Illinois.edu - A group of “professional couch potatoes,” as one researcher described them, has proven that even moderate exercise – in this case walking at one’s own pace for 40 minutes three times a week – can enhance the connectivity of important brain circuits, combat declines in brain function associated with aging, and increase performance [...]

UMich.edu - While breakdowns in brain connections that lead to slowed physical response times as we age are probably unavoidable, according to a new study, aerobic exercise likely helps to counteract this age-related cognitive decline.
This slower reactivity is associated with an age-related breakdown in the corpus callosum, a part of the brain that acts as [...]

Yoga may be superior to other forms of exercise in its positive effect on mood and anxiety, according to researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM). The findings, which appear on-line at Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, is the first to demonstrate an association between yoga postures, increased GABA levels and decreased anxiety.
The [...]

Popular energy drinks promise better athletic performance and weight loss, but do the claims hold up? Not always, say researchers at Nova Southeastern University in Florida.
“Energy drinks typically feature caffeine and a combination of other ingredients, including taurine, sucrose, guarana, ginseng, niacin, pyridoxine and cyanocobalamin,” says Stephanie Ballard, PharmD., assistant professor of pharmacy practice at [...]

McMaster.ca - Current gym dogma holds that to build muscle size you need to lift heavy weights. However, a new study conducted at McMaster University has shown that a similar degree of muscle building can be achieved by using lighter weights. The secret is to pump iron until you reach muscle fatigue.
“Rather than grunting and [...]

Regular aerobic exercise may help to improve respiratory symptoms and psychological distress in adult patients with asthma.
Brazilian researchers evaluated the outcomes of an asthma program in 101 patients with asthma. In the control group, 50 patients received educational programming and underwent breathing exercises; in the aerobic training group, 51 patients underwent additional aerobic training beyond [...]