Latest news with #exercise
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
The Ozempic era is forcing wellness retreats for the elite to change
It was 3 p.m., and already Mitra Mechanic had completed a yoga class and a four-hour guided hike. Peeling off her sweat-soaked clothes and devouring a snack — a few pieces of raw vegetables and a meager dollop of hummus — she steeled herself for the next workout on her packed schedule: strength training.
BBC News
8 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Low-flying airliner over Poole Bay in oil spill exercise
A low-flying jet airliner seen off the coast of Dorset and the Isle of Wight has been taking part in an oil spill data showed the Oil Spill Response Boeing 727 flying as low as 700ft over Poole Bay as it worked with surface vessels on the simulated the three-day exercise, the converted tri-jet plane deposited harmless dye and water into the sea near the Needles lighthouse.A spokeswoman for Oil Spill Response Ltd (OSRL) said it carried out the "live on-the-water exercise to train our response teams and develop our operational capabilities". OSRL is an international, industry-funded co-operative for oil spill preparedness and aircraft - adapted with internal tanks, pumps, and spray booms - took off from Cardiff, joining specialist vessels and a dedicated surveillance aircraft off the south coast, completing five flights from Tuesday to fluorescein dye was deposited to simulate an oil spill, allowing the vessels to carry out training activities before the aircraft sprayed the water over the target area to simulate the dispersant used in a real spill situation. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
The Independent
11 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
How long will you live? This exercise test may have the answer
A new study has shown how a simple exercise could predict natural and cardiovascular causes of death. Researchers wanted to see whether non-aerobic physical fitness, assessed by a sitting-rising test, could predict premature deaths in middle-aged and older people, and on Wednesday, their results were published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. They tested the theory on 4,282 adults aged 46-75 years from 1998 to 2023. Most of the participants, 68 percent, were men. 'None of them presented relevant physical or clinical limitations for fitness testing,' researchers said. All of the participants performed a sitting-rising test to evaluate the main components of non-aerobic physical fitness, which are muscle strength/power, flexibility, balance and body composition. The test was simple, yet not necessarily easy. Participants had to sit and rise from the floor without other body parts such as hands, elbows or knees touching the floor. Their instructions were as follows: ''Without worrying about the speed of movement, try to sit and then rise from the floor, using the minimum support that you believe is needed,'' the study's authors wrote. If participants used any extremities for support, they'd lose points. They also needed to steady themselves as a perceived partial loss of balance would knock down their score. Researchers found that non-aerobic physical fitness 'was a significant predictor' of natural and cardiovascular mortality in the participants. After following up with patients about 12 years later, researchers found there were 665 deaths due to natural causes. Those who scored a perfect 10 points on the sitting-rising test had death rates of 3.7 percent. Death rates tripled to 11.1 percent for people with a score of 8 points and 'dramatically increased' by 42.1 percent for those with a score of 0 to 4 points, according to researchers. The study was done at a private clinic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and most of the participants 'belonged to upper socioeconomic and education strata of the country.'
ABC News
16 hours ago
- Health
- ABC News
Study backing OsteoStrong 'bone-strengthening' exercise program should be retracted: experts
A study claiming a popular exercise regimen called OsteoStrong can help strengthen bones in post-menopausal women has been criticised by scientists, with some saying it should never have been published. The research, which was accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) in February this year, was hailed as "groundbreaking" by the international franchise behind the exercise program. "The acceptance of this research in a prestigious, peer-reviewed medical journal like JCEM is a monumental step in validating OsteoStrong as a science-backed solution for osteoporosis management," the company said in a press release at the time. But the study has since attracted international criticism, with questions being raised about its design, data analysis and conclusions. "We really questioned the [journal] editor on how this paper got through the peer-review process," said Robin Daly, a researcher in exercise and ageing at Deakin University. The study examined the effectiveness of the OsteoStrong program, which was described as "a bone-strengthening system implementing four devices and incorporating brief (10-minute), weekly, low-impact, and high-intensity osteogenic loading exercises" in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. The researchers separated 147 women into two groups. One group did the program and the other did not. The group that did the exercise program was further divided into two groups, one of which was on bone-strengthening medication and one that was not. Measures of bone strength were carried out at the start and end of the 12-month trial. The study claimed bone density was improved in women who did OsteoStrong (compared to those who didn't), and that among participants who were also on medication, it enhanced the effect of the drugs. "This is the first study that clearly demonstrates benefit" from the OsteoStrong program, the researchers wrote. But among numerous concerns expressed by critics are that the clinical trial had no clear statistical plan, failed to reduce the risk of bias, had no ethical approval and was not registered online for transparency. According to Professor Daly, "the claims [of the study] are totally misleading. They're not supported by the data". He said the way the study was designed and its results were analysed made it difficult to conclude anything. "The whole paper is extremely difficult to interpret. Professor Daly and University of Waterloo bone researcher Lora Giangregoria sent a letter to the editor of the journal calling for the study's retraction. Professor Giangregoria was concerned that publicity of the study's findings would lead people to make uninformed decisions about the OsteoStrong program. "The way that they present the statistics actually doesn't make any sense," she said. "The claims made in the study were not appropriate." Other experts have also expressed concern about the failure of the study to adhere to normal standards and guidelines for clinical trials. They were concerned the clinical trial was not registered, a practice that helps make research more transparent, and prevent publication bias. It also lacked appropriate ethics approval and there were "potential unacknowledged conflicts of interest", Professor Daly added. In March this year, Osteoporosis Canada expressed concern about the study and the evidence base for the OsteoStrong program. In a statement, also co-authored by Professor Giangregoria, the organisation said: … Osteoporosis Canada cannot support recommendations regarding its use for fracture prevention based on existing research. Chris Maher, director of the University of Sydney Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, agreed with the concerns raised about the study. "That study is flawed and does not provide believable evidence on the effect of OsteoStrong," Professor Maher said. He pointed specifically to the lack of registration and ethical clearance. "It therefore does not conform to the Declaration of Helsinki, so it has no standing in medical science and should never have been published." Maria Fiatarone Singh, a University of Sydney geriatrician who researches the impacts of exercise, was also highly critical of the study. "I think it is too flawed to draw any conclusions," she commented by email. "It is shocking that the editors allowed this to be published in a peer-reviewed journal and it indeed should be retracted and re-analysed at the very least." Shoshana Sztal-Mazer, an endocrinologist and expert in bone disease at Alfred Health in Melbourne, said the principle behind OsteoStrong was "plausible". The company states its system relies on "osteogenic loading", which is where force on your bones stimulates them to grow stronger. "Physiologically it makes sense," Dr Sztal-Mazer said. But she agreed there were concerns about the study. "It doesn't look like it was rigorously conducted. One of the major sources of bias in the study, according to critics, was allowing patients to choose which group they were in, Professor Fiatarone Singh said. "It is well known that people who choose exercise are healthier and at less risk of disease for numerous reasons than sedentary individuals or those who choose a non-exercise control condition when given a choice." In a statement provided to the ABC, the Endocrine Society, which publishes the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, said "we recognise the shortcomings in the research's design and analyses as reported in the online accepted manuscript. "Following a detailed editorial assessment, we confirmed the need for significant revisions." The authors of the study are in the process of submitting a corrected version of the paper, the statement added. OsteoStrong was approached for comment, but did not respond specifically to concerns raised by Osteoporosis Canada and others. Instead, Perry Eckert, managing director of OsteoStrong Australia, pointed to recent unpublished research partly sponsored by the company. According to Mr Eckert, the study showed "a significant improvement" in bone mineral density and overall strength in 38 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Healthy Bones Australia endorses exercise as an important part of reducing bone loss in older age. But most trials on exercise programs to strengthen bones are small compared to those studying pharmaceuticals, so the evidence for exercise is not as strong as that for drugs. The majority of experts the ABC spoke to were not convinced at this stage exercise could reverse bone mineral density loss that occurs in post-menopausal women, although it might slow down the rate of loss. But despite there being better evidence behind the use of medications to increase bone density, Dr Sztal-Mazer prescribes exercise as well as medications to help stave off bone loss in this age group. "Exercise is important as a part of holistic care for osteoporosis and generally for healthy bones." As well any impact on bone density, the right kind of exercise — along with adequate vitamin D, calcium and other nutrients — plays a key role in preventing fractures, Dr Sztal-Mazer said. Exercise can also improve strength and balance, which can also help prevent falls, the main cause of bone fragility fractures. But, Dr Sztal-Mazer cautions, guidelines for exercise used by physiotherapists and exercise physiologists to manage osteoporosis suggests a much bigger time commitment is required than that proposed by OsteoStrong.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Exercise Scientist: This Simple Workout Plan Helps Maintain Muscle When You're Low on Time
Exercise Scientist: This Simple Workout Plan Helps Maintain Muscle When You're Low on Time originally appeared on Men's Fitness. When you've worked hard for your gains, you don't want to lose them—especially if life has gotten busy, making it difficult to get to the gym. But it's possible to work out with a busy schedule. It may take less time than you might think, too. Exercise scientist Mike Israetel appeared as a guest on The Diary of a CEO Podcast, explaining that staying in good shape doesn't require hours in the gym each day—or even each week. His take: Two hours a week is all it takes to maintain your gains, maybe even improve them. "People think the amount of training it takes to get into great shape is exactly the same exact amount of training you have to continuously do to stay in good shape," Israetel that's a myth. He explained that most of the body's complex systems operate in a way where it takes significantly more effort to create change than it does to maintain progress. That means once you've built a solid fitness foundation, upkeep is far easier than people assume. "Two hours total per week week can at the very least maintain what you have, essentially indefinitely," he says. If you're in a busy season of life struggling to find time to train, don't worry about hitting the gym every day. Focus on consistent, efficient workouts—even short sessions count. It's even worth considering switching your workout split to three full-body workouts a week, hitting every essential movement pattern. "You can actually train a lot less and keep all of your gains and maybe make some more," Israetel says. Consistency beats volume when you're busy. And with just a couple hours a week, you can stay strong, fit, and Scientist: This Simple Workout Plan Helps Maintain Muscle When You're Low on Time first appeared on Men's Fitness on Jun 18, 2025 This story was originally reported by Men's Fitness on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
