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Big surprise.   Exercise is linked to self-control, according to newswise.com. I can certainly attest to that.  The last thing I want to do most mornings after getting up is putting on my sneakers and going running.  Yet, I've been doing that for the last -- well, I don't want to tell you how many years because it's actually been decades. But a new study says  people engaged in a tailored physical activity intervention demonstrate improved self-control. “There’s a particular type of task called ‘delay discounting’ that presents individuals with a series of choices between ‘smaller/sooner’ and ‘larger/later’ rewards,” says Michael Sofis, a doctoral student in applied behavioral science at the University of Kansas, who headed the  study . “It’s something we all experience in our lives. Do you want a little money now — or wait and get a lot of money later? The degree to which one chooses that smaller/sooner reward is called impulsivity, and that has been l...

Do you take your time when there's a project due?  Are you the last to any meeting?  Do you wait until your friends choose a place for lunch, then go along if you like it? Are you a slacker ? Watch out, says a new study, according to newswise.com.  Feeling less active than your peers is associated with an earlier death, the study says. People who think they’re less active than others their age have a greater chance of dying younger than people who perceive themselves as more active, even if their actual activity levels are the same, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.  People who believed they weren’t as active as their peers were 71 percent more likely to die during the study’s follow-up period than were people who believed they had a more active lifestyle, the study said. This result remained even after controlling for actual amounts of activity, chronic illnesses, age and other demographic and health factors....

Exercise.  We all pretty much hate it, though I force myself to do an hour a day of running, swimming or using the elliptical or, my newest torture machine, the arc trainer. But a new study now says that if you compete with your friends, and even sweeter, get financial incentives, you'll be, well, at least a little more motivated. According to newswise.com, having your exercise performance compared to that of  peers motivates you to do more. And adding a financial incentive would rank it up there with nirvana.  Well, almost. Comparing performance to average peers (the 50th percentile), and offering financial incentives was the most effective method for increasing physical activity among teams of employees, according to new research, the web site reports. The study also found that different combinations of social comparison feedback and financial incentives can lead to a significant difference in outcomes within workplace competitions. “Many employers are...

Now I'm really in trouble. I have a couch potato (maybe call him a computer chair) kid who hardly ever goes outside and is as pale as unbleached flour.  A new study says that kids who perform physical activity (or just run around) improve their academic standing and brain power, according to newswise.com. The website reports that time taken away from lessons for physical activity is time well-spent and does not come at the cost of getting good grades, say the 24 signatories to a statement on physical activity in schools and during leisure time, published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine . The Statement, which distills the best available evidence on the impact of physical activity on children and young people, was drawn up by a panel of international experts with a wide range of specialisms, from the UK, Scandinavia, and North America, in Copenhagen, Denmark, in April of this year. Now my son does play soccer for hours with friends when they're...

So we've tried the Fit Bit to see how much we exercise (and how many calories we burn when we do it).  Weight Watchers offers devices that count the points you rack up, entitling you to eat more.     But what about a necklace that hears what you eat to help you track of it?  Sounds quite bizarre but a new study is proving that it may work. Carrots and apples not only taste different. They make distinct sounds when chewed. This may seem like unnecessary knowledge, but it’s not in the laboratory of University at Buffalo computer scientist Wenyao Xu, who is creating a library that catalogues the unique sounds that foods make as we bite, grind and swallow them, according to newswise.com. The library is part of a software package that supports AutoDietary, a high-tech, food-tracking necklace being developed by Xu and researchers at Northeastern University in China. “There is no shortage of wearable devices that tell us how many calories we burn, but c...

Ask, don't tell. No, we're not talking about gays in the military but New Year's resolutions. Experts say if you ask someone if they're going to exercise in the new year, you're far more likely to get a positive response than if you say, you're a fat pig, you need to lose weight. We all make resolutions at the new year -- and most of us drop them by about the third week of January.  I know, I'm one of them -- though my determination to lose weight and run at least 3 miles a day every day has stayed strong.  Of course, I've only lost about 5 pounds this year and some people still say, "I saw you out walking," when I'm jogging by. But asking about resolutions in a simple question can be a game-changing technique for people who want to influence their own or others' behavior, according to a recent study spanning 40 years of research.  The research looked at the phenomenon in which asking people about performing a certain behav...

Now THIS I find truly depressing. Did you know that you only have to run 1.5 to three miles two or three times a week to be healthy?  So why am I killing myself doing 3-5 miles a DAY every day? Granted, I'm proud of myself that in late middle age (late late?), I'm still able to do this.  Not that I run very fast.  In fact, some people have said, "I've seen you out walking."  As if. I'm a little faster than that.  (But not much.)  I can do two miles in about 22 minutes.  Don't ask about the longer runs. But Gretchen Reynolds wrote in the New York Times this week that all you need to stay healthy is that meager amount I mentioned in the beginning. She says the maximum benefits of running "occur at quite low doses," she says. I have to admit I was proud when an ER doctor (yes, another fall from running) asked if I had any heart problems because my pulse was so slow.  (Me and Lance Armstrong!  We have the same beats per minute of our he...

