https://medicalxpress.com/fitness-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Fitness & Physical Activity 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 There's no shortage of weight-loss advice on social media, TikTok, television and AI chatbots. But the most credible source—a patient's own primary care doctor—is often the one they're not hearing from. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-patients-obesity-dont-weight.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:00:03 EDT news705735857 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 Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Its impact extends beyond biology, with social determinants such as food insecurity, socioeconomic status and education influencing outcomes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-america-heart-disease-crisis-hypertension.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:20:08 EDT news705678962 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 Adults who do both aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises are less likely to develop a raft of chronic diseases, researchers have found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-strength-vital-chronic-disease.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:40:02 EDT news705648121 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 Many people living with chronic illness say advice about physical activity can feel overwhelming or create feelings of guilt. According to the researchers, the way health care professionals communicate about physical activity may influence whether patients feel more confident about being active and experience it as meaningful. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-physical-chronic-illness.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:40:01 EDT news705590791 Having high blood pressure is associated with greater intentions to follow doctors' recommendations to take medication but lower intentions to make recommended lifestyle changes than among people without high blood pressure, according to a new study published in Hypertension. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-greater-intentions-hypertension-medication-lifestyle.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:20:01 EDT news705301261 While most runners are chasing a new goal or a personal best, some are chasing something slightly more elusive: a runner's high. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-neuroscience-runner-high.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:20:08 EDT news705239102 A Stanford Medicine app found that older adults' daily travel range shrank as temperatures rose, potentially limiting social, physical and community activities. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-extreme-older-adults-closer-home.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 13:40:01 EDT news705237602 Look at a group of kids, and you're going to see many different shapes and sizes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-aerobic-teller-brain-health.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 08:40:05 EDT news705134042 Being physically active was linked to a lower risk of stroke and death for adults with atrial fibrillation, or AFib, according to new, independent research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-death-people-atrial-fibrillation.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 07:20:07 EDT news705127802 Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are among the most severe injuries a competitive athlete can face. The ACL is crucial for maintaining both stability and function in the knee joint. Each year, between 100,000 and 200,000 athletes of all levels in the United States suffer an ACL tear, frequently sidelining them for up to a year of intense rehabilitation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-athlete-injury.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 21:20:04 EDT news705065341 Researchers from the University of Manchester, alongside international collaborators from Neuroscience Research Australia, ETH Zurich, Karolinska Institutet and Atlantic Technological University, have conducted a new systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the role of active video games, or "exergames," in fall prevention for older adults. The study, led by Dr. Charlotte Eost-Telling and published in JMIR Aging, synthesizes evidence from nine randomized controlled trials involving 1,385 adults ages 60 and older across various settings, including community homes, long-term care facilities and geriatric clinics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-video-games-falls-older-adults.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 17:30:04 EDT news705060757 You've probably heard that hitting 10,000 steps a day is the key to health and longevity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-day.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 16:40:01 EDT news705059402 Physical activity and controlling blood sugar in midlife are associated with a significantly slower rate of cognitive decline later in life, with exercise particularly beneficial for Hispanics, new research from UT Health San Antonio, the academic health center of The University of Texas at San Antonio, suggests. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-degree-physical-cognitive-decline-hispanic.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 16:30:03 EDT news705078782 Nutrition strategies for concussion management are being implemented by dietitians to support Australia's elite collision sport athletes, new Griffith University research has found. Lead author Dr. Nathan Delang interviewed 14 accredited sports dietitians who work across professional AFL, rugby league and rugby union teams to explore their practices and perspectives related to concussion management. The findings are published in The Journal of Nutrition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-concussion-recovery-pantry.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:40:08 EDT news705057061 Could athletes trade meat for plants and maintain their performance? In a multi-university study, researchers found that recreational runners and resistance trainers did just that. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-athletic-based-diets.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 13:40:01 EDT news705056161 When it comes to maintaining healthy bones, how intensely we exercise may matter more than how much we exercise, according to researchers at Semmelweis University. Their study, published in Sports Medicine – Open, found that bone formation was stimulated most effectively by activities involving explosive movements, rapid changes of direction and turning. The findings could help improve exercise programs designed to maintain bone health and prevent osteoporosis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-weight-strong-bones-football-handball.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 11:40:05 EDT news705048213 Research that began by analyzing more than 400,000 gym-goers worldwide has illustrated the importance of persevering through early struggles. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-dont-succeed.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 10:40:06 EDT news705047281 It is easy to assume that harder training always produces better results. In resistance training, which includes lifting weights or using resistance machines, taking every set to the point where you cannot complete another repetition may create more fatigue without producing better results. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-stronger-limit.html Mon, 03 Aug 2026 10:40:07 EDT news704966882 People in rural communities have long experienced disproportionate levels of chronic disease, driven in part by systemic barriers to physical activity. A new study from North Carolina State University highlights ways some rural communities use strategic investments and community collaboration to address these challenges. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-rural-communities-obstacles-physical.html Mon, 03 Aug 2026 08:23:01 EDT news704964135 Community gathering places, where residents lead group activities, have been promoted across Japan as part of long-term care prevention efforts to extend healthy life expectancy. These often involve exercise and social interaction and are meant to help prevent cognitive decline. However, previous studies have reported inconsistent findings regarding their association with cognitive disability. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-mind-body-community-counteract-cognitive.html Fri, 31 Jul 2026 14:00:10 EDT news704721541 A 10-year study of residents of São Paulo, Brazil, reveals that leisure-time physical activity is highly unequal and that the gap between social strata is widening. While highly educated white men are exercising more, women from racial minorities with low levels of education have the lowest rates of physical activity during leisure time. In contrast, exercise associated with urban transportation, such as walking to work, is distributed more evenly across different population segments. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-social-inequality-exacerbates-barriers-physical.html Fri, 31 Jul 2026 13:40:05 EDT news704721121 Not every disease announces itself with obvious symptoms. Some develop quietly, going unnoticed until they begin to take a serious toll on health. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is one of them. Rather than a single disease, it is a combination of at least three conditions—including high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess belly fat, high triglycerides and low HDL (good) cholesterol—that together raise the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-equal-metabolic-syndrome.html Fri, 31 Jul 2026 12:40:06 EDT news704696757 From yoga studios to boutique gyms, workouts performed beneath infrared heating panels have become a visible fitness trend. Studios often claim that infrared heat improves circulation, flexibility and recovery, reduces inflammation and helps the body to "detoxify." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-infrared-workouts-expert.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 09:00:03 EDT news704619722 Yoga is best known for improving flexibility, building strength and reducing stress. Research suggests it may also help ease symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a common digestive disorder that affects millions of people. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-yoga-relieve-bowel-syndrome-symptoms.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 08:00:06 EDT news704613961 Researchers from the Universities of Hildesheim, Bonn and Freiburg have uncovered how human skeletal muscle responds to resistance exercise at the molecular level. Their findings provide new insights that could help optimize training programs for athletes, improve rehabilitation strategies and counteract age-related muscle loss. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-resistance-muscle-machinery.html Tue, 28 Jul 2026 16:00:06 EDT news704463602