Latest news with #exercise
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- Health
- The Guardian
The one change that worked: I hated exercise – until I put a bike in front of my TV
Ever since a nasty concussion stopped me playing rugby when I was 18, I struggled to exercise regularly. I tried plenty of workouts, dabbling in everything from CrossFit to Zumba. While some were more enjoyable than others, I hadn't found a way to keep a consistent, disciplined regime without it feeling like a chore. I'm 28 now and work from home. My commute from bed to desk is 15 steps. Given the health risks of sedentary lifestyles, I had tried just about everything to break my lazy rut, and then something worked: watching television. Well, OK, not just watching television like a modern Jim Royle, who reached Olympic levels in The Royle Family, but I imposed a rule: if I want to watch TV, I have to do so while sitting on my exercise bike (the one cardio exercise I can tolerate). The result? I've been cycling roughly six hours a week for months now. Generally, I watch a lot of sports: if there's football, rugby, tennis, boxing, NFL or cricket on, I'll watch it. So invariably through the year I find there's roughly two hours of sport on three times a week I want to watch. By combining this with exercise, I find I am able to do so without feeling guilty. Most of the sports I watch have intervals, so I tend to cycle moderately during the action and then start to pedal my way quickly through another Jamie Carragher tirade or some inane ad breaks. I usually burn about 500 calories during a two-hour session. Sometimes my drink of choice while I cycle might even be a non-alcoholic beer. Bliss. I used to feel exercise was a waste of time, like being a hamster on a wheel, spinning and doing very little. But the benefits of consistent exercise have been pretty amazing for me. It has helped me to reach a level of fitness where I feel less anxious about going to the gym, but I also reap the mental health benefits of sticking to a routine and enjoying the aches days after I push myself a little harder than before (a masochistic hangover from my rugby days). Sure, there are some days when staying on the bike is more of a slog than others, if there's a particularly boring match on or the wifi decides to be dodgy. But by that point I'm already there and something in me decides I might as well keep going. It's almost as though this hamster wheel now energises me instead of dragging me down. More recently, I have found that passively exercising while actively doing something I enjoy is a wider magic formula. Listening to podcasts while I take my time doing various sets of weights is my latest endeavour. They say that incremental changes are the most effective, and building up an exercise regime by watching television has worked. It has helped me to feel happier and healthier.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Study reveals this type of exercise lowers your biological age by 9 years
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. If you're looking to pause time, we've got good news — when it comes to biological aging, that's the aging process that happens inside your cells, sweating can help. Specifically, sweating due to high-impact exercise, which can lower your biological age by nearly a decade, according to researchers. The study, conducted at Brigham Young University and published in the Preventive Medicine medical journal, looked at the data of more than 5,800 adults aged 20-84. The study looked at the participants' biological age by examining the length of their telomeres — these are the protective DNA caps at the end of chromosomes. Telomeres prevent your DNA from getting damaged; they shorten as we get older, and shortened telomeres are often associated with age-related diseases. The measurement is taken through blood samples. The researchers found that people who consistently performed high levels of physical activity, specifically high-impact activity, had longer telomeres than those with sedentary lifestyles. For the study, to be highly active, women had to engage in 30 minutes of jogging per day and 40 minutes for men, five days a week. They concluded that regular high-impact exercise added nine years of reduced cellular aging. 'If you want to see a real difference in slowing your biological aging, it appears that a little exercise won't cut it,' exercise science professor Larry Tucker said. 'You have to work out regularly at high levels.' If you're new to jogging, it can be difficult to know where to start. Mixing jogging with walking intervals as you get fitter and build up your distance, also known as Jeffing, can be beneficial. Here's everything you need to know about Jeffing, and a round-up of the best running shoes on the market. That said, if you're not a runner or you're worried about the impact of running on your joints, high-intensity training doesn't have to involve pounding the sidewalk or hours on the treadmill. HIIT training, cycling sprints on a stationary bike, taking a spin class, or using the rowing machine in the gym all count as high-intensity exercise. Find the one that works for you, and you'll increase your cardiovascular fitness while lowering your biological age. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. More from Tom's Guide Forget running and swimming — study finds this sport adds 10 years to your life Forget gym machines — study shows this type of exercise is the most effective at building strength, muscle and power Forget 10,000 steps — study reveals the real number of minimum daily steps you should take, according to your age
Malay Mail
6 hours ago
- Automotive
- Malay Mail
Traffic diversion on Tuas Second Link for Singapore-Malaysia emergency exercise this Wednesday
SINGAPORE, July 21 — All three lanes of the Singapore to Malaysia-bound carriageway on the Tuas Second Link will be closed from 5.00am to 2.00pm on Wednesday, July 23, for a cross-border chemical spill emergency response exercise. Motorists heading to Malaysia will be diverted to a lane on the opposite carriageway and are advised to plan their journeys in advance or use the Woodlands Checkpoint instead. The exercise, held under the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment (MSJCE), is a joint initiative by Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA), Malaysia's Department of Environment (DOE), and other agencies. It aims to test emergency response procedures to a simulated multi-vehicle collision involving trucks carrying chemicals along the Tuas Second Link. Authorities have urged motorists to follow directions from traffic marshals and stay updated through Singapore radio stations for traffic information. The public has also been advised not to be alarmed by the exercise, which forms part of ongoing bilateral cooperation between the two countries on environmental safety.
CNA
6 hours ago
- Automotive
- CNA
Malaysia-bound lanes on Tuas Second Link to be closed during chemical spill exercise on Jul 23
SINGAPORE: All three lanes on the Tuas Second Link from Singapore to Malaysia will be closed for nine hours on Wednesday (Jul 23) for a bilateral chemical spill emergency response exercise. The closure will be from 5am to 2pm, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a statement on Monday. "The exercise will simulate the emergency response to a multi-vehicle collision along the Tuas Second Link involving trucks carrying chemicals." The public should not be alarmed, it added. Due to the lane closures, motorists travelling towards Malaysia will be diverted to a lane on the opposite carriageway. "Motorists should plan their journey in advance and closely follow the traffic marshals' directions on site," NEA said. It also advised motorists to avoid the Tuas Second Link while the exercise is ongoing and to use the Causeway via the Woodlands Checkpoint instead. For traffic updates, motorists may tune in to Singapore radio stations on the day. The exercise is part of the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment involving NEA, the Department of Environment in Malaysia and several other agencies.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Study reveals this type of exercise lowers your biological age by 9 years
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. If you're looking to pause time, we've got good news — when it comes to biological aging, that's the aging process that happens inside your cells, sweating can help. Specifically, sweating due to high-impact exercise, which can lower your biological age by nearly a decade, according to researchers. The study, conducted at Brigham Young University and published in the Preventive Medicine medical journal, looked at the data of more than 5,800 adults aged 20-84. The study looked at the participants' biological age by examining the length of their telomeres — these are the protective DNA caps at the end of chromosomes. Telomeres prevent your DNA from getting damaged; they shorten as we get older, and shortened telomeres are often associated with age-related diseases. The measurement is taken through blood samples. The researchers found that people who consistently performed high levels of physical activity, specifically high-impact activity, had longer telomeres than those with sedentary lifestyles. For the study, to be highly active, women had to engage in 30 minutes of jogging per day and 40 minutes for men, five days a week. They concluded that regular high-impact exercise added nine years of reduced cellular aging. 'If you want to see a real difference in slowing your biological aging, it appears that a little exercise won't cut it,' exercise science professor Larry Tucker said. 'You have to work out regularly at high levels.' If you're new to jogging, it can be difficult to know where to start. Mixing jogging with walking intervals as you get fitter and build up your distance, also known as Jeffing, can be beneficial. Here's everything you need to know about Jeffing, and a round-up of the best running shoes on the market. That said, if you're not a runner or you're worried about the impact of running on your joints, high-intensity training doesn't have to involve pounding the sidewalk or hours on the treadmill. HIIT training, cycling sprints on a stationary bike, taking a spin class, or using the rowing machine in the gym all count as high-intensity exercise. Find the one that works for you, and you'll increase your cardiovascular fitness while lowering your biological age. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. More from Tom's Guide Forget running and swimming — study finds this sport adds 10 years to your life Forget gym machines — study shows this type of exercise is the most effective at building strength, muscle and power Forget 10,000 steps — study reveals the real number of minimum daily steps you should take, according to your age