So you really don't want to slip on your running shoes, or pack your bag for the gym. But did you know there's an even bigger way than guilt to get yourself going? According to new research, cues are what often motivate us to get out on the road. Whether you exercise after work or first thing in the morning, right before lunch or going out for a few drinks with friends, the circumstances around when you exercise are what make it a habit, if you do it on a steady basis.  I'm an early morning runner (used to go out around 5, often when it was still dark) and if it's morning, and I've just woken up, I know it's time to put on the sneakers. The trick, you see, is to make exercise a habit.  Habits are harder to break. According to a new Iowa State University study, that may be easier to accomplish by focusing on cues that make going for a run or to the gym automatic, newswise.com reports. “From a health perspective, we want people to engage in physical activ...

Here I was, killing myself to run a 10-minute mile, and now, new research is saying the slower you jog , the longer you live. We've all been taken in by the idea that the more intense exercise is, the better it is for us.  But this new study, according to The New York Times, has found that "slow runners come out ahead." Gretchen Reynolds writes that the ideal amount of running for someone who wants to live a long and healthy life is less than most of us might expect, according to this study, which also suggests that people can overdo strenuous exercise and potentially shorten their lives.  So, what's the deal? There is increasing consensus among physicians and exercise scientists that people should exercise intensely at least sometimes, she points out. Past studies have found , for instance, that walkers who move at a brisk pace tend to live longer than those who stroll, even if they cover about the same distance. A similar study with cyclists came up w...

It's the greatest news I've heard in a while. Jogging keeps you young. But then I read the article through and sure enough, it was a bit of a come-on.  Turns out that  those who run at least 30 minutes, three times a week were less likely to experience age-related physical decline in " walking efficiency" than those who simply walked. Big deal. Though, I suppose, when I'm 80, that will mean a lot.   “What we found is that older adults who regularly participate in high aerobic activities—running in particular—have what we call a lower metabolic cost of walking than older, sedentary adults. In fact, their metabolic cost of walking is similar to young adults in their 20s,” said Justus Ortega, a Kinesiology Professor at Humboldt State and director of HSU’s Biomechanics Lab.  Now that, I'll buy. But here's the kicker. Decline in walking ability is a key predictor of morbidity in older adults. I've been jogging for over 30 years, most...

It was one of the worst days of my life. Last week I learned that exercise may make you gain weight.  That's right.  I said, gain.  Not lose. I had been wondering about that for a while, as, last summer, when I ramped up my exercise routine - running, swimming, doing the elliptical, all in the same day -- I began putting on the pounds. I couldn't believe it.  Someone suggested I wasn't eating enough (yeah, right).  But I didn't start losing weight until I scaled back my exercise in the fall. Now a new study is saying it wasn't all in my head.  (Or the scale.)  I was right.  Gretchen Reynolds writes at The New York Times that this provocative new study shows that a substantial number of people who take up an exercise regimen wind up heavier afterward than they were at the start, with the weight gain due mostly to extra fat, not muscle. Say what? A recent review of studies related to exercise and weight control found that in most of...

You really wanted to get out and do that run this morning but oh, that bed was so warm and cozy. Don't blame yourself.  Blame your brain. A new study has found that an area of the brain could control a person’s motivation to exercise and participate in other rewarding activities – potentially leading to improved treatments for depression.  Scientists have discovered that a tiny region of the brain – the dorsal medial habenula – controls the desire to exercise in mice. The structure of the habenula is similar in humans and rodents and functions similarly in both species in mood regulation and motivation. “Changes in physical activity and the inability to enjoy rewarding or pleasurable experiences are two hallmarks of major depression,” Dr. Eric Turner , a principal investigator in Seattle Children’s Research Institute’s Center for Integrative Brain Research ,Turner said at newswise.com. “But the brain pathways responsible for exercise motivation have not been wel...

Could it be that easy?  A new study says that if you think of exercise as fun, or a treat, instead of oh-God-it's-time-to-go-running, you'll lose weight. According to newswise.com, "Think of your next workout as a fun activity or as a well-deserved break – not exercise – and you’ll eat less and lose more weight, according to a new study from Cornell University Food and Brand Lab." The study analyzed the eating habits of people after walking 2 km (a little more than a mile) – half the participants were told the walk was exercise, while others were told it was a scenic walk. Researchers found that those who believed they completed an exercise walk ate 35 percent more chocolate pudding for dessert than those who had been on a scenic walk. On a different occasion, those thinking they had taken an exercise walk ate 206 more calories -- 124 percent more calories – than those who had been told they were on a scenic walk.  According to researchers, the study...

