Are Women More Flexible than Men?
How flexible are you? If you’re past middle age, you’re less flexible than you were in your twenties or thirties. You may feel this lack of flexibility when you try to do an advanced yoga pose! Age takes a toll on flexibility for a variety of reasons, some of which…
Turmeric is a Popular Anti-Inflammatory Supplement but Is It Safe to Take Long-Term?
Many people are turning to supplements hoping to enhance their health, to improve symptoms, or prevent future health problems. One of the most popular is a supplement called turmeric. You may recognize turmeric as a colored, orange spice used in Indian and Thai cooking. Not only does it add flavor…
Exercise is Healthy for Your Bones, but Not When You Restrict Calories
Keeping your bones healthy and lowering the risk of osteoporosis is one of many reasons to work up a sweat. Exercise stimulates bone-building cells called osteoblasts to lay down new bone tissue. However, not all workouts are effective for building bone mass. The best type of workout is high-impact exercise…
Is High-Intensity Exercise Better for Lowering Triglycerides?
Has your doctor ever told you that your triglycerides are too high? Elevated triglycerides take a back seat in people’s minds to the other type of blood fat we routinely follow through laboratory testing, cholesterol. Current recommendations are that if you’re an adult over the age of 20, you should…
What Role Does Diet Play in Sleep Quality?
It’s a hidden epidemic! According to the National Sleep Foundation, two out of three adults get less than the recommended eight hours of sleep per night. Now, with the popularity of smartphones and other devices that expose the eyes to blue light at night, the number of people who don’t sleep…
If You Have a Nighttime Snack, Here’s What You Should Eat
Do you enjoy a nighttime snack before bed? Some dietitians will tell you to shut down the kitchen after dinner and let your body fast until morning. Preliminary studies suggest that intermittent fasting, depriving your body of food for at least 14 hours, has health benefits. For one, it appears…
Could Your Mouthwash Reduce the Health Benefits of Exercise?
Exercise offers so many health benefits and the more consistent we are with our workouts, the more we can enjoy the numerous health perks that exercise offers. Research shows that regular workouts may lower the risk of a range of health problems, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes,…
How Leg Length Discrepancy Can Lead to Orthopedic Problems
Are your legs the same length or is one shorter or longer than the other? It’s possible that you have a leg length discrepancy and aren’t aware of it. Slight differences in length between the right and left leg might not be noticeable or increase the risk of injury or…
Is High-Intensity Exercise Better for Knee Arthritis?
There’s a common misperception that exercise is bad for the knees and that high-impact exercise increases the risk of knee osteoarthritis, the most common form of age-related joint disease. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative type of arthritis, although recent research suggests that, in some cases, it has an inflammatory component.…
Can an Ice Bath After a Workout Speed Up Muscle Recovery?
It sounds chilling, but some people, especially professional athletes, hop into an ice bath after a workout. After the initial shock of dipping your muscles into icy cold water, you might wonder what benefit a cold water immersion offers. Can it speed up muscle recovery after a tough workout? What…