https://medicalxpress.com/fitness-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Fitness & Physical Activity Physical activity in adulthood may depend on exercise during growth, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers. The study, conducted in birds, is the first to directly demonstrate that experiences during development influence how efficiently adults use energy during movement. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-bird-bulking-youth-decreases-energy.html Mon, 24 Aug 2026 16:00:02 EDT news706800842 Not all physical activity is equal when it comes to protecting the brain from dementia. Where and why we move may matter more than most people realize. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-physical-paradox-dementia.html Mon, 24 Aug 2026 13:20:04 EDT news706793521 A short workout or a nap can help protect memory after a sleepless night, a McGill University-led study has found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-workout-nap-sleepless-brain.html Mon, 24 Aug 2026 12:00:05 EDT news706790281 Each person has a unique gut microbial population, with variation shaped by diet, lifestyle and disease. We are seeing a rapid rise in metabolic disorders, obesity and inflammatory diseases that cannot be explained by our relatively stable genetic code. One of the most encouraging findings in common modern diseases is that modifiable factors can outweigh genetic predispositions. Unlike genetics, the microbiome is a dynamic system that responds to the daily choices we make. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-gut-microbial-health-index-composite.html Sun, 23 Aug 2026 16:00:01 EDT news706535175 Infrequent exercise is associated with a higher prevalence of common mental disorders such as depression and anxiety among higher education students in Norway, according to a study published in PLOS ONE by Michael Grasdalsmoen of Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and colleagues. The findings highlight the potential value of consistent physical activity rather than intense, prolonged exercise sessions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-students-mental-health-intense-workouts.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 14:29:30 EDT news706368541 A novel AI system capable of recognizing yoga poses with high accuracy could pave the way for more effective digital coaching tools, rehabilitation platforms and movement-monitoring applications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-ai-yoga-pose-families-real.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 07:00:04 EDT news706338661 When it comes to daily aches and pains, it's not uncommon for knees to be a main source. And while there can be many different long-term causes of such issues, osteoarthritis is often a reason why. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-osteoarthritis.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 23:00:02 EDT news706258113 For years, scientists have known that regular physical activity can help lower the risk of dementia. But new USC research suggests that it's not only the amount but also the activity's context—for work or for leisure—that makes a difference. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-affect-dementia.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 18:30:08 EDT news706182961 Scientists have discovered that a key molecule released during exercise strengthens muscles, improves exercise performance and could be a potential therapeutic treatment for muscle damage caused by type 2 diabetes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-molecule-muscles-weakened-diabetes.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 05:00:06 EDT news706176242 Obesity can weaken the immune system's tumor-killing responses in lung cancer, leading to disease progression, but a new study by experts at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center reveals that exercise may reverse this effect. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-obesity-weakens-anti-tumor-immune.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:40:07 EDT news706185962 Most individuals encounter their health primarily through an annual health screening, which provides a limited snapshot of their health status. A new study by the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), challenges the way we think about health and longevity by seeking to understand what occurs between those assessments, focusing on function rather than static markers and tracking how physiology changes moment to moment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-professor-subject-longevity-biological-age.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 11:40:01 EDT news705839287 Three minutes of sprinting can do something that 90 minutes of moderate exercise apparently cannot: dramatically reshape the molecular contents of the bloodstream. Rockefeller researchers comparing different intensities of exercise found that six sets of 30-second, all-out sprints altered nearly a quarter of the proteins measured immediately afterward. Moderate, continuous cycling for 90 minutes altered fewer than one-quarter of 1%. And while moderate treadmill running changed more proteins than cycling, it still altered far fewer than a quick sprint. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-minutes-sprinting-bigger-impact-moderate.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 11:00:01 EDT news705833761 Taking the stairs could help you live longer—according to new research from the University of East Anglia and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. The study, published today, suggests that climbing stairs significantly reduces the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-stairs-early-death.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:10:03 EDT news705671582 Anyone who has run while pushing a stroller knows stroller running can feel cumbersome and hard on the body. But does it increase the risk of injury? According to a new study from researchers at Penn State Berks, the answer appears to be no. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-parents-stroller-overuse-injury.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:00:04 EDT news705588660 As a sophomore wide receiver who had just joined the USF football team, Jaden Alexis didn't expect a routine play to turn into a career-defining moment. During preseason football camp, Alexis had just sprinted up the sideline after catching a pass when a split-second collision changed everything. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-acl-injuries-early-ai-wearable.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 18:20:02 EDT news705685923 In a study conducted at the Universities of Jyväskylä and Eastern Finland, more screen time since childhood was associated with better cognitive processing in adolescence. According to one of the researchers, we should not regard screen time solely as harmful. The most important thing is to find a balance between physical activity and screen time that promotes active thinking. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-screen-childhood-cognitive-adolescence.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 14:00:05 EDT news705665472 Replacing 15 minutes of sleep or sedentary behavior with 15 minutes of movement was each linked to a 2% reduced risk of cancer, new UCL research has found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-fifteen-minutes-movement-linked-cancer.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 15:32:05 EDT news705594685