Otis was our bighearted bloodhound, whom we loved dearly. He had an active life playing with our three other dogs and going for long walks every morning and evening with us. But when he was 8 years old, his lifestyle completely changed. He experienced a knee injury that required surgery, and he later developed osteoarthritis […]
Here’s a sobering fact: you can lose up to 40% of your muscle mass between your 20s and your 80s. That might sound outlandish, but it’s a natural part of ageing. Known as sarcopenia, this is the gradual loss of muscle mass that occurs as we age. Although we can start losing muscle from our 20s, this […]
As clocks march ahead of time on March 10, 2019, and daylight saving time begins, there is a lot of anxiety around losing the hour of sleep and how to adjust to this change. Usually an hour seems like an insignificant amount of time but considering the global epidemic of our sleep deprived society, even […]
In the early phases of lockdown, the streets were teeming with runners and living rooms were a blur of uncoordinated star jumps and lunges. In fact, physical activity levels in the UK peaked around mid-to-late May, just before lockdown restrictions began to be eased. Now, after months of fluctuating social restrictions, many people are reporting on […]
Falls are a common cause of injury in older adults and can lead to disability. Luckily, the risk of falls can be reduced with regular exercise– but not all exercise. Our latest study shows that so-called eccentric exercise – such as walking downhill – may temporarily increase the risk of falling. Every activity we do requires our muscles to either […]
Millions of people worldwide make running their exercise of choice. And whether you’ve just started running and are aiming to run a 5km or are aiming to run a marathon, you’re probably looking for ways to improve. While most training programmes for runners focus primarily on increasing the amount of running you do, becoming a better runner […]
When people set personal fitness goals and establish their physical exercise routines, there’s a group of cuddly individuals that is often left out – infants! Historically, infant active movement has been perceived as a personality characteristic. It’s assumed that infants are plenty active on their own, without needing adult intervention to encourage movement. However, research is […]
As we get older, many of us find we can’t walk or move the way we used to. While this can be partly explained as an inevitable symptom of ageing, a range of diseases – including Parkinson’s disease, sarcopenia and osteoporosis – can also make it more difficult for us to move. Rather paradoxically, people […]
There’s long been evidence that moderate aerobic exercise (think walking, running, or cycling) are good for your lifelong health and well-being. Research even shows us more active people also tend to live longer, healthier lives with lower rates of disease – including cancers, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. But what about resistance exercise – like lifting weights? While it’s […]
As winter descends on the northern hemisphere and the temperature drops and daylight hours shorten, many people may want to spend more time indoors. And those of us under lockdown for the second time may feel even less inclined to get outside and exercise. But staying indoors may have unintended health consequences, due to both […]
Over the past 40 years, changes in our urban environment and diet have had a major impact on our lifestyles. We are more sedentary and the quality of our diet and sleep is at its lowest in decades. These changes, coupled with an increase in life expectancy, are associated with an increase in the number […]
As the first woman to land a quadruple jump at the Olympics, 15-year-old Kamila Valieva became instantly famous. She also helped Russia win a gold medal in the team figure skating event. Then it was revealed her December 2021 drug testing sample had found trimetazidine, a banned substance according to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The same […]
