Last update:

Fitness & Physical activity news

Athletes with ADHD face higher concussion risk and longer recovery, study finds

New research from the University of Mississippi indicates that athletes with ADHD need even more scrutiny when head injuries are involved.

Can beetroot juice boost your sports performance? Here's what the latest study shows

Evidence that beetroot juice can improve athletic performance has long been inconsistent. While some studies reported benefits, others found little or no effect. Now, a new study combining results from 33 studies provides ...

Pro soccer players show signs of shrinking brains

World Cup fever has America in its grip as the international soccer tournament grinds steadily toward the final. But a new study highlights a darker side to the sport: the toll soccer can take on the brains of professional ...

A call for greater focus on social factors that shape health

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has published a new call to action statement urging the sports medicine community to intentionally incorporate social determinants of health (SDoH) into research, clinical care, ...

Investigating AI-based personal training

A feature News and Perspectives story on AI fitness advice has been published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.. In "Should AI Be Your Personal Trainer?", JMIR Correspondent Anna Zucker covers the growing use of ...

Training program could ward off injuries among soccer girls

A targeted training program can help young female soccer players avoid torn knees and other injuries, a new study says. Girls who play soccer have a higher risk of leg and ankle injuries than boys, due to differences in strength ...

The story of the study of post-exercise hypotension

In 1981, a researcher at Mount Sinai School of Medicine named William Fitzgerald noticed something strange—his blood pressure was lower after going for a jog. This anecdotal observation launched a robust investigation into ...

What are peptides? And why am I hearing so much about them?

Peptide may not yet be the 2026 Oxford Word of the Year, but it must surely be in the running. From your friendly neighborhood influencer to the gym bros, injectable peptides have been all over social media and are now making ...

Movement breaks reduce health risks

People who sit at a desk for most of the day know the importance of taking a break, but new University of Otago—Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka research has determined exactly how often they should get up and move around. The study ...

Five hidden pitfalls of fitness tracking

Many people in the U.K. now use apps, smartwatches or wearable devices to track their physical activity. Fitness trackers promise to help users become fitter, happier and healthier versions of themselves. For many people, ...

Long sitting bouts linked to increased cancer risk

Each additional hour of prolonged, uninterrupted sedentary behavior in a person's day is associated with a 9% higher risk of cancer death, according to a study published in PLOS Medicine by Frederick Ho of the University ...

Honey may be the natural buzz you need to fuel your workouts

Honey has been used by humans as a natural sweetener and energy source to sustain work and physical performance for thousands of years. Recently, it has re-emerged as a natural option for fueling exercise, with some social ...

Ibuprofen for joint pain: What you really need to know

Millions of people in the UK suffer from joint pain and arthritis. But with long wait times for scans, specialist appointments, physiotherapy, and joint replacement surgery, many people turn to over-the-counter medicines, ...

The dangers of legitimizing doping

In Las Vegas May 2026, athletes compete in an international sporting event that explicitly allows them to use performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). The Enhanced Games openly encourages competitors to use substances banned in ...

Move more for your health, not just for the scale

With obesity now affecting more than 40% of U.S. adults and fueling rising rates of heart disease, a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association calls for a comprehensive treatment approach that puts physical ...

Good fitness in your 30s may shape artery health decades later

People with good physical fitness in their 30s and 50s have more elastic arteries later in life. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the journal Scientific Reports, titled "Aerobic capacity ...

Strength exercises improve young people's hip pain

Physiotherapist-led strength exercises improve hip pain in young people suffering hip joint impingements, new research shows. The La Trobe University study followed 154 participants over six months, comparing a targeted strengthening ...

Heat tolerance tests fail to account for sex differences

A new study by researchers in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) has demonstrated that a standard heat tolerance test does not work equally well to measure tolerance in males and females. This ...

Teen attitudes to exercise shape fitness years later

Teenagers who see exercise as fun, social and good for their health are significantly fitter by late adolescence than those driven by competition, pressure or fear of judgment, new research led by Flinders University shows. ...