Energy For Women (2004)

The Science Of Staying In Shape 

By Kathy Summers

     Everyone knows a regular workout makes you feel great. And when new research proves how great it is for you, it feels like extra credit. Knowing the facts behind fitness can help you stay motivated, but have you been keeping up? Take the quiz and find out.

1. Cardio and strength training can boost brainpower, but only in mice.
True or False.
2. Any regular workout can cut your risk of breast cancer.
True or False.
3. Women who wear pedometers during aerobic activity are likely to exercise more.
True or False.
4. People who stay fitter and leaner as they age typically have a better outlook on life.
True or False.
5. Taking a daily walk can lesson your risk of diabetes, but only if you’re overweight.
True or False.
6. It’s never too late for a strength-training program to improve your bone, joint and heart health.
True or False. 

ANSWERS
1. False. Through human brain scans, we now have visible proof that exercise is good for our brains, according to a study published in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences (February 2003). At about age 30, our brains begin to lose tissue. This study–the first to confirm the link between exercise and the human brain–shows how physical exercise benefits the three areas of the brain most adversely affected by aging.

2. True. In a study published in the journal Cancer (October 6, 2003), women who did any kind of exercise had a 35 percent lower risk of breast cancer than women who didn’t exercise. Because so few studies have been done on breast cancer’s risk factors, researchers don’t have all the facts. But they suspect the benefit of exercise has something to do with its effect on circulating sex hormones.

3. True. By increasing awareness, wearing a pedometer can lead to a significant increase in physical activity, according to a research study by the Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. For the study, reported in the Wisconsin Medical Journal (September 2003), 510 women purchased pedometers, completed surveys and were encouraged to walk 10,000 steps daily. Eight weeks later they completed follow-up surveys. Setting daily goals, keeping logs and wearing pedometers were the best predictors of increased awareness and activity, along with other physical improvements (increased energy, fewer illnesses and weight loss). Would women continue using the pedometer after the study ended? Seventy-one percent said yes.

4. True. Older Americans who were fitter and leaner said they were less tired, less depressed, less angry, less tense and in an overall better mood, according to a Johns Hopkins research report published in the Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation (March/April 2003). By contrast, participants who were fatter and less fit said they were more depressed, more angry, more tense and not as happy. In the report, the study’s senior author, Kerry J. Stewart, Ed.D., said that although participants were not involved in exercise or weight loss programs, even small increases in physical activity and fitness were linked to better mood and quality of life.

5. False. Taking a brisk half-hour walk every day can reduce the risk of type-two diabetes no matter how much you weigh, according to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology (October 1, 2003). Looking at how physical activity and body mass index relate to type-two diabetes in high-risk 15-59 year olds, researchers concluded regular walking benefits glucose tolerance, regardless of weight.
     Another study, reported in the journal Prevention Medicine (October 2003), confirms these results showing improved glucose tolerance and reduced blood pressure in overweight women at risk for type-two diabetes. Although maintaining a healthy weight is generally recommended, this study found that even when people break up their walking workouts throughout the day and don’t lose any weight, they still lessen their diabetes risk.

6. True. If weight lifting did nothing more than lift your spirits and help you sleep, it would almost be enough. Yet strength-training does so much more. In as little as two or three workouts a week, elderly people can build enough muscle mass and strength to preserve bone density and reduce symptoms of osteoporosis along with arthritis, type-two diabetes and heart disease, according to a research review in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (October 2003).

--Kathy Summers is a health, fitness and nutrition writer in Cave Creek, AZ.