sports « Weekly Gravy

Getting your surly teens off the couch might trigger a long-term turnaround in their moods, new research suggests. “Our findings show that young people who are inactive for large proportions of the day throughout adolescence face a greater risk of depression by age 18,” said study author Aaron Kandola, a psychiatry Ph.D. student at University College London (UCL). “We found that it’s not just more intense forms of activity that are good for our mental health, but any degree of physical activity that can reduce the time we spend sitting down is likely to be beneficial,” he explained in a university news release. “We should be encouraging people of all ages to move more and to sit less, as it’s good for both our physical and mental health,” Kandola added. In the study, more than 4,200 participants in England wore devices that tracked their movement for at least 10 hours over at least three days when they were ages 12, 14 and 16. They also completed questionnaires to assess depressive symptoms such as sadness, loss of pleasure and poor concentration. Every additional 60 minutes of inactivity a day at age 12, 14 and 16 was associated with an increase in depression scores of 11%, 8% and 10.5%, respectively, by age 18. Those with high levels of inactivity at all three ages had just over 28%… read on >

While working out might boost your health and mood, it also might cause your skin to break out. But don’t kick your New Year’s resolutions to the curb just yet, because dermatologists say that exercise-induced acne can be prevented. Experts from the American Academy of Dermatology explained that hitting the gym can cause oil, dirt and bacteria to build up on your skin and lead to acne. Practicing good hygiene before, during and after your workouts is the key to keeping your skin glowing, the doctors advised. “While exercise itself doesn’t cause acne, the skin care habits you maintain around your workouts can significantly impact your skin,” said dermatologist Dr. Elizabeth Bahar Houshmand. “Since germs thrive at the gym, it’s important to maintain good hygiene while working out to prevent clogged pores and the spread of harmful bacteria.” To keep your skin acne-free after exercising, Houshmand recommends: Choose clean, loose-fitting clothes that don’t rub against your skin. Take any makeup off before working out. Apply sunscreen on exposed skin when exercising outside. Pat sweat off your body with a towel during your workout. Clean shared equipment before using it. Shower with warm water immediately after working out. Change into clean clothes after showering. “Keep in mind that acne can have many causes, including genetics, hormones, stress and medications,” Houshmand said in an academy news release.… read on >

Your Super Bowl party this Sunday may leave you feeling beat on Monday morning, a new survey finds. A survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that nearly 40% of U.S. adults are more tired than usual the day after the Super Bowl. “It’s easy to stay up too late after enjoying a night of football, food and friends,” said academy President Dr. Kelly Carden. “”To get the sleep you need after the Super Bowl, it is recommended that you plan ahead and prioritize your bedtime on Sunday night to avoid a tired day at work on Monday,” Carden said in an academy news release. Here’s a post-Super Bowl sleep plan: Don’t eat or drink after halftime. Heavy eating and drinking can make it hard to sleep. Turn the TV and other electronic devices off after the game. Don’t stay up for postgame commentary on social media. Take time to unwind. Make bedtime a priority. You need at least seven hours of sleep to feel your best in the morning, so don’t go to bed too late. More information For more on getting a good night’s sleep, see the National Sleep Foundation.

(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.

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 >

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 >