Do crossword puzzles.  Read the daily newspaper (blog?).  Exercise. These have all been recommended to those who wish to try to ward off Alzheimer's.  But exercise is the number one solution, experts have been saying for some time. Now a new study proves it even more.  According to Gretchen Reynolds at The New York Times, "Exercise may help to keep the brain robust in people who have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, according to an inspiring new study. The findings suggests that even moderate amounts of physical activity may help to slow the progression of one of the most dreaded diseases of aging."  About 100 people between 65 and 89 were recruited for the study, many with a family history of Alzheimer's, making them more vulnerable to this dreaded disease. Reynolds notes that scientists have discovered in recent years that people who harbor a specific variant of a gene have a substantially increased risk of developing the dis...

Finally.  We don't have to run for an hour.  We just have to do it fast. Experts now say it's the quality, not the quantity of exercise , that counts. Researchers at Skidmore College report the clear benefits of an exercise regimen that includes resistance exercise, interval sprint exercise, stretching (including yoga or pilates), and endurance exercise. Add moderate amounts of protein regularly throughout your day, and you’ll be well on your way toward decreasing total and abdominal fat, increasing lean body mass, and achieving optimal levels for blood pressure, blood glucose, and insulin. I took this to heart recently.  I used to run five miles at a 15-minute mile pace.  Over time I cut it down to about 32 minutes for a three-mile run.  I feel so much healthier -- and my heart beats so fast, I know I'm exercising.  No one says, "Oh, I saw you out for a walk the other day," anymore. In fact, one man told me to slow down.  And this was e...

We've all heard it.  And most believe it.  No pain no gain. But a new study has found, as Gretchen Reynolds reports, that " while it is possible to push through fatigue to reach new levels of physical performance, it is not necessarily wise." She writes that scientists have long been puzzled about just how muscles know that they’re about to run out of steam "and need to convey that message to the brain, which has the job of actually telling the body that now would be a good time to drop off the pace and seek out a bench." Earlier research established that contracting muscles release a number of substances, including lactate, certain acids and adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, a chemical involved in the creation of energy. The levels of each of those substances were shown to rise substantially when muscles were working hard, Reynolds notes. Reynolds goes into much more detail than I will here, but the bottom line is that " the feeling of fatigue in ou...

Duh.  A new study has found that regular exercise can slow aging. It may even be able to add up to five years to your life. New research s uggests that a person can slow the speed at which she ages by exercising regularly, according to newswise.com. My husband, who believes exercise can cure everything from the common cold to cancer, will be jubilant (and boastful).   I can't wait. Regular exercise not only improves the quality of life but can also extend a person’s lifespan by up to five years, the Web site reports on the study's facts. Additionally, research suggests that older adults receive the most benefits when combining endurance exercise with resistance exercise. Yay.  Finally I'm doing something right.  I jog and swim.  Not well, but still. However, other studies suggest it's extreme exercise that slows aging.   The Guardian writer Matthew Jenkin claims that e very morning, 72-year-old grandmother Dr Betty Holsden-Smith does a few cr...

Are you sick of reading about obesity?  I know I sometimes am.  But a new study has some startling, and frightening, facts about colon cancer and obesity. It says obesity primes the colon for cancer, as demonstrated in the study on mice. Obesity, rather than diet, causes changes in the colon that may lead to colorectal cancer, according to a study in mice, as reported by newswise.com. A large body of scientific literature says people who are obese are predisposed to a number of cancers, particularly colorectal cancer. Like many things, it all comes down to a gene.  “The obese mice exhibited molecular signals in their gut that led to the progression of cancer, but the NAG-1 mice didn’t have those same indicators,” says  Thomas Eling, Ph.D., a scientist at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). After a series of experiments, Eling and his team discovered that gene p atterns from obese...

Eat an egg.  Chew a cheese stick.  Swallow a hunk of steak.  Then, go exercise. Experts are now promising that some women who do this will lose more weight, or lose it faster.   According to newswise.com, "A  high-protein meal followed by 30 minutes of moderate exercise is an effective way of burning calories, especially when compared to exercising on an empty stomach." I was actually told this several years ago when I had a trainer for three months.  He suggested I eat something, anything, before I went for my jog.  I usually picked fruit and I can't say it helped me lose much weight (maybe I chose the wrong thing).  The idea? You will exercise longer and tire less, if you have food in your stomach.  But this new study found something else. “We looked at the effects of protein consumption alone on total energy expenditure, and protein consumption combined with exercise,” newswise quotes  Ashley Binns, a doctoral student in kine...

We all know physical activity is practically commanded by the Bible in the way we're all ordered to practice it.  It can prevent breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes, you name it, even Alzheimer's, according to some studies.  And now it's being touted as a way, along with occasional drinking (?), to keep your eyesight strong well into old age.   newswise.com reports that a  physically active lifestyle and occasional drinking "are associated with a reduced risk of developing visual impairment." (Does this mean we should all become "occasional" drinkers to save our eyes?) But it's not just losing your sight we should be worried about, the Web site notes.  It could also affect the way, and how well, we live. Visual impairment – sight loss often caused by eye disease, trauma, or a congenital or degenerative condition that cannot be corrected with glasses or contact lenses – is associated with a poorer quality of life and, when severe, loss o...