Exercise & Fitness Archive

Interrupting sedentary time with short bouts of exercise may diminish the dangers of inactivity.

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Every time we think we have a handle on all the things that are bad for us, another one is added to the list. A few years ago, researchers put inactivity on the roster of major health risks. "Everybody knows smoking is bad for your health. But what isn't common knowledge is that physical inactivity is as powerful a risk factor as smoking," says Dr. I-Min Lee, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Lee, who has studied the effects of exercise for more than a decade, was one of the first to identify inactivity as a health hazard.

Dr. Lee was among the experts contributing to a special issue on health and exercise of the British journal The Lancet commemorating the 2012 Olympic Games in London. She and her colleagues pored over reports from scores of large observational studies conducted worldwide in which participants answered questions about their lifestyles, including their levels of physical activity, and were then followed over a period of years to see how they fared. When the researchers compared the health outcomes of participants who were inactive—those getting less than 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise—to those who got more exercise, they found that inactivity alone counted for an increased risk of breast and colon cancers as well as heart disease and diabetes. They computed that inactivity was responsible for more than five million deaths a year worldwide, about the same as the number of deaths attributable to smoking.

Keep your feet strong and you'll stay more active.

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Socrates may have been the first to equate healthy feet with quality of life when he famously said, "When one's feet hurt, one hurts all over." His observation rings true even millennia later.

"As you age, healthy feet become even more important for staying mobile, active, and safe," says Dr. Kevin Reimer, a podiatrist with Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. "When it hurts to walk, you cut back on activities that you enjoy and that keep you healthy."

In the Journals

Here's a possible strategy to boost memory—exercise four hours after you learn something. In a study published in the July 11, 2016, Current Biology, researchers found that exercise after learning may improve your memory of the new information, but only if done in a specific time window.

Look for gadgets or services that get people moving.

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During the holidays, or at any time of year, a gift that benefits health can have a lasting impact. It may be especially helpful to someone who wouldn't normally purchase such an item or doesn't know about available options. A few guidelines to keep in mind: "The gift should be easy to use. Consider the receiver's interests, and accommodate previous injuries, surgeries, medical conditions, or functional limitations," says Dr. Clare Safran-Norton, a physical therapist at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

1. Services

3. Workout equipment

5. Information

A scientific advisory published online in Circulation Aug. 15, 2016, suggests that sedentary behavior may be putting people at risk for chronic disease and early death. 

The belief that women should avoid exercise or athletics during their menstrual periods, because it can affect performance or increase the risk of injury, is not necessarily true. Good training may reduce the risks of injury and enhance performance much more than trying to time exercise around one’s periods.

Teens don’t exercise enough, and with a third of U.S. adults classified as obese, it’s important that exercise is encouraged in children and teens. Starting healthy habits when they’re young keeps kids healthy into adulthood. Studies show that obese adults rarely lose the weight, so it’s better to keep the weight off in the first place. A lot has to do with our biology but also our lifestyle, and we can change the latter. So let’s get our children and teens moving.

Hiking isn't just a good cardiovascular workout. It may also enhance your strength and balance while lowering your stress.

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Autumn can be a great time to spend time in the great outdoors after summer's heat, humidity, and bugs have dwindled away. Hitting the trail in a local forest or other natural area may also offer some heart-related benefits that go beyond your typical neighborhood walk.

"The nice thing about hiking is that it exists along an entire continuum, from a gentle walk on a flat wooded path to mountain climbing," says Dr. Aaron L. Baggish, associate director of the Cardiovascular Performance Program at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. Nearly everyone, regardless of age or athletic ability, can find a hike that offers the right level of personal challenge. And hiking may even offer some unique physical and mental benefits, Dr. Baggish says.

Sitting for more than eight hours a day and exercising very little has been linked to a higher risk of heart disease and early death. An hour of moderate-intensity exercise may lessen that risk. 

Studies of golfers have found that playing 18 holes is about equal to brisk walking in terms of intensity—even though golf walking is stop-and-go. However, in order to gain the maximum cardiovascular benefit from exercise, people may want to add a day or two of higher-intensity activities, such as running, tennis, or something similar that raises your heart rate